Mama Dip's Kitchen

By Mildred Council

Mama Dip's Kitchen

248 pp., 6.125 x 7.75, 2-color throughout, 7 illus., index

  • Paperback ISBN: 978-0-8078-4790-9
    Published: October 1999
  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-0-8078-2508-2
    Published: October 1999
  • E-book EPUB ISBN: 978-0-8078-8950-3
    Published: June 2009
  • E-book PDF ISBN: 979-8-8908-6806-0
    Published: June 2009

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For nearly twenty-five years, Mildred Council--better known by her nickname, Mama Dip--has nourished thousands of hungry folks in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Her restaurant, Mama Dip's Kitchen, is a much-loved community institution that has gained loyal fans and customers from all walks of life, from New York Times food writer Craig Claiborne to former Tar Heel basketball player Michael Jordan.

Mama Dip's Kitchen showcases the same down-home, wholesome, everyday Southern cooking for which its namesake restaurant is celebrated. The book features more than 250 recipes for such favorites as old-fashioned chicken pie, country-style pork chops, sweet potatoes, fresh corn casserole, poundcake, and banana pudding. Chapters cover breads and breakfast dishes; poultry, fish, and seafood; beef, pork, and lamb; vegetables and salads; and desserts, beverages, and party dishes.

The book opens with a charming introductory essay, a savory reflection on a life in cooking that also reveals the story behind Council's nickname. It is both a graceful reminiscence of a country childhood and the inspiring story of a woman determined to make her own way in the larger world.

About the Author

Mildred C. Council (1929-2018), founder and cook of Mama Dip's Kitchen in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, was well known and widely respected for her cooking, her charisma, and her longtime community service.
For more information about Mildred Council, visit the Author Page.

Reviews

"The recipes, honed by time, are simple and tasty. It's almost like standing at Grandma’s stove, with her teaching enduring ways of cooking."—News & Observer

"Mama Dip [has the] ability to render great flavors from simple and good ingredients."—Southern Living

"Old-fashioned, down-home Southern cooking. More than 250 recipes from chicken pie, country style pork chops, to fresh corn casserole."—Black Issues Book Review

"Her reminiscences are as savory as her cooking. It's living food history and a testimonial to the culinary ingenuity of African Americans. She spreads joy around like pumpkin seeds."—Jessica B. Harris, author of The Africa Cookbook: Tastes of a Continent and The Welcome Table: African American Heritage Cooking

"I'm a huge fan of Mama Dip's southern country cooking, and I'm thrilled that she's written a cookbook. She not only includes all her restaurant's signature dishes (not least of which is the world's best fried chicken) but also reminisces about her childhood. This warm and wonderful cookbook is bound to win Mama Dip thousands of new fans."—Jean Anderson, author of The American Century Cookbook

"I've been a fan of Dip's for years. Chapel Hill wouldn't be the Southern Part of Heaven without her."—Dean Smith