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Black, White and The Grey: A conversation with Chef Mashama Bailey and John Morisano
March 8, 2021
Chef Mashama Bailey and John Morisano are the dynamic founding duo of Savannah’s The Grey. On this episode, you’ll hear a conversation they shared at Blackberry Farm in February 2020 during The Southerner’s Table event where they discuss their book, Black, White and The Grey: The Story of an Unexpected Friendship and a Landmark Restaurant. Listen in as they share how gathering around a meal and having conversations is a step in the right direction toward healing the racial divide in the South and the country. Their book released in 2021 and is available now.
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Guest
Mashama Bailey
Executive Chef and Partner of The Grey
Mashama Bailey is the executive chef of The Grey, an award-winning restaurant set in a former Greyhound bus terminal in Savannah, GA, and newly opened The Grey Market, down the block from The Grey. In 2019, Mashama won the James Beard Award for Best Chef Southeast. Since opening in December 2014, The Grey itself has earned a number of accolades, including being named one of Food & Wine’s Restaurants of The Year, one of Eater’s 21 Best New Restaurants in America, one of Bon Appétit’s 50 nominees for Best New Restaurants in America, and a semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation’s 2015 Best New Restaurant award, thanks in large part to Mashama’s flavorful dishes that highlight local and seasonal ingredients. With the premier of Netflix’s Chef’s Table Season 6, Mashama became the first African American chef to star on the show. Prior to opening The Grey with owner Johno Morisano, Mashama served under the tutelage of Gabrielle Hamilton at New York City’s Prune. Photo by Adam Kuehl
Guest
John O. Morisano
Managing Partner of The Grey
John Morisano is the owner of The Grey in Savannah, GA, which Eater named Restaurant of the Year in 2017. He has taken the tools established in a career in media, arts and entertainment startups and used them to create a community-minded restaurant, working closely with chef/partner Mashama Bailey. In 2010, John and his wife Carol embarked on a road trip throughout the American South, fell in love with Savannah and purchased a home there soon after. In 2012, he created SLAAM Ventures, a Savannah-based angel investor to help local entrepreneurs accelerate the development of their ideas and products. While exploring his newly adopted home, John came across an abandoned, boarded up 1938 Greyhound bus terminal that exemplified the streamlined Art Moderne style of that era. He purchased the building and decided to combine his love of food, wine and investing in the community by transforming it into a restaurant that has quickly become a must-visit. In his latest role as restaurateur, John has helped establish Savannah as a culinary destination and remains active in the community, giving back to local organizations by hosting lively events in The Yard, the restaurant’s outdoor area, the proceeds of each benefitting a different local organization. John is also helping to reshape and expand the mission of the Edna Lewis Foundation, a Board he joined as the Treasurer in 2016, which revives, preserves and celebrates the rich history of African American cookery in America. Photo by Ten Speed Press
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