Product Description

Momma Cherri and her restaurant 'The Soul Food Shack' shot to fame after being featured on Gordon Ramsay's "Kitchen Nightmares" in 2005. The larger than life star of the show was Charita Jones a.k.a Momma Cherri. Since her life was turned around thanks to Gordon Ramsay's business sense, Charita has become a TV star and celebrity chef in her own right, appearing regularly on ITV, BBC, national radio and in the press. Her first book is a wonderfully colourful collection of soul food, "God's Own Comfort Food". With its roots in African-American cuisine, soul food joyously celebrates hearty, spicy home cooking - recipes perfect for sharing and partying. With stunning photography by Peter Cassidy, this brilliantly original book showcases a great array of soul food classics, given a unique twist by Momma Cherri. Written in Momma's evocative and forthright style, the book provides fascinating insights into the origins of soul food and happily stresses the importance of fresh, affordable food cooked with passion and flavour. Great Britain should get ready for the Soul Food revolution!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6729 in Books
• Published on: 2007-05-14
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 160 pages

About the Author
Charita Jones (endearingly known as Momma Cherri) shot to national stardom when she appeared on Gordon Ramsay's award-winning television programme 'Kitchen Nightmares' - he loved her, he loved her food, he loved her restaurant, but he hated the way she ran her business. In two short weeks he turned her business around, giving her the brilliantly simple idea of 'Soul in a Bowl' and encouraging her to come front of house to 'strut her stuff'. From that moment on her world was completely turned around. Now the owner of one of the most successful restaurants in Brighton and transplanted to bigger premises to cater for the relentless demand for tables, she has become a genuine 'celebrity chef'. She makes regular appearances on ITV's Saturday Cooks with Antony Worrall Thompson, is the guest chef on ITV's This Morning, BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour, BBC Good Food Live as well as making frequent appearances in the national press. She held her own hugely successful Gospel Brunch during the 4 weeks of the Edinburgh Festival and recently won the 'Sussex Entrepreneur of the Year' Award. She has travelled a long road in a very short time and with the publication of her first book, Momma Cherri's Soul in a Bowl, her future as one of the nation's best-loved celebrity chefs looks assured. Born in Philadelphia in the '50's, Charita's early career was in music, and soul music in particular. Travelling to London in the late '70s to appear in a West-End show, she fell in love with the country and its people and decided to settle. She formed the all-girl group The Street Angels (she claims the group to be a black forerunner of the Spice Girls!) and enjoyed a Top-30 hit in1982. Finding the music business a fickle partner she and her husband decided to move to Brighton in 2001 to open a soul food restaurant - the first in the country. Though the food was hugely popular and the customers enthusiastic her restaurant business skills left a lot to be desired - and so entered Gordon Ramsay and the beginning of a meteoric rise to fame and fortune.

Customer Reviews

easy to follow recipes
I bought this book last week after Charita came and did a cooking demostration in my town. The recipes are easy to follow with loads of large, bright photos. Some background info on her growing up and family cooking make this book a must have. I've stickered all the recipes I want to make and it's nearly the whole book!

FAB - BU - LOUS!!!!
A delightful taste of "soul" cooking. The interweaving storyline makes this much more than just a cookbook, it's a family journey too!! A must have on your cookbook shelve.

best cookbook
very precise recipie book with helpful hints from momma herself. I have sampled her food at her restaurant and it is fab, this book is so good you can make it yourself just as good.