“The Rise, Fall and Recipes of American Beach: Relief in Distress.” One summer, not too long ago, my brother and friend, Mr. Darren Dante Bonner, turned me on to Ms. Marsha Dean Phelts, a celebrated librarian, author and historian out of Jacksonville, Florida — and he also hipped me to American Beach, on Amelia Island. Ms. Phelts is the author of three books — all on American Beach. As a foodie, her second book, The American Beach Cookbook (University Press of Florida, 2008), seductively captured my heart; as a filmmaker, her first book, An American Beach for African Americans (University Press of Florida, 1997), completely captivated my soul. Her third book, on American Beach Homes, had a limited print run; however, after Dante showed Ms. Phelts this video, she sent me one of the 25 copies of the book that were printed. Thank you, Ms. Marsha Dean Phelts, whose work on American Beach led me, first, to Ms. Annette McCollough Myers’ book, The Shrinking Sands of an African American Beach (2008); then to Mr. Russ Rymer’s book, American Beach: A Saga of Race, Wealth and Memory (HarperCollins, 1998).
In this hour, we are cooking our way through the roots, history, culinary heritage and spiritual legacy of American Beach, Florida’s first Black-owned and Black-populated coastal resort, created by Abraham Lincoln Lewis (1865-1947).