John Martin Taylor

John Martin Taylor, also known as Hoppin' John, is an American food writer and culinary historian, known for his writing on the cooking of the American South, and, in particular, the foods of the lowcountry, the coastal plain of South Carolina and Georgia.[1] He has played a role in reintroducing many traditional southern dishes, and has advocated the return to stone-ground, whole-grain, heirloom grits and cornmeal production.

John Martin Taylor

Early years

Taylor was born in Louisiana, moving to the South Carolina Lowcountry when he was 3. The son of scientists, he spent much of his youth aboard the family’s boats. His mother was an adventurous cook and cookbook collector and his father was a wine lover. He received a B.A. in journalism from the University of Georgia (UGA) in 1971. In 1977 he earned a Master of Arts in Film, also from UGA.

From the late 1970s to the early 1980s, Taylor lived in the Caribbean, Paris, and Genoa. In 1983 he joined the staff of the new French-language magazine, Ici New York, as their American liaison and food editor. He has written for such publications as The New York Times, Gourmet, Bon Appétit, Food & Wine and The Washington Post.[2]

Bookstore

In 1986, Taylor opened his culinary bookstore, Hoppin' John's, in downtown Charleston, South Carolina. He had begun researching the culinary history of the area after interviewing the scholar Karen Hess on the history of Thanksgiving. In 1989, Hurricane Hugo hit Charleston. Taylor wrote his first book during the year that his business was closed for repairs. He was involved in forming the downtown farmers’ market in Charleston, where he sold stone-ground grits and cornmeal. When he reopened the store, he expanded it to include a cooking school. He closed the storefront in 1999, but continued to sell his corn products online at his eponymous website, HoppinJohns.com.[3] In 2019, he sold the business to his niece, Sarah Taylor Ferrell, of Durham, North Carolina.

Cookbooks

Hoppin' John's Lowcountry Cooking (1992), Taylor’s first book, was included in a roundup of "intellectual" food books by The New York Times in 1992.[4] Southern Living Magazine called the cookbook "scholarly".[5] It was included in a roundup of "intellectual" food books by The New York Times in 1992.[6][7]

His second book, The New Southern Cook, was included in a roundup of Southern classics by The New York Times in 1995.[8]

The New York Times Magazine called The Fearless Frying Cookbook "extremely user-friendly" and that it would "eventually become the bible on the topic".[9] He was a founding member of the Southern Foodways Alliance.[10]

Other books he has written include Hoppin’ John’s Charleston, Beaufort & Savannah (1997), which featured Taylor's photography as well as his history and recipes.[11]

Gourmet Magazine has featured Taylor since the 1980s. Taylor writes about food and travel on his blog,. He is a consultant to the food industry and a speaker at U.S. museums and symposia. In 2010, he spoke at the Historic New Orleans Foundation, Monticello, and the Smithsonian. He was the keynote speaker at the International Corporate Chefs Association and grand marshal of the Pig Island Celebration in New York.

In 2012, the University of North Carolina Press published the 20th Anniversary Edition of Hoppin’ John’s Lowcountry Cooking, with a new preface by Taylor. The book has remained in print since its initial publication.[12]

in 2018, in preparation to move overseas again, Taylor donated his culinary library to the International Culinary Institute of Myrtle Beach[3] and his papers to the College of Charleston.[13] He was also awarded the Amelia Award by the Culinary Historians of New York for expertise "in culinary history, with deep knowledge in the field. And ... for a having "demonstrated generosity and extraordinary support to others in the field, helping to shape and elevate culinary history into the academically-respected discipline that it is today."[14]

Personal life

In 2010, he married his longtime partner, Mikel Lane Herrington, in Washington, DC. In 2011, the couple moved to Sofia, Bulgaria, where Herrington was the Peace Corps Country Director. In 2013, Taylor and Herrington moved to Chengdu, China, where Herrington was Peace Corps Country Director. From 2015-2019, they split their time between Savannah, Georgia, and Washington.

As of 2020, Taylor lives in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where Herrington is the Peace Corps Country Director.[15]

Works
  • Hoppin' John's Lowcountry Cooking: Recipes and Ruminations from Charleston & the Carolina Coastal Plain (1992, ISBN 0553082310)
  • The New Southern Cook: 200 Recipes from the South's Best Chefs and Home Cooks (1995, ISBN 9780553378061)
  • Hoppin' John's Charleston, Beaufort & Savannah (1997, ISBN 9780517703878)
  • Hoppin' John's Lowcountry Cooking: Recipes and Ruminations from Charleston & the Carolina Coastal Plain (20th Anniversary edition) (2012, ISBN 9780807837573)
  • The Fearless Frying Cookbook (2013, ISBN 9780761172000)
  • Deep-Fried Goodness (2013, ISBN 9780761179733)
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References
  1. Nancy Harmon Jenkins, The New York Times Magazine, "FOOD; COASTAL LEGACY" (January 22, 1989).
  2. John Martin Taylor, Hoppinjohns.net, "About me and my work and my products" (June 23, 2007).
  3. "John Martin Taylor Donates Personal Book Collection". Horry Georgetown Technical College. 2018-04-17. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
  4. Nancy Harmon Jenkins, The New York Times, "KITCHEN BOOKSHELF; For the Night Stand, a Library Of Intellectual Bedtime Snacks" (April 22, 1992).
  5. "The Lowcountry Love Affair Started Here" (September 7, 2012).
  6. Nancy Harmon Jenkins, The New York Times, "KITCHEN BOOKSHELF; For the Night Stand, a Library Of Intellectual Bedtime Snacks" (April 22, 1992).
  7. Southern Living Magazine called the cookbook "scholarly"."The Lowcountry Love Affair Started Here" (September 7, 2012).
  8. Yanick Rice Lamb, The New York Times, "Southern Cookbooks, From Low Fat to Fatback" (August 23, 1995).
  9. Jonathan Reynolds, The New York Times, "Food; Fear of Frying" (March 4, 2001).
  10. Southern Foodways Alliance, The Southern Foodways Alliance Cookbook, University of Georgia Press, 2010.
  11. Barnes & Noble, "books by John Martin Taylor" (retrieved September 26, 2012).
  12. "Hoppin' John's Lowcountry Cooking | John Martin Taylor | University of North Carolina Press". University of North Carolina Press. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
  13. Barna, Stephanie (2018-05-12). "Renowned cookbook author Hoppin' John Taylor donates papers to College of Charleston". The Post and Courier. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
  14. "Amelia Award | Culinary Historians of New York | Stimulate and share knowledge of the ways food has affected humans". Culinary Historians of New York. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
  15. Herrington, Mikel. "Director's Welcome". Peace Corps. Archived from the original on 2020-03-20.
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