★★★★★
“My husband says it is the best gumbo he has ever had!”Read the original review ↗
Soul Food Archiveby Chef Tara M. Jones
A living record of food, family and cultural stewardship.
Gullah-Geechee Heritage Plate
From our coastal Carolina roots.
A plate with a sense of placeThe table holds
The table holds
our inheritance.
Smothered chicken. Crab rice. Black-eyed peas in coconut milk. Sweet potato cornbread with honey butter.
Here, the individual preparations become a meal—and a way of remembering.
Read the full heritage plate
Smothered chicken; string beans with potatoes, onions and Conecuh sausage; stewed black-eyed peas in coconut milk with slab bacon and Vidalia onions; crab rice; sweet potato cornbread with honey butter.
To cook is to remember.
To archive is to care.
I approach this collection as a chef and cultural steward. My Foundational Black American inheritance and our family’s Carolina roots guide what I choose to preserve, cook and share. The names of dishes, the way a sauce is built, the texture of a biscuit and the arrangement of a plate all deserve attention.
This is a living archive of my work: Southern and soul food preparations, Gullah-Geechee and Creole connections, and the personal interpretations that continue to enter my kitchen. These traditions each carry their own histories. I honor them by keeping their names visible and their context close.
My mother’s pastry craft and our family’s instinct to welcome people run through these pages. I gather this repertoire so the food can be seen, the work can be understood and the inheritance can keep moving from one table to the next.
Chef Tara M. JonesCulinary artist · Cultural steward
Five-star guest reviews
The dishes they remember.
★★★★★
“Excellent flavor, tasted very authentic if you enjoy Cajun food. Would definitely purchase again!”Read the original review ↗
Reading the archive
Place. Technique. Continuity.
Three points of context for the food represented here.
Gullah-Geechee foodways
The Gullah-Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor identifies rice, seafood, garden crops and African cooking knowledge as central to the region’s food traditions. This living culture has its own history within the wider Southern table.
Read the Corridor’s account ↗Greens & the Great Migration
The Smithsonian traces how Southern Black cooks carried preparations such as seasoned greens into other parts of the United States during the Great Migrations. Food traveled with people, preserving memory as new communities took shape.
Explore Smithsonian foodways ↗Red beans & Creole tradition
The National Museum of African American History and Culture places red beans and rice within New Orleans Creole culture. A shared Southern table contains distinct regional histories, each worth naming with care.
Read Black Foodways and Cuisine ↗133 photographs · 15 chapters
Enter the archive.
Browse by chapter or find a dish by name.
01 / The archive
Heritage Plates & Shared Tables
The meal as a composition: a coastal Carolina heritage plate, a familiar soul food platter and the abundance of a holiday gathering. Each brings several preparations into conversation.
Soul Food Platter
Fried wings, baked mac and cheese, collard greens, candied yams and buttermilk cornbread, with Carolina Gold BBQ sauce, honey-butter sauce and Cheerwine.
Easter Plate
4th of July Southern BBQ Platter
Peri-peri avocado dip with corn chips; North Carolina slow-smoked pulled pork shoulder; homemade Carolina Gold BBQ sauce; Alabama Conecuh black pepper sausages; pickle chicken skewers; cornsticks with butter and local honey; BBQ baked pinto beans; coleslaw; baked mac and cheese; pickled red onions; sweet and spicy pickles; Cheerwine.
02 / The archive
Soups & Stews
Greens, peanuts, chicken and a deeply seasoned gumbo. These bowls hold different textures and traditions, united here by the patient work of the pot.
Cream of Greens with Whipped Buttermilk
Gumbo
Peanut Soup
Super Soup
Chicken Noodle Soup
03 / The archive
Rice, Peas & Beans
Carolina red rice, crab rice, Hoppin’ John and beans in many forms. This chapter also records my wider rice repertoire, including jambalaya and vegetarian paella.
Red Beans and Rice with Honey Cornbread
Southern Comfort Beans and Toast
Fresh Orange Black Beans
Pinto Beans and Rice
Red Beans and Rice
Soup Beans
Black-Eyed Peas in Coconut Gravy
Carolina Red Rice
Yellow Rice
Toasted Coconut Rice
Gullah Crab Rice
Gullah Cauliflower Crab Rice
Jambalaya
Hoppin’ John
Vegetarian Paella
A vegetable-led rice dish from the wider TARA-PERI repertoire.
★★★★★
“Tara’s vegetarian paella exceeded every expectation.”Read on Google ↗
04 / The archive
Greens, Vegetables & Garden Pies
Leafy greens, string beans, cabbage and tomatoes, cooked into distinct preparations. Pies and filled vegetables sit beside dishes that let the garden take the lead.
Collard Greens
Marinated Kale
Garlic Greens
String Beans and Potatoes with Conecuh Hickory Sausage
Fried Cabbage
Marinated Broccoli
Fried Green Tomatoes
Smothered Fried Green Tomatoes
Tomato Tart
Collard Pie
Collard Rolls
Creole Stuffed Peppers
05 / The archive
Poultry: Smothered, Fried & Grilled
A study in technique: the gravy of smothering, the crust of frying, the perfume of herbs and the finish of smoke. Chicken and turkey appear in the many forms I return to at the table.
