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Welcome to the Southern Foodways Alliance -- an institute
of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture with headquarters
at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi.
The Southern Foodways Alliance documents and celebrates the diverse food cultures of the American South. We set a common table where black and white, rich and poor -- all who gather-- may consider our history and our future in a spirit of reconciliation.
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Gulf Coast Renaissance -- Saving Willie Mae's Scotch House
 In
the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the SFA catalyzed a series of volunteer-staffed
Gulf Coast work projects. What began as a plan to offer five volunteer
clean-up weekends has now become a year-long effort to rebuild the Scotch
House, a revered corner café in the Treme neighborhood of New Orleans
owned by 91-year-old Mrs. Willie Mae Seaton.
Like all rebuilding efforts in New Orleans, this was an
odyssey of the unexpected. There were challenges related to permits, funding,
and staffing. To date, the SFA has raised almost $200,000 to fund the
rebuilding. Under the volunteer leadership of Chef John Currence, and
with the help of countless volunteers who gave of their time and money,
we’re finally just days away from reopening the restaurant.
Album 1
Album 2
Album 3
Album 4
Album 5
Interested in how the rebuilding has progressed?
Below are a few samples of project updates that were posted
on our blog:
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FEBRUARY 24, 2007
Good news, fried chicken lovers!
I say this at the risk of sounding like I am crying wolf, but it appears
that the end of the Scotch House project is truly not only in sight, but
also within reach.
The last nine weeks have been nothing short of frustrating. The Thanksgiving
work weekend did much to ready Ms. Seaton's apartment for her move home,
but everything on the planet conspired against us and we were unable to
connect the gas and electricity to make the place livable. There is now
good news that I am extremely happy to report, however.
The electricity is on throughout the building. The central air/heat units
were delivered and installed, and gas will be hooked up shortly. Work
is completely finished on the house side of the building.
On the restaurant side there is a little touch-up painting to be done.
The bar top is to be laminated, plumbing fixtures need to be installed,
and the drain lines have to be tied into the sewer mains out on the street.
After what seemed like a heavyweight title bout, we did manage to get
the hood vent installed and a group contracted to install the fire suppression
system. Things are chugging along on the restaurant side.
Given the unexpected twists and turns of this project, I am hesitant to
set an opening date right this second. John T, Mary Beth and Lolis are
hoping to get a firmer idea this and we will let everyone know as soon
as we have reached a consensus. Until then, please keep you fingers crossed.
We are very close and I could not be much more encouraged.
My very best, as always,
Johnny Snack
(a.k.a. John Currence)
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JANUARY 2007
Click here to see an update
from our newsletter, Gravy.
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NOVEMBER 26, 2006
This past weekend, volunteers worked at the Scotch House to make it ready
for Ms. Seaton's return over the holidays. A crew of SFA members and local
volunteers labored Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. This weekend's work was
truly transformative: the tile in the bathroom is almost complete, the
baseboards and molding are finished and sealed, and ceiling fans are in
place. Her front doors even have a fresh coat of paint.
Ms. Seaton came by to visit around 3 p.m. on Sunday and was delighted
with the progress she witnessed. As is customary, she promised every volunteer
that she'd fry them a plate of chicken just as soon as her doors reopened.
The restaurant side of the Scotch House still needs significant work,
but we're fortunate to have received a truckload of donated kitchen equipment
from friends in South Carolina. Work to install a grease trap will begin
soon, and once the kitchen's vent hood is in place we'll proceed quickly
to install appliances and ready the restaurant for a December opening.
At the very end of the day on Sunday, volunteers moved furniture into
the front living room and added a chifferobe and some night stands to
the bedroom. Though there's still work to be done, the place is beginning
to look like a real home. Crews will continue to labor throughout this
week. We'll look forward to turning on the power and finishing up last
details with the trim. Locals are making arrangements to help Ms. Seaton
move her personal items from storage over the holidays.
A few volunteers took a rest on the living room couch just before leaving.
It was an amazing feeling to sit in a finished living room on Sunday afternoon,
nearly a year after we made the initial commitment to rebuild.
Thanks to all those involved for painting, tiling, sawing, cleaning, sanding,
donating, and cooking. Whatever your project entailed this weekend, or
this year, know that you're appreciated.
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AUGUST 27, 2006
From the reports of the brave few who took turns laying in the insulation
this weekend: The attic of Willie Mae's gets up to around 110-120 degrees
up there, so anyone who has anything they need to keep warm...
