70 FEBRUARY 2020
AT THE ONSET of the 19th century in New York City, working in the oyster business was
commonplace for many African Americans. In 1810, the New York City directory listed
27 oystermen; 16 were Black. When Thomas Downing showed up in 1819, he arrived
with deep knowledge of regional fish and bivalves. His hustle muscle and business
acumen were also very much intact.
Downing was also an abolitionist, caterer, and entrepreneur. Born to free Black
parents and raised along the eastern shore of Virginia, he was adept in Atlantic waters.
Less than 10 years after arriving in New York, he opened an oyster restaurant at
5 Broad Street in Manhattan. Like it is today, Broad Street was in a bustling financial
district teeming with bankers, traders, and people of means. Unlike the more humble
oyster cellars of the day, his space was adorned with a chandelier, fine carpet, and
curtains, distinguishing Downing from not only his fellow Black oystermen but also
the entire industry. In those days, oysters were so abundant that all you could eat could
be had for just six cents. By 1842, oysters swelled to a $6 million industry catering to
the elite, and Downing grew wealthy.
Respected by his financial and political clientele, Downing leveraged his social and
monetary capital as an abolitionist. He harbored refugees from slavery in his cellars.
For Downing, the oyster business, and more broadly the catering business, was about
freedom. In 1836, he helped found the United Anti-Slavery Society of the City of New
York and campaigned for equitable voting rights.
For today’s Black chefs, Downing’s legacy is living history. According to the U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2018, 17% of chefs and head cooks were Black, about five
percentage points higher than their representation in the entire workforce. Between
2007 and 2012, the number of Black-owned eating and drinking establishments
increased by nearly 50%, according to the National Restaurant Association.
Though these numbers suggest broader participation in culinary arts among Black
chefs, these chefs are part of a long lineage of independent culinary professionals
who’ve taken what was once considered undesirable work and transformed it into a
means of income and influence. Though industrialization and the Great Migration of the
20th century took many African Americans out of the kitchen, they are now returning
to the industry. Chefs like Ashleigh Shanti, BJ Dennis, and Edouardo Jordan (whose
recipe is at right) are bringing their full selves and history into their work. Their talents
continue to unfold, each beautiful morsel a full-flavored reclamation of a centuries-
old story. —Stephen Satterfield is an editor and cofounder of Whetstone Magazine.OYSTERS WITH PIKLIZ
ACTIVE 20 MIN; TOTAL 6 HR 20 MIN, PLUS 8
HR PICKLING; SERVES 4 TO 6
Popular in Haiti, pikliz is a spicy condi-
ment typically served with fried pork or
jerk chicken; Jordan deploys the punchy
slaw to brighten up fresh, briny oysters.
Cut and grate the cabbage, carrots, and
onion very thinly to help them quickly
absorb the pickling liquid.1 small head Savoy cabbage, cored
and thinly sliced
2 medium carrots, grated(^1) / (^2) cup thinly sliced red onion
2 scallions, thinly sliced
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. kosher salt
21 / 2 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. smoked paprika
11 / 2 tsp. ground allspice
4 small fresh habanero chiles or
Scotch bonnet chiles, thinly sliced
and, if desired, seeds removed
1 cup distilled white vinegar
24 oysters on the half shell
- Place cabbage, carrots, onion, scal-
lions, garlic, salt, black pepper, paprika,
and allspice in a large nonreactive bowl.
Using your hands, mix thoroughly for 1
minute. Be aggressive; punch, massage,
and pound the ingredients together. Stir
in chiles. Let mixture stand, uncovered, at
room temperature 6 hours, mixing and
massaging every hour. - Transfer cabbage mixture and any
accumulated liquid in bowl to a 1-quart
wide-mouth glass jar. Add vinegar; press
down vegetables to submerge. Seal jar;
let stand at room temperature at least 8
hours or up to overnight. - Stir pikliz in jar. Pour pikliz through a
fine wire-mesh strainer into a bowl,
reserving solids and strained seasoned
vinegar. Top each oyster with about^1 / 2
teaspoon strained pikliz. Reserve remain-
ing pikliz and seasoned vinegar for
another use. To store, recombine pikliz
and seasoned vinegar in jar; seal and
refrigerate.
MAKE AHEAD Pikliz and seasoned vinegar
may be stored together in an airtight
container in refrigerator up to 3 months.
WINE Tart, natural sparkling wine: 2016 La
Grange Tiphaine Nouveau Nez
THE
ABOLITIONIST
WHO LOVED SHELLFISH
OYSTERS
wo rd s b y
STEPHEN SATTERFIELDrecipe by
EDOUARDO JORDAN