Soul Food Legacy Project — The Soul Food Pot Cookbook: Favorite Recipes, Places, and Food Traditions by Shaunda Necole

Because some stories are too soulful not to be shared!

Beautiful Souls,

I’ve been holding onto something so special and I’m finally ready to share it with you…

I’m thrilled to announce my next legacy project:

The Soul Food Pot Cookbook: Favorite Recipes, Places, and Food Traditions

Published by Reedy Press and coming to bookstores in early 2027!

This book is more than a collection of recipes. It’s a journey, from deep roots to new roads, through the flavors, places, and people that shaped me and The Soul Food Pot®.

“The Soul Food Pot Cookbook celebrates the culinary heritage of African American recipes.” —Shaunda Necole

From deep roots to new roads

Some of the world’s best soul food has always been found in unexpected places, from roadside cafés in the Carolinas to cozy kitchens in Las Vegas. After all, soul food has always traveled.

It’s been carried in memory, passed hand to hand, and cooked wherever our people landed.

This cookbook is my love letter to that journey. From my humble beginnings in Virginia to the bright lights of Las Vegas. I’ve poured my heart into celebrating the culinary heritage of African American cooking while keeping it easy, modern, and full of flavor.

Because let’s be honest... We don’t always have two hours for collard greens. But that doesn’t mean we have to sacrifice the soul.

A taste of what’s inside

This isn’t your average cookbook. And I’m not your average recipe creator!

Every recipe captures the warmth of Sunday dinners, family gatherings, and those “taste-of-home” moments that connect us across generations.

You’ll find:

• My signature modern soul food classics

• Regional favorites from my travels around the country, from North to South, East to West

• A soulful stop in Las Vegas (yes, Sin City has flavor!)

• And the stories behind the dishes — the heart, the history, the laughter, the memories, the love

It’s a flavorful masterpiece that makes you feel like you’re honoring the ancestors, with half the cooking time and all the soul!

My why

When I started my food and recipe blog, The Soul Food Pot, I didn’t know it would grow into Google’s #1 soul food site. I just wanted to share my family recipes, preserve our culinary history, and make it easy for everyone to enjoy soulful cooking at home.

But through this community — through you — I’ve learned that what we’re really sharing is connection.

Our recipes carry stories, love, and legacy. And now, I get to preserve those stories in print. For generations to come!

This cookbook is a celebration of African-American cuisine. Our story told through flavor.

“Because cooking with love doesn’t have to take all day, and soulful doesn’t mean complicated.”

These recipes celebrate where we’ve been and where we’re going, with heart, flavor, and ease.

I’m so excited to bring you along for this journey, from kitchen to cookbook to bookstore shelves!

👉🏾 Follow along on The Soul Food Stack for behind-the-scenes updates, recipe sneak peeks, and ways to get involved in early community focus groups.

👉🏾 Grab my book, 100 Things To Do in Las Vegas Before You Die, to explore the city that inspired my next chapter — living (and cooking!) on purpose.

👉🏾 And stay tuned, because The Soul Food Pot Cookbook is just getting started!

✨ Inspired by this story? Here’s what I’ve learned.

💬 Shaunda says:

1️⃣ “Food for the body is not enough. There must be food for the soul.”

Recipes may start in the kitchen, but the real nourishment happens when they fill hearts, spark memories, and bring people together. That’s the true flavor of soul food — it feeds both appetite and spirit.

2️⃣ “Why wait two hours for collard greens when you can have that same down-home flavor in just 15 minutes?”

This cookbook honors classic cooking while also embracing the new. Because cooking with love doesn’t require spending long hours in the kitchen. More efficient methods still serve up food for the soul!

That’s the heart behind every page of The Soul Food Pot Cookbook—honoring our roots with recipes that celebrate the culinary heritage of African Americans. 🤎