New Book
A story about the trials and triumphs of a Black chef from Queens, New York, and a White media entrepreneur from Staten Island who built a relationship and a restaurant in the Deep South, hoping to bridge biases and get people talking about race, gender, class, and culture.
“Black, White, and The Grey blew me away.”–David Chang
In this dual memoir, Mashama Bailey and John O. Morisano take turns telling how they went from tentative business partners to dear friends while turning a dilapidated formerly segregated Greyhound bus station into The Grey, now one of the most celebrated restaurants in the country. Recounting the trying process of building their restaurant business, they examine their most painful and joyous times, revealing how they came to understand their differences, recognize their biases, and continuously challenge themselves and each other to be better.
Through it all, Bailey and Morisano display the uncommon vulnerability, humor, and humanity that anchor their relationship, showing how two citizens commit to playing their own small part in advancing equality against a backdrop of racism.
Reviews
” Black, White, and The Grey is the tale of a fortuitous collaboration, a lasting friendship, and an iconic restaurant. In these racially divisive times, this book offers a much-needed commodity . . . hope.” –Jessica B. Harris, author, lecturer, and culinary historian
“Black, White, and The Grey is a story for our hearts, minds, and times. It breaks out of any genre ever associated with restaurants–cookbooks or otherwise–taking us on a journey into the minds and motivations of two unlikely partners, each on a mission to prove something to themselves, the world, and ultimately to each other.” –Danny Meyer, author of Setting the Table
“This book fills the silences that readers are typically left to observe or interpret. With bold admissions of bias, discomfort, and downright tension, it illustrates the challenges faced by Bailey and Morisano, who occupy different yet interconnected worlds. The touchstones of race and class are underscored with vulnerability as they examine implicit bias, socialization, and inequity in American society. Their relationship represents the beauty that can develop when there is patience, will, and capacity to question the status quo.” –Jamila Robinson, Philadelphia Enquirer food editor and James Beard Journalism chair
” Black, White, and The Grey speaks volumes to the moment we’re in and is exactly what we need as we look to the future of the restaurant industry. This book is so important as we have our own uncomfortable conversations and demonstrates how we can ultimately transcend and unite.” –Marcus Samuelsson, author of The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food
