Charla L. Draper

Former food editor at Ebony and Southern Living
Founder of National Soul Food Month

Experience

Charla L. Draper is a food expert and former food editor, most recently with Ebony and Southern Living. She was also a test kitchen home economist in The Kraft Kitchens. In 2001, Charla founded National Soul Food Month to celebrate the heritage and history of foods and foodways of African Americans and peoples from the African diaspora. Charla is Taste Recipes's soul food expert, writing about recipes, cookbooks and restaurants.

Taste Recipes Editorial Policies

Taste Recipes, a Trusted Media Brand, has been a reliable source for recipes, cooking tips and entertaining advice for more than 30 years. Every month, our content inspires well over 20 million home cooks to get creative in the kitchen. Each one of our 40 thousand recipes has gone through a rigorous testing and approval process to ensure we’re sharing the very best. Every snack, ingredient and product we recommend is tested by our team of culinary experts and professional product testers—the best of the best earn our Test Kitchen-Preferred seal of approval. Learn more about Taste Recipes and our Test Kitchen and editorial teams.

Articles & Recipes

A spread of soul food from The Breakfast Boys

Sample Soul Food Around the US at These Top 20 Restaurants

Food is culture; it's the way to connect with family, preserving the memories and traditions of elders. Whether you're cooking at home or sampling from our list of soul food eateries, you'll find the classics, plus the dishes focusing on current trends in soul food cuisine.

What Is Soul Food? The Story You Need to Know

We all eat, but some foods do more than stave off hunger. Charla L. Draper, founder of National Soul Food Month, examines soul food's place at the table.

Soul Food platter with fried catfish, collard greens, candied yams, and mac and cheese

25 Soul Food Recipes That Shaped Southern Cooking

These soul food recipes are about so much more than comfort—they're the very soul of the Black community. Here's the list, complete with tips from Black chefs and creators.