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MARGUERITE GREEN MARY CAMPBELL
KASSIDY COLLINS, COCO YOUNG-PEREZ, KENNY LOGWOOD AND ANAYAH ROBERSON
@JOHNNIEMAESGUMBO /JOHNNIEMAESGUMBO LASTNAMEBLINKS
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consulting to five hundred small entrepreneurs in five different American cities. In part as a result of this assistance, they have expanded their offerings and now serve jambalaya, shrimp and grits, seafood pasta, and gumbo. Creating Greatness Gumbo represents the resilience and creativity of human beings through centuries of migration and struggle. I ask a gentleman in the audience what makes the stew so special. Is it the ingredients? The chef's creativity? He tells me about his grandmother, who had worked as a domestic servant and still saved enough to travel internationally on her modest salary. He remembers receiving postcards from her throughout his childhood. “She took whatever she had, managed it very well, and was able to bring something great out of it,” he said. “And she did the same with her gumbo. Even if the only meat she had to cook with was offal [parts usually discarded]. That was what made it so good.” Already have an account? Sign In
Bringing Others to the Table: Relationships through Gumbo
Campbell remembers how meals brought her family together, and she wanted to share that gift with others around the world. Her son, a professional soccer player, continued to cook meals from scratch while in college, and his sister, a recording artist, did the same. Each of them got up to speak after Campbell’s presentation, discussing the work they do with Johnnie Mae’s. Campbell loves to hire college students to work with her to prepare and deliver the gumbo so that she can help fund their education. In addition, this provides students the opportunity to learn about where different groups of American people came from and how to make sure that the negative aspects of history don’t repeat themselves. Campbell offered a piece of advice to the Bishop O’Dowd students gathered for lunch: make building relationships a priority. She was able to rent the Townhouse kitchen because the manager already knew her, as they’d worked together in the past. She was part of the Comcast Rise program, a philanthropic investment that gave monetary grants, educational resources, and
ADDITIONAL IMAGES JON SULLIVAN, CHICAGO HISTORY MUSEUM
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