“Alexander Smalls, who introduced New Yorkers to Afro-Asian-American cuisine when he opened the Cecil in 2013, has always loved Sunday. ‘I give myself permission to do anything and everything and nothing,‘ he said.
Cooking is a second act for Mr. Smalls. Before he opened Café Beulah, his first restaurant, which featured South Carolina Lowcountry fare, in 1994, he was a professional opera singer. In 1990, after starring in ‘Porgy and Bess‘ at the Houston Grand Opera, Mr. Smalls reluctantly left the stage. ‘An operatic career was my dream,’ he said, ’but I was not able to break that glass ceiling as an African-American male.’
He reinvented himself as a chef and restaurateur and cookbook author, most recently winning a James Beard Award for ’Between Harlem and Heaven‘ in 2018. His latest offering, ’Meals, Music and Muses: Recipes From My African American Kitchen,’ a tribute to his South Carolina heritage and the music that inspired him, was published last month. Mr. Smalls, 67, lives in Harlem.”
Follow the link above to read the full article on The New York Times and learn which markets Alexander Smalls recommends.
