ALICE RANDALL is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels The Wind Done Gone, Pushkin and the Queen of Spades, Rebel Yell, and Ada's Rules and the only person to ever study with Julia Child for credit at Harvard. An acknowledged authority on African-American cookbooks, Randall teaches at Vanderbilt University. She also writes country music, including Trisha Yearwood's now classic "XXX's and OOO's (An American Girl)." Randall has been recognized by the National Institutes of Health as a Health Champion and is Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Nashville Ambassador.

CAROLINE RANDALL WILLIAMS, an award-winning published poet and Harvard graduate. She spent two years teaching public school in the Mississippi Delta as a corps member with Teach for America, during which time she coauthored of The Diary of B.B. Bright, Possible Princess with her mother, Alice Randall. She owns more than 1,000 cookbooks.