How did you come up with the idea for your cookbook?
Well, this book was conceived by the 'America I AM' exhibit and Tavis Smiley, who is the creator of the whole concept. He asked me to partner with him on this project. I have known Tavis for about seven years, and I do some very high-end events for him on a culinary level. And he said, "Well, you know, Jeff has an amazing story, and I know his food and I know his style, and I think that he'd be great to partner with." So he reached out to me, and he pitched the project to me, and I got onboard. I think a book of this magnitude is very important to the African American community. Our people are eating more health conscience, organic, sustainable foods, and I still think it is important to document the recipes of our ancestors in a combined journal.

What are you looking for from all who want to get involved?
What we want are soul-filled, heart-filled recipes. We want appetizers, small-food plates, we want pass-it-down salads, soups, rice dishes, bean and grain dishes. We want desserts, we want that spaghetti we grew up on, we want the meatloaf, the oxtail, the red velvet and the sock-it-to-me-cake. I'm getting hungry right now! And we want the stories that come with these recipes. I interviewed Maya Angelou once, and she said when she was a little girl, her mother always kept a pot of rice on hand. And when she said that, it brought back so many memories because old folks, from back in the day, always had something left, whether it was a tableware bowl of some leftover chili or some cornbread stashed somewhere wrapped in foil. It really made me think about this whole project and how important the stories are.

Why is food such a big part of our culture?
I believe that food is such a big part of our culture because when you think back to 400 years ago in this country, food was the most important thing to slaves. We worked from sun up to sun down, and it wasn't like we took a picnic basket out in the field or snacked throughout the day. Even today, Sundays are still important to the African American family, after church. Whether we are attending funerals, birthdays, weddings or holidays, we are a people that love to eat. And we are also a people that need to be more educated about what we eat and how we eat. We need to move away a little bit from having the three hearty meals a day, and we need to incorporate exercise into our lives.

Is food spiritual to you?
Food definitely has a spiritual connection because we are all God's creation. Food is something we all must have. It sustains life, it sustains health, gives you energy. It feeds the brain, it feeds the soul, and I truly believe in that connection. Food heals and brings people together. Food is definitely God's gift to sustain life here on earth.

What do you hope to accomplish with the new cookbook?
I would really like to encourage people to become a part of history and to submit a recipe for this book. Their name and their family's name will be mentioned. I want to encourage everyone to find those recipes. Call Auntie June up, call Grandma Ethel May up, and let them start talking to you about how they were inspired in the kitchen. And get those recipes in.

Check out some of Chef Jeff's delicious and summery recipes here! To submit a recipe to 'America I Am: Pass it Down Cookbook,' visit: www.passitdowncookbook.com.