Basil Magazine | Premiere Issue

Basil, Dark Chocolate and Brie Sandwich. Courtesy of Iron Stef.

A new online food and wine publication--Basil Magazine--launched this week.

Produced by celebrity chef Jerome Brown (aka "Chef Rome"), veteran event producer V. De'Vonne Williams, and comedian and actor Rodney Perry, the monthly ezine targets chefs, industry professionals, and food and wine enthusiasts of color. With correspondents around the globe, Basil will represent a mix of cultures and palettes.

Visit the Health Watch section of the premiere issue to read my piece, A Letter to My Mother. An excerpt:

Dear Mom,

I’m concerned about your health. I fear that one day we will lose you, not to old age, but in a sense, to food.

It’s funny, because children learn a lot about food, eating and health from their mothers—I learned a lot from you. Though you couldn’t tell me exactly why fast and processed foods were bad for me, growing up, you were adamant about keeping “junk” out of my diet. I recall going to bed hungry one night while you were working a late shift, only to be awoken, marched to the dinner table, and forced to eat a bowl of hearty oatmeal. (I couldn’t stand the beige goop for many years thereafter.) You were angry with me: you worked hard to keep food in the house and I had the audacity to turn my nose up at something that was “good for me.” Though you never enjoyed cooking, I also remember being forced to stand in the kitchen as your little sous-chef on holidays. I learned to baste turkey, make dressing from scratch, and prepare some of my favorite desserts today, such as Lemon Lush and Sweet Potato Pie...The irony is that today I write about food and work to help people lead healthy lives, while you are a diabetic in complete denial about your condition.

I’ve been doing some research and I understand that denial is a common problem among diabetics...

Read the entire piece here. And get the recipe for my mother's Lemon Lush here (it has been modified for diabetics and other populations).

Notes: We still have a kink or two to work out with the ezine; to access the obesity study mentioned in my piece click here. The image above is in no way related to Basil Magazine (but it's an awfully good representation of the herb). A Letter to My Mother was inspired by a post on this blog in July 2009.