Hidden Kitchens: Paperback

"Food is our common ground, a universal experience." - James Beard

Hidden Kitchens, the popular and highly acclaimed radio series on NPR's Morning Edition, is the inspiration for this book by the Peabody Award-winning producers, the Kitchen Sisters, Davia Nelson and Nikki Silva.

Hidden Kitchens explores the world of street corner cooking, legendary meals, kitchen rituals, and visionaries - how communities come together through food.

When the Hidden Kitchens project began, the Kitchen Sisters opened up an NPR Hotline and asked listeners, "What food traditions are disappearing from your life?" "Who glues your community together through food?" Hundreds of listeners called to share their stories, tips, and rituals.

In addition to the stories and characters from the radio series, Hidden Kitchens interweaves new material from the enormous archive of interviews, photographs, and recipes gathered for the series. Stories such as "The Saga of the Chili Queens of San Antonio" and "NASCAR Kitchens" bring to life hidden kitchens across the country.

From underground kitchens at nuclear test sites to a secret civil rights kitchen, Hidden Kitchens is a wonderful chronicle of American life and how family and community traditions are passed along through food.

More about Hidden Kitchens is at http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/hiddenkitchens/.

Davia Nelson has been producing radio programs with Nikki Silva since 1979. She is also a screenwriter, producer, and casting director. She co-wrote and produced the feature film Imaginary Crimes and has co-directed and produced Making Tutti, a PBS documentary.

Nikki Silva has worked over the past 20 years as a museum curator and consultant specializing in regional history for museums throughout California.