Chef, author, and Gullah Diva Sallie Ann Robinson. (photo by Butch Hirsch Photography)
Celebrity chef, cookbook author, and cultural consultant on her home island of Daufuskie, South Carolina, are all titles which Sallie Ann Robinson can claim with justification after working many years to earn them. She recently added to her list of titles that of “the first Gullah Diva,” so proclaimed by members of the Binyah Foundation.
Established in June 2009, the Binyah Foundation was created to “support the Daufuskie Island and Sea Island area’s historical, structural, natural, wildlife and ecological preservation efforts. That includes showing a healthy dose of respect for Gullah culture, which includes the unique dialect often spoken by people of Gullah descent, the history of those people, their customs and their legacy.
“Our goal [in regard to divas] is to identify and promote all the divas of Gullah who are working to preserve this great culture and natural asset,” said a Foundation spokesperson, who asked to remain unidentified for the purpose of maintaining focus on the organization’s mission. Moreover, the Foundation will host a Gullah Diva Social at the Melrose General Store on Daufuskie Island in August (specific date currently not confirmed); the Landsend Woodland Festival on St. Helena Island; Labor Day weekend September 4-5; and a Celebrity Golf Classic and Lowcountry Festival on Daufuskie October 17 and 18.
The term “Binya” is derived from the Gullah word “beenya,” denoting someone who has long been a resident within an area of Gullah culture, and likely has ancestral roots there, in contrast to those relatively new to such places, one of the prime examples being Daufuskie Island.
The Binyah Foundation is headed by Bart Whitaker, who relocated from Atlanta to the South Carolina’s Hilton Head area for the position. Whitaker’s resume includes serving as the general manager for the International Village in Chamblee, Georgia; and as start-up owner and president of USA Sports Marketing in Atlanta.
The Original Gullah Diva
Sallie Ann Robinson’s selection as the organization’s “original Gullah Diva” actually marks the second time the Daufuskie-Island native has been recognized as a diva of sorts. In December 2008, she made a guest appearance on the short-lived Georgia Public Broadcasting show, Dixie Divas in the Kitchen, which also featured author Barbara Dooley and columnist Rhonda Rich. She has, in addition, been the subject of numerous magazine features, including the article “Secrets of a Daufuskie Kitchen” (Garden & Gun, June/July 2009) by fellow celebrity chef Damon Lee Fowler.
On June 28, Robinson joined numerous others to contribute to the fulfillment of the Binyah Foundation’s mission during the annual Daufuskie Day Celebration when two full tour boats left the docks of Hilton Head and transported passengers to Daufuskie to enjoy a festive time of dining, storytelling, exploring, singing, and relaxing.
Already an author of two cookbooks, Robinson is currently working on a third. Both her first book, Gullah Home Cooking the Daufuskie Way, and the second, Cooking the Gullah Way, have won critical acclaim for the down-home authenticity of the recipes and for books’ inclusion of engaging folklore and memoir.
Currently adding the finishing touches to her third book, Robinson noted that, “it is a dinner cookbook and differs from the previous two in that it consists of twenty-eight full menus, five course meals from salads to meats, vegetables, starch, and deserts. Like the other two, I also share stories and folk sayings [wisdom]. This book is based in many ways on the stories of my great great grandparents, great grandparents, and grandparents.”
For more information on the Binyah Foundation or to submit suggestions for other Gullah Divas to the organization, telephone (843)842-7792. For information on Sallie Ann Robinson, please visit her website at www.sallieannrobinson.com .
by Aberjhani
For more info:
Read The American Poet Who Went Home Again
Visit The Binyah Foundation Website
More on Butch Hirsch Photography
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