Black Pepper Visions

ABOUT Karen Pierce Gonzalez

Karen Pierce Gonzalez
I have been interested in folklore for many years. I have been a journalist for decades, have facilitated  many writing workshops, and am an award-winning writer.As publisher I help bring to light the world of folk tales, foodlore and stories as they appear everyday life.

Description

Tortillas that preserve a child’s life, dolmas preparedto distract guard dogs, and artful potato mosaics are among the many ways food is celebrated in Black Pepper Visions: Original Folktales & Stories You Can Eat (FolkHeart Press 2012).

Karen Pierce Gonzalez’s 16 fast-paced original folktales and stories are accompanied by personalized recipes and tasty bits of food lore that can nourish readers physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

This 16-story collection selection took several years to complete. Each story is original, every recipe was personalized and all food lore items were researched. Using select folklore motifs (the broken heart, the healing hand, the wise elder, the trickster, etc.) allowed these original stories to come to life. Some of them are modeled after family members, family stories and family recipes!

As a professional chef, I perceive food as an act of giving to others and sharing a part of myself. This can mean memories of food experiences I had as a child or while sailing and cooking around the world. The core, I think is learning, either personally or through another individual, the cultural history and family values behind each and every recipe I encounter. It is the foundation of food. Black Pepper Visions really solidifies these relationships with food for me through these wonderful tales,” said Chef Heidi West of Heidi West Catering.