Cleora Butler
“When I was twelve, the time I spent in the kitchen at my mother’s side was the most precious to me. I watched as she magically mixed liquids and powders, added dashes of pepper and salt (plus assorted grains and crumbled leaves that I learned were called spices), placed them inside or atop a stove and produced marvelous concoctions that invariably tasted yummy. The apparent ease with which she cooked convinced me that turning out cookies and cakes must be a pushover.”
Illustration by Brittanie Mitchell for Seeds & Receipts.
1901 - 1985
Cleora Butler was an Oklahoman cook who developed her culinary skills by growing up around Black folks who not only cooked everything from scratch, but also were the type to grow their food and build their pantries from the ground up. From her mother she learned countless ways to skillfully cook and bake cuisines that combined home style cooking with other cuisines.
Towards the end of her life she wrote an autobiographical book called Cleora’s Kitchens: The Memoir of a Cook & Eight Decades of Great American Food. This book offers an extensive look into the cuisines of the 1900s - 1980s, and details her life as she grew up and cooked for her tight knit community. Cleora’s book also gives insight in the lifestyles of Black people and women growing up in the 20th century and the racial dynamics of the times.
Although there aren’t many photos of or articles about this amazing woman outside of her book, she was clearly an important fixture in her community as a caterer and baker. She had her own pastry shop called Cleora’s Pastry Shop and Catering.
Shortly after publishing her book in 1985 she passed away.
DIG DEEPER
Cleora’s Kitchens: The Memoir of a Cook & Eight Decades of Great American Food by Cleora Butler