Labor Day meals often center around grilled meats and traditional sides like creamy coleslaw and deviled eggs. Chef Michele Tompkins of Roots & Culture Craft Kitchen has suggestions for a veggie-forward menu that updates those classics with a look to fall and cooler-season produce.

The name, Roots & Culture, was the result of a conversation with her barber, who hypothesized that roots and culture determine how people behave. She thought, “That’s it!” because “roots and culture” represented the cuisine she wanted to prepare. Tompkins blends elements from different cultures with the food of her roots. (Her paternal family is from St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands and her maternal family is from the Bahamas.)

Tompkins incorporates traditional African American foods like sweet potato

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