U of A’s ‘One Book, One Community’ 2020 Book Selection Announced

Edward Lee is the author of Buttermilk Graffiti, the newest selection for this year’s ‘One Book, One Community’ project.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Buttermilk Graffiti: A Chef’s Journey to Discover America’s New Melting Pot Cuisine has been selected by the One Book, One Community committee for its 2020 community read. The group seeks to highlight the connection between our multicultural society and the food we grow, prepare and eat.  

Written by award-winning chef Edward Lee, Buttermilk Graffiti explores the intersection of food and culture as Lee takes a trip across America, experiencing exceptional food in unconvential places.

The book has been named a Best Food Book of the Year by the Boston Globe, Smithsonian, BookRiot and Plate. It was also a semifinalist in the 2018 Goodreads Choice Awards.

“Ed Lee is a master chef with a particularly keen sociological insight,” said Kevin Fitzpatrick, chair of the One Book One Community committee. “He manages to use that perspective to frame some very fascinating conversations with people about the food they grew up with and now the food that many of them are cooking as an important representation of their cultural heritage. Every one of us has a story to tell about how we are connected to food through our culture, family and places that we’ve lived. Ed’s book and visit are going to stimulate an important set of conversations around food in Northwest Arkansas.”

Lee is the chef and owner of 610 Magnolia, MilkWood and Whiskey Dry in Louisville, Kentucky, and the culinary director for Succotash in National Harbor, Maryland, and Penn Quarter, D.C.

He was the recipient of the 2019 James Beard Foundation award for Buttermilk Graffiti and has also been a six-time finalist for the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Southeast.

“Bringing an author to campus who is also a chef will give us the ability to showcase this year’s One Book selection in a unique way,” Fitzpatrick said.

Lee will visit campus for a public event in October. More information will be released soon and for more details, please visit the One Book, One Community website.

About the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences: The J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences is the largest and most academically diverse unit on campus with three schools, 16 departments and 43 academic programs and research centers. The college provides the core curriculum for all University of Arkansas students and is named for J. William Fulbright, former university president and longtime U.S. senator.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among fewer than 3% of colleges and universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.

A version of this story also appeared in the U of A’s Newswire publication.