Yes, I said it... insulation... I realized on the way home from New Orleans
last night that we had not done a terribly thorough job of keeping everyone
in the loop about what was happening on the corner of North Tonti and
St. Ann, much less have we thanked the countless souls who have given
up their weekends, spare change, and hearts to the project. This first
installment from the front line will hopefully begin to make up for those
two shortcomings, though I am reluctant to thank individuals at the risk
of insulting those who I will invariably fail to mention.
Spring
The first five weekends of the Willie Mae project saw about two-thirds
of the demolition completed. When we closed the doors at the end of that
first push, hopes were dim as the reality we were facing a gigantic fundraising
effort set in. Over the course of the spring and early summer a series
of big weekends were organized. The rest of the interior demolition was
completed, wiring and plumbing were removed, and by April the structure
was little more than a very fragile shell. Remaining doors and windows
were falling apart. The bottom four feet of the building were still only
covered by the roof felt we had used to wrap the building and cover the
wall studs. The original weather board had been removed and a couple of
large sections of the exterior walls were exposed. The building was nothing
but studs, 80% of its original siding, and a roof. We spent a significant
amount of time during these first few months treading water waiting for
a couple of groups promising boat loads of cash for Willie Mae. Like the
rest of the city, we found that many funding avenues were dead ends and
we worked almost exclusively using funds from individual donations.
Summer
Starting Easter weekend (which I recognize is not technically Summer,
but cut me a little slack... I'm nothing short of scrambled right now)
the rebuilding began. An impressive shot of new blood from Birmingham
and a couple of regular faces from Nashville descended on New Orleans
with a smattering of others, and new wood started to hang. New weather
board went up on the outside, inside framing was reinforced, ceiling joists
went up on the house side of the building, and a fresh coat of paint went
up on the new siding. The James Beard Foundation, after a healthy dose
of lobbying, made a healthy donation of money raised in conjunction with
the Beard Awards. We were back in the hunt. Several weeks later (Memorial
Day Weekend) another group came to town and the rough work on the interior
continued. The exterior wall in the kitchen area of the house was reframed
and new windows were installed. The dividing wall between the house and
restaurant was completed, and the ceiling structure was completed on the
house side. On the Fourth of July we pushed our luck and called for volunteers
on a vacation once again. The rough-in on the drain work had been laid,
and fresh concrete poured throughout two-thirds of the restaurant side.
The heavy part of the interior framing could begin. With the strong-backed
crews from Birmingham and Nashville, and one ponytailed scalawag from
the Lower Garden District, the bathrooms and kitchen on the restaurant
side took shape and real forward progress was visible for the first time.
In the time since, smaller groups have helped do some detail work with
the framing and siding of the building, and the professionals have swept
in. A mechanical group has installed the central air and heat and the
electricians are about 90% finished with the wiring.
This past weekend the most heroic group of volunteers arrived ready to
help. Thanks to a glowing piece in the Times Picayune by Brett Anderson,
a group showed up on Saturday (a blisteringly hot Saturday... and I grew
up in the Crescent City, so I know how hot they can be) to hang the donated
insulation that the Egerton Clan trucked down two weeks ago. These guys
(the Egertons and the group who showed up this weekend) all deserve to
be bronzed for their efforts. As of Sunday afternoon, the exterior walls
were all draped with fiberglass, and the attic floor was covered in an
itchy pink carpet. (Side note: for those of you who have not been down,
insulation is a novel concept for this particular building...there was
not a lick of it in the walls heretofore.) The interior is completely
finished forgive one short wall section, pending the plumbers' completion,
and the outside of the building needs only a touch up here and there to
replace worn siding.
Donations have continued to come in a number of different forms. A lumber
company donated a load of plywood which we did not have a use for, and
a friend who owns an Ace hardware swapped the ply for electrical supplies
to help with the wiring costs. John Besh has remained at the ready, so
we remain the most well fed work crew in the recovery effort, hands down.
Through a tremendous network of friends who are handy with typewriters,
we have gotten more than our share of ink and the checks have continued
to come in, helping us limp along.
Willie Mae remains in good spirits. She could not be more grateful to
everyone who has helped and, as always, wants nothing more than to get
back in the kitchen and get back to work. She is still up the street with
her friend Hazel, and she's never without a smile on her face. She looks
forward to making the trip to Oxford in October for the symposium, and
seeing everyone who makes it down.
Hopefully, on next report, drywall will be gong up and a real time line
for opening will be available.
Cheers,
John Currence
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