Atlanta Food Walks Reveals That Dr. King Was a Serious Foodie

Atlanta, GA, January 15, 2016 (Newswire.com) - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was not only the leader of the Civil Rights Movement and a Nobel Peace Prize Winner; Dr. King was also a serious foodie.  On Atlanta Food Walks’ Downtown Southern Food Walk, tour guides share Dr. King’s love of food and the story of Southern food’s roots in a 3.5 hour-long delicious food tour through Downtown Atlanta, the heart of the Civil Rights Movement.

“Dr. King’s first memory was standing at the bread lines during the Depression.  In his letters, he compared the quality of food at the jails where he was imprisoned; though the conditions at the Albany, Georgia jail were brutal, he wrote that their breakfasts of sausages, eggs, and grits, were generally good.  In fact, one of his last conversations on that fateful day in Memphis was about what they would be eating for supper,” Akila McConnell, owner of Atlanta Food Walks, explains.  “Our Culinary Storytellers intertwine Dr. King’s story with the history of Southern food, from slavery through the Civil Rights Movement to today’s fusion cuisine.”

"Our Culinary Storytellers intertwine Dr. King's love of food with the history of Southern cuisine, from slavery through the Civil Rights Movement to today's fusion cuisine."

Akila McConnell, Founder, Atlanta Food Walks

A popular highlight on the tour is trying the succulent fried chicken and candied yams from Paschal’s, the restaurant that Dr. King chose as the unofficial headquarters of the Civil Rights Movement.  Later, tour guests stand under the Crystal Bridge of Rich’s Department Store where Dr. King was arrested for sitting down at the lunch counter.  Guests try fresh green juices at Arden’s Garden in the old Atlanta Daily World building, which was the first successful African-American-owned newspaper in the country, and eat banana pudding in the city’s oldest market, which was where Dr. King and his family shopped for food.

Atlanta Food Walks has received national attention for its unique use of culinary storytelling, intertwining delicious food with the rich history of the foods and people that make up the South.  The Downtown Southern Food Walk includes 15 tastings at 7 different locally-owned restaurants, plus a guided tour through Downtown Atlanta, for an all-inclusive price of $65.

For more information, please contact Akila McConnell at [email protected] or 470-223-2203.  The Atlanta Food Walks website (http://atlantafoodwalks.com) also contains more information about the tours.