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The Onyx Collective has produced a new eight-part Hulu series that explores soul food in all of its glory. Hosted by celebrity chef Alisa Reynolds, Searching for Soul Food captures the beauty of southern-style cuisine and its cultural history around the globe.
During her exciting food tour, Reynolds explores the stories, the people and the traditions of each place she visits. According to a press release, the rock star chef makes culinary stops in Mississippi, Oklahoma, Appalachia, South Africa, Italy, Jamaica, Peru and Los Angeles.
On June 2, Searching for Soul Food kicked off with episode one of the series where Reynolds traced the history of Southern cuisine in Mississippi. During her visit, the restauranteur made a stunning discovery about hush puppies, a savory deep-fried dish with roots heavily connected to Black American culture.
“I want this show to be for everybody. Say hush puppies, for example. We thought we [black Americans] invented those. Those came from Native Americans,” Reynolds told the New York Post of her findings in Mississippi.
“That’s the beauty in Searching for Soul Food. I want to be truthful and transparent in what I know, and what I don’t know. That’s the magic in the show, all of the discoveries.”
Searching for Soul Food is directed by Rodney Lucas and executive produced by Melina Matsoukas, Jacob Cohen-Holmes and Ali Brown. Oscar-nominated film producer Traci Curry is the showrunner of the new docu-series.
Watch the teaser trailer for The Onyx Collective-produced show below.
Who is Alisa Reynolds?
Reynolds is the executive chef and founder of the health-conscious Soul Food restaurant My 2 Cents in Los Angeles. Inspired by her upbringing, the bold cook serves healthy twists on Southern classics like her gluten-free fried chicken and popular quinoa-based mac and cheese.
A slew of celebrities have stopped by to chow down Reynold’s tasty offerings including former President Barack Obama, A$AP Rocky and the legendary Stevie Wonder, who is a regular at the restaurant.
“And it’s not like some superstar sends a minion in. He sits there for hours, enjoys it, and takes it in,” the superstar chef gushed to the New York Post. “And my restaurant is small, with 24 seats. It’s cool, he’s engaging. We just love him.”
Stream Searching for Soul Food on Hulu now. Will you be watching?
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