Download This Version in Microsoft Word format
TO CONGRATULATE BELOVED COOKBOOK AUTHOR EMILY MEGGETT OF EDISTO ISLAND ON THE PUBLICATION OF HER NEW COOKBOOK, GULLAH GEECHEE HOME COOKING: RECIPES FROM THE MATRIARCH OF EDISTO ISLAND, AND ON HER SELECTION BY PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN TO RECEIVE THE PRESIDENT'S LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD.
Whereas, the South Carolina House of Representatives is pleased to learn of the publication of Lowcountry author Emily Meggett's new cookbook and of the author's selection to receive the President's Lifetime Achievement Award by President Joe Biden; and
Whereas, Emily Meggett was born on Edisto Island, as were her parents and their parents, and at age 89 she is considered by many to be the most important Gullah Geechee cook alive. Recently, this beloved chef, who has never used a cookbook during her seventy-eight years in the kitchen, published her own cookbook, Gullah Geechee Home Cooking: Recipes From the Matriarch of Edisto Island; and
Whereas, the book's one hundred twenty-three recipes center on the trinity of the Gullah Geechee table: rice, seafood, and fresh local vegetables. Emily Meggett includes definitive versions of chicken perloo and okra soup, one-pot meals with African antecedents. Other recipes reflect the work of a creative home cook who had to turn scant ingredients into supper for a crowd, whether for her eleven children or the countless friends who would visit. There is leftover-meat casserole; canned pork and beans over rice with smoked sausage; and her wildcat sauce, made with crisped salt pork, flour, and sautéed scallions, darkened with a little coffee; and
Whereas, to mark her achievement, her family and her publisher celebrated with a party on the island. About five hundred people showed up, and she graciously signed every book they bought. A church choir sang, and guests ate the sixty pounds of fresh shrimp she received in exchange for two signed cookbooks; and
Whereas, Emily Meggett was raised by her grandmother, who had fourteen children of her own. In 1951, Emily married Jessie Meggett. The couple raised eleven children, who grew up to work in finance, teaching, nursing, the military, and government, and they have given their parents the joy of many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren. While her husband passed away in 2006, Emily still finds her greatest support in her family; and
Whereas, the House of Representatives takes great pleasure in adding its collective voice of praise to the many encomiums that have poured in at the publication of Emily Meggett's delightful new cookbook, and the members warmly salute Mrs. Meggett on receiving the prestigious President's Lifetime Achievement Award from President Joe Biden. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:
That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, congratulate beloved cookbook author Emily Meggett of Edisto Island on the publication of her new cookbook, Gullah Geechee Home Cooking: Recipes From the Matriarch of Edisto Island, and on her selection by President Joe Biden to receive the President's Lifetime Achievement Award.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Emily Meggett.
This web page was last updated on June 15, 2022 at 1:21 PM