Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor, a world-renowned author, performer, and chef from rural South Carolina, crafted a remarkably unique and complex life. Deeply influenced by her African American Gullah Geechee heritage, she pursued her creative spirit beyond her native Lowcountry, finding herself among expatriate artists and writers in Paris. Her literary contributions, particularly her groundbreaking work exploring the intersection of food, race, and womanhood, reshaped academic scholarship. Throughout her career, she also excelled as a journalist and documentarian, earning significant accolades for her insightful explorations of culture and community.
Vibration Cooking was first published in 1970, not long after the term soul food gained common use. While critics were quick to categorize her as a proponent of soul food, Smart-Grosvenor wanted to keep the discussion of her cookbook/memoir focused on its message of food as a source of pride and validation of black womanhood.