Michael W. Twitty is an acclaimed culinary historian, and author of the two-times James Beard Award-winning book The Cooking Gene, as well as Rice and Koshersoul. He has written for many publications and been featured throughout print and broadcast media, including the Guardian, The New York Times, The Washington Post, PBS, and NPR's The Splendid Table. He has given over 500 public talks and appeared in numerous series, including Taste the Nation and High on the Hog.