Pearl Bailey (1918-1990) was one of America's most beloved singers, and wrote a one-of-a-kind cookbook that invited her fans into her kitchen via her colorful prose.
Pearl Bailey (1918-1990) was one of America's most beloved singers, and wrote a one-of-a-kind cookbook that invited her fans into her kitchen via her colorful prose.
Food has been a unifier for millennia, not just gathering people together to share a meal, but acting as a warm introduction to new histories and traditions. This February on Womanica, we’re celebrating Tastemakers - the Black chefs, cooks, and food historians who created new foodways and preserved important culinary stories of the past. The impact of chefs like Pig Foot Mary, Mama Dip, and Georgia Gilmore stretch far beyond the culinary scene - uplifting their local communities and inspiring those who came after them.
History classes can get a bad rap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should.
Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.
Womanica was created by Liz Kaplan and Jenny Kaplan, executive produced by Jenny Kaplan, and produced by Liz Smith, Grace Lynch, Maddy Foley, Brittany Martinez, Edie Allard, Lindsey Kratochwill, Adesuwa Agbonile, Carmen Borca-Carrillo, Taylor Williamson, Ale Tejeda, Sara Schleede, Abbey Delk, and Alex Jhamb Burns. Special thanks to Shira Atkins.
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Hi! I'm Chef Kia Damon.
I'm a Florida born chef, writer, host and recipe developer. I served as an executive Chef of New York City restaurant Lalito at the age of 24 and became Cherry Bombe magazine's first Culinary Director at 25. Since leaving I've founded Kia Feeds The People, a budding mutual aid effort. I’ll be your guest host for this month of Womanica.
This month, we're talking about Tastemakers. We're celebrating the Black chefs, cooks, and food historians who created new foodways and preserved important culinary stories of the past.
In 1973, “an extraordinary cookbook” hit shelves across the US. Half instructional, half memoir, it quickly became a classic– a beloved book by one of America’s most beloved singers. Today, we’re talking about the woman who wrote that book, and invited her fans into her kitchen via her colorful prose.
Let’s talk about Pearl Bailey.
Pearl was born on March 29, 1918, in Virginia, to Reverend Joseph James and Ella Mae Ricks Bailey. When she was still very young, her family moved to Philadelphia. It was there that Pearl would find her two loves in life: cooking, and stardom.
Growing up, Sundays were a weekly ritual in the Bailey home. In the morning, Pearl and her siblings would sit at the dining room table and listen to their father as he stepped into the role of household reverend. First: grace. Second: a speech on the importance of good behavior. Third: a light reading from scripture. But no matter how Joseph James tried to organize his sermon, his speeches were no match for the real event of the morning: the thick, inviting scent of Ella Mae’s fried chicken, crackling on the stove.
In Philly, Pearl spent many years poking her head into the kitchen– never stepping over the threshold, unless she wanted her mother to give her a talking-to. Ella Mae ran a tight ship, and forbade Pearl and her siblings from crowding the room. That was, unless they’d been invited in. In that case, they were in for a treat: Ella Mae would give them a lesson in cooking.
It was in the kitchen where Pearl felt most at home, and where she longed to return after a long day away. That longing was a feeling she grew more and more accustomed to as her star began to take off.
Pearl’s career started with a bang – at the aptly-named Pearl Theater in Philadelphia. She was 15 years old, and her older brother convinced her to join an amateur talent contest. Pearl won first place, and followed up that win with another at Harlem’s Apollo Theater. Those two hits were enough to send her down the path to professional stardom.
In her twenties, Pearl sang and danced across Philly’s Black nightclubs. When World War II broke out, Pearl toured the country with the United Services Organization, or USO, performing for troops across America. Every night, she brought the house down. By the time the war was over, she had nightclubs asking her to headline a show, and a recording contract to produce her own music.
Pearl once said, “If I just sang a song, it would mean nothing.” Her performances were theatrical– she interpreted her songs deeply, and wrung emotions from the lyrics she sang. Her voice was deep and warm, her costumes often lined with fur and rhinestones.
Pearl made an easy jump from nightclubs to Broadway. Her debut in 1946’s “St. Louis Woman” saw her hold her own alongside the likes of Mahalia Jackson, Eartha Kitt, and Nat King Cole. In 1954, she jumped careers and towns once again – this time to Hollywood, where she played a supporting role in Carmen Jones. By the end of the 50s, she was a verified celebrity, and famously starred in Porgy and Bess alongside Sidney Poitier and Dorothy Dandridge.
In the samedecade, Pearl also saw developments in her personal life. She married jazz drummer Louie Bellson in London in 1952. The couple would each call the other their “best friend” all their lives, and welcomed two children.
In the 1950s, Pearl and her family bought a ranch in California. She found herself returning to the kitchen, with the time and space to cook what she wanted, how she wanted, and when she wanted it. She madeone dish after another, reminiscing about where she’d learned this recipe; who had taught her that technique; and how this tasted like a dessert from… she didn’t know how long ago! And so, Pearl got the idea to make a cookbook.
She began by writing down precise quantities and instructions, but she soon realized that method wouldn’t work. It wasn’t how she cooked, and it certainly wouldn’t be the best way to teach others how to cook. There was no place for pretense in her kitchen. Cooking was just as much about the chef as it was about the ingredients, and Pearl was a home chef if there ever was one.
In the coming years, Pearl continued to quietly write down her musings in the kitchen as she continued her work. She treated her writing process the same way she did her rehearsals: absolutely closed sets. Meanwhile, Pearl’s singing career never lost steam: in 1968, she starred in an all-Black production of “Hello, Dolly!,” which earned her a Special Tony Award.
In 1973, Pearl finally published, “Pearl’s Kitchen: An Extraordinary Cookbook.” In it, Pearl connects with readers by inviting them into her prized kitchen. Her recipes explain not only what she cooks and how she cooks it, but also why she cooks. It details memories and traditions held with friends and family, and the lessons that every good chef should learn.
On August 17, 1990, Pearl Bailey died in Philadelphia from coronary artery disease. She was 72 years old.
During her life, Pearl may have been more widely known as a singer than a chef, but she certainly drew professional and personal lessons from her time in the kitchen. As she wrote in “Pearl’s Kitchen:” “Cooking is like living. We can tell other people what we would have them do, and yet, when it comes down to it, they have to live for themselves.”
All month, we’re talking about tastemakers. For more information, find us on Facebook and Instagram @womanicapodcast.
Special thanks to co-creators Jenny and Liz Kaplan, for having me as a guest host.
Talk to you tomorrow!