Feeding the Revolution: Martin Luther King and Paschal’s Restaurant in South West Atlanta

Paschal’s Restaurant in South West Atlanta played an important role during the civil rights movement providing a meeting place for Martin Luther King (MLK), who their vegetable soup, and other movement strategist. Furthermore, like Georgia Gilmore business in Montgomery, Paschal’s in Atlanta literally feed the rank file of the civil rights revolution and its leaders with sensational soul food. According to Marcellas C. D. Barksdale, who attended Morehouse in the early 1960s, Paschal’s was no dump. To the contrary, it was a white-tablecloth restaurant for middle and upper class African Americans in Atlanta. He argues that it was the “number-one so-called classy restaurant” for African-American professionals. During segregation it remained the first choice for a Sunday meal for “Doctor and Mrs. so and so.” In addition, well-to-do Morehouse students would also take their “public girlfriends” to Pascal’s for Sunday dinner, says Barksdale. You could get full course, great-tasting meals for two people for five dollars. In addition to formal dining, Pascal’s also had a lunch counter and grill where you could also order fried chicken, collards and corn bread in a casual setting. Below is my corn bread recipe. Paschal's moved to new location not far from it's old space and it's been given a very upscale makeover. Really nice that I have been to and the tradition of good soul food continues. I talk about Paschal's in my book Hog and Hominy: Soul Food From Africa to America http://cup.columbia.edu/book/978-0-231-14638-8/hog-and-hominy/excerpt.

Sweet corn bread recipe:

3/4 self-rising cornmeal

1 cup Spelt flour (it’s better tasting and healthier than white or wheat flour)

1/2 cup cane sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup vanilla soymilk, (a fortified soy milk is a very good tasting healthy choice, I suggest the Vitasoy brand for newbies)

1 egg or egg substitute (beaten)

2 tbsp canola oil

2 tbsp butter (Try I Can’t Believe It’s not Butter available at most supermarkets and Costco)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400; Combine dry ingredients. Add milk, egg and oil. Mix well. Spray a large cast iron skillet like the one in the photo or a 9 inch pie pan with Pam. Bake until tooth pick inserted in center comes out clean (about 25 minutes). Melt butter and brush over the top of the bread when it comes fresh out the oven; serves 8.