By Gina Malone
Madison County native and chef Susi Gott Séguret, in her new book, celebrates the tasteful traditions of the Appalachians with more than 100 recipes gathered from Mississippi to Maine.
Founder and director of the Seasonal School of Culinary Arts held in Asheville, Ithaca, Sonoma and Paris, Séguret lived and trained in France for more than 20 years.
Besides those from her own collection, the book’s recipes hail from chefs and citizens alike, with stories and music throughout. Séguret’s favorites are Possum Paté, Ralph’s Chicken and Dumplings and Venison Ramp Meatloaf. “The first,” she says, “is a modern take on an indigenous ingredient, the second is a local family recipe and the third is a combination of both these Appalachian elements.”
Before deciding on this theme, Séguret had, she says, about 30 ideas for other books. “Of all the subjects that might have taken priority, this one is especially timely, as the world is at last starting to wake up to the heritage that lies at the core of our being, one that has long been waiting to be sung.”
Appalachian Appetite: Recipes from the Heart of America, November 2017, cookbook, softcover, $20, by Susi Séguret, and published by Hatherleigh Press, New York.
