UPTOWNflavor

At a party in his Harlem apartment, chef Marcus Samuelsson and his co-host Thelma Golden, director of the Studio Museum in Harlem, are passing around cranberry caipirinhas. Two of their guests, the jazz pianist Jason Moran and the choreographer Bill T. Jones, are exchanging stories about life on the road. Both are touring with new works and in the past six months have been in more than 45 cities, from Rio de Janeiro to Melbourne.

Golden, in a mustard-colored dress by Tracy Reese, urges everybody to fill their plates. “I think Bill should choreograph our movements,” she jokes as the guests descend on the buffet. Moran and his wife, Alicia, fall in love with the quince sambal served with lamb, Samuelsson’s riff on the fiery condiment that Indonesian and Malaysian slaves brought to South Africa as an accompaniment to rice and curry dishes. It’s spicy and tart with a zesty ginger flavor. Kara Walker, the provocative silhouette artist, likes the crunchy okra in the roasted sweet potato salad tossed with wilted spinach and tangy capers.

Excerpt from article in Food & Wine by Lola Ogunnaike
Photo credit: John Kernic