Posted Courtesy of Wright Enterprises Community Spotlight~~
40TH ANNUAL BLACK CUISINE EVENT CELEBRATED AT DR. GEORGE W. DAVIS SENIOR CENTER: SOUL FOOD AT ITS BEST
BY ANH LĘ
Down home cooking and Soul Food are part of the rich history and culture of African Americans in the United States.
And authentic Soul Food at its best has been a part of the ANNUAL BLACK CUISINE FESTIVAL held in San Francisco's Bayview community for the past 40 years.
The late DR. GEORGE W. DAVIS founded the ANNUAL BLACK CUISINE FESTIVAL in 1979, to give the Bayview Hunters Point community and the people of the San Francisco Bay Area an opportunity to celebrate the rich African American history and culture by bringing people together to share delectable Soul Food dishes.
The ANNUAL BLACK CUISINE FESTIVAL is the longest standing community festival in the Bayview Hunters Point community.
Dr. Davis said, "BLACK CUISINE represents the craftsmanship of the African American elderly and their ability to be creative."
Dr. Davis stated, "Ultimately, BLACK CUISINE reties the frail bonds between Africa and African Americans."
On March 7, the long planned 40TH ANNUAL BLACK CUISINE FESTIVAL was going to be held at the Dr. George W. Davis Senior Center at 1753 Carroll Avenue at 3rd Street, with outdoor food booths, and jazz music and entertainment.
But this year's Festival had to be cancelled, due to the new COVID-19 coronavirus situation that hit the nation.
The delicious authentic Soul Food dishes were now available as take-out food only.
The drizzling rain on March 7 did not seem to deter people from coming to the Dr. George W. Davis Senior Center to pick up their take-out food.
The delicious food included fried chicken, catfish, oxtails, ribs, links, chitterlings, black-eyed peas, red beans and rice, greens, yam, macaroni and cheese, cornbread, sweet potato pie, peach cobbler, pound cake, and other Soul Food delights.
Cathy Davis, the Executive Director of the Dr. George W. Davis Senior Center and Bayview Senior Services, beamed with joy, and said, "I thank the people of the Bayview Hunters Point community and the Bay Area for honoring the memory and legacy of my late husband, Dr. George Davis."
With much pride and deep emotion, Cathy Davis stated, "We were pleased with this year's BLACK CUISINE event, even though the food had to be on a take-out basis. It felt like all the food we offered was as wonderful as last year's."
The proceeds from the ANNUAL BLACK CUISINE event go to support the work of Bayview Senior Services in the Bayview Hunters Point and throughout San Francisco:
• Adult Day Health Center (Bayview Hunters Point)
• Rosa Parks Senior Center
• Western Addition Senior Center
• Dr. George W. Davis Senior Center
Cathy Davis presented to MS. VERLIE MAE PICKENS a Special Certificate of Honor from San Francisco's Mayor London Breed, to honor Ms. Pickens' leadership and involvement in the Bayview Hunters Point community.
Ms. Pickens, who was born and raised in Lake Charles, Louisiana, moved to San Francisco in the late 1940's.
She is actively involved in the Network for Elders in the Bayview community, and Senior Action Network (SAN) in San Francisco.
Ms. Pickens served as a Volunteer in SAN's Senior University program. Senior University was a city-wide education program for Seniors to learn about community organizing and taking leadership roles in one's community.
The classes were conducted in all the Districts of San Francisco, in English, Vietnamese, Spanish, Chinese, and Russian, and were always filled to capacity with very engaged Seniors.
Ms. Pickens attended every single class session of Senior University, and was awarded, like each student who completed the entire series of class sessions, a Certificate of Graduation.
Besides her numerous Certificates of Graduation, for her leadership in the Senior University program, Ms. Pickens also received several Awards of Distinction from Senior University.
Ms. Pickens was a founding member of the BLACK CUISINE FESTIVAL 40 years ago, and has faithfully attended the Festival each year since then.
For the BLACK CUISINE FESTIVAL each year, Ms. Pickens liked to prepare her renowned delicious Hog's Head Cheese dish and her scrumptious Peach Cobbler dessert, both of which she learned to make from her mother in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
The Special Certificate of Honor that Cathy Davis presented to Ms. Perkins reads:
"WHEREAS, on behalf of the City and County of San Francisco, I am pleased to recognize and honor VERLIE PICKENS on the occasion of San Francisco's 40TH ANNUAL BLACK CUISINE.
Over the decades you have lived in San Francisco, you have spent much of your life passionately serving your neighbors and your community.
Throughout your years of supporting this important and lively event, you have demonstrated unwavering commitment to highlighting the culture, style, music, and cuisine of our City's rich African American legacy and history.
Your steadfast service to our residents through your volunteerism, kind spirit, and limitless devotion to helping others is truly commendable and represents San Francisco at their best.
THEREFORE, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the City and County of San Francisco to be affixed.
London N. Breed, Mayor"
ANH LĘ is an independent journalist.
He worked with the African American and Vietnamese American communities in San Francisco and the San Francisco Bay Area for many years,
ANH LĘ served as the Director of Senior University at Senior Action Network, and worked at the Network for Elders in the Bayview Hunters Point community.
COPYRIGHT ANH LĘ , APRIL 1, 2020