Green Goddess Grilled Chicken
Green Goddess Grilled Chicken Skewers
Southern Smothered Chicken
Smothered Turkey
Air-Fried Chicken
Fried Chicken and Waffles
Fried Chicken
Southern Lemon-Pepper Chicken and Potatoes
Smoked Chicken
Fresh Orange BBQ Chicken
Fresh Orange BBQ Chicken Skewers
Crispy Herb-Baked Chicken
06 / The archive
Beef, Braises & Savory Pies
Roasts, short ribs, gravies and savory fillings. Alongside familiar preparations, Tartelon records the meeting of Mom’s pastry craft and my Creole-inspired savory cooking.
Roast Beef
Cajun Pepper Steak
Mississippi Short Ribs
Mississippi Pot Roast
Garlic Pot Roast
Stuffed Steak Rolls in Golden Tomato Gravy
Tartelon
Mom’s flaky butter crust holds a Creole filling of chicken, turkey, beef or vegetable protein and roasted root vegetables, finished with a white cheddar béchamel.
Shepherd’s Pie
Creole Meatballs and Spoonbread
Creole Meatloaf
07 / The archive
Pork & Barbecue
Chops, ham, slow-smoked pulled pork and ribs. The Easter plate lives in the shared-table chapter; sauces and finishing accompaniments have their own place in the archive.
Fried Pork Chops
Grilled Pork Chops
Baked Ham
North Carolina Smoked Pulled Pork
Smoked Ribs
08 / The archive
Seafood & the Coastal Table
Catfish, shrimp and crab, from the frying pan to the oven. The Gullah-named preparation is retained as such, alongside the Creole and other seafood dishes in my repertoire.
Shrimp Creole with Buttermilk Cheese
Fried Catfish
Southern Baked Shrimp
Creole Crabcakes with Rémoulade
Creamy Crab Puffs
Gullah Fried Shrimp
09 / The archive
Salads & the Cold Table
The cool counterpoint to smoke, spice and gravy: marinated vegetables, composed salads, potato salad, coleslaw and deviled eggs.
House Salad
Fire and Ice Salad
Cobb Salad with Marinated Olives and Crumbled Buttermilk Cheese
Marinated Olives
Classic Potato Salad
Coleslaw
Carolina Gold Rice Salad
Macaroni Salad
Deviled Eggs
10 / The archive
Potatoes & Candied Yams
Roasted wedges, loaded skins, crisp potato pancakes and candied yams. Two photographs of the yams are held together as one entry.
Lemon-Pepper Potatoes
Loaded Potato Skins
Mashed Potato Pancakes
Candied Yams
11 / The archive
Noodles, Dumplings & Grits
Baked macaroni, homemade noodles, a pot of chicken and dumplings, and grits in soft and crisp forms. These dishes record how texture becomes part of a cook’s vocabulary.
Baked Mac and Cheese
Baked Mac and Cheese with Homemade Noodles
Tara’s Soulful Spaghetti
Meat sauce with ground beef, andouille and ham.
Casserelle
Garlic Butter Egg Noodles
Chicken and Dumplings
Gouda Grits
Shrimp and Grits
Crispy Gouda Grits and Creole Tomato Sauce
12 / The archive
Breads, Cornmeal & Biscuit Craft
Spoonbread, hushpuppies, cornbread and biscuits: a chapter in crumb, crust and layers. Rolls and flatbread extend the bread basket, with Mom’s buttermilk biscuits named in her honor.
Homemade Thyme Flatbread
Paired with pimiento cheese.
Spoonbread
North Carolina Hushpuppies
Sweet Potato Cornbread
Grilled Cornbread Medallions with
Cornbread Muffins
Parker House Rolls
Seeded Parker House Rolls
10-Layer Biscuits
Mom’s Buttermilk Biscuits
Black Pepper-White Cheddar Biscuits
Buttermilk Biscuits
Honey Butter Biscuits
Buttermilk Pan Bread
13 / The archive
Sauces, Spreads & Fresh Cheeses
The accompaniments that complete a plate: pepper and tomato spreads, barbecue sauces, pimiento cheese and fresh cheeses. Distinct preparations, each with its own role.
Peri-Peri Avocado Dip
Creole Tomato Sauce/Salsa
Benedictine Dip
Roasted Red Pepper Spread
Creamed Collards Dip
Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce
Green Goddess and Alabama White BBQ Sauces
Buttermilk Cheese
Pimiento Cheese
Fresh Farmer’s Cheese
Baked Cheese
14 / The archive
Sandwiches & Small Breads
The repertoire between two pieces of bread: a Carolina sandwich, pot roast dip biscuits, a flounder po’ boy, the Southern Press and smaller bites for sharing.
Crunchy Crouton Burger with Alabama White BBQ Sauce
Tara’s Carolina Sandwich
North Carolina smoked pulled pork, pepper bacon, Monterey Jack, melted onions, pickled peppers and Carolina Gold BBQ sauce.
Mississippi Pot Roast Dip Biscuits
Pepper Dogs
Southern Press
Fried Flounder Po’ Boy
Sliders
15 / The archive
Punches, Tea & the Drinks Table
Peach, milk and coffee punches, sweet tea and celebratory drinks. A final chapter devoted to what is poured, passed and offered with the meal.
Lime Drop Martini / Daisy Cocktail
Peach Punch
Milk Punch
Coffee Punch
Jingle Juice
Sweet Tea
Peach Smoothie
No matching dishes. Try another name or show the full archive.
An inheritance,
kept in practice.
Continue into the Soulful Sweets Suite, explore the family behind the work, or begin a conversation about bringing this cooking to your table.