What's up! I'm Marwin Brown, the "Music Sommelier" and creator of the food and music blog, foodfidelity.com aka "Beats and Eats" which features family-friendly and mostly weeknight focused modern soul food recipes all inspired by dope music tracks.
Food Fidelity represents the bringing together of my two passions modern soul food and music. Music is a meal enhancer that sets the mood and inspires the cook to pour those moods, passions, feelings, and vibes into the dish thus truly making it Soul Food!
Food Fidelity is about capturing the spirit of what a food audiophile aka flavor nerd would be looking for, which is that minutia of key spices/herbs that transforms a basic dish into something that is smart and flavorful.
On Food Fidelity you'll discover mostly fast and fresh recipes grounded in weeknight soul food but updated to reflect modern techniques, flavors, and health trends. The focus is on real food made accessible. In addition to recipes, I share ways to maximize flavor in any dish, nutritional and health benefit information that will aid you in living your best life, as well as tips and shortcuts to help adulting foodies get uncompromised restaurant quality dishes on the table even on a busy weeknight.
To contact me directly, email me at [email protected]
More About Me and The Site
I grew up in Dallas, TX raised by my maternal grandparents who were both incredible cooks. Whereas my grandmother was that urban soul food queen, my grandfather was a financially poor spiritually rich, clean eating urban gardener before it was cool. I inherited the best of the both of them my grandfather's focus on fresh ingredients and big mama's knowledge/connection to traditional soul food.
Most of the recipes shared here are everyday ones that we enjoy daily in our household. I would categorize the food as modern soul food, i.e. food that is smart, interesting and grounded in our African-American culture but updated to reflect the latest culinary trends and techniques as well as the diverse tastes and influences we are exposed to through friends, family, travel, and media. It's about remixing and tweaking traditional soul food recipes for everyday consumption, particularly beyond Sunday dinners to include weeknights. So in this regards you may see recipes on the blog like Crispy Roasted Okra, Black-eyed Pea Soup, or Instant Pot Collard Greens with Smoked Brisket.
Smart - there is generally a health component with a focus on fresh ingredients. Also smart as in full of simple ways to save time and maximize flavor.
Interesting - I don't believe taste and health are mutually exclusive. I'm a flavor nerd and borderline compulsive in exploring new global techniques and ingredients to feed my flavor quest.
Grounded - base ingredients, techniques, and flavors tend to be grounded in culinary traditions of countries/regions connected to the African Diaspora which would include Africa, the Caribbean, American South, and South America.
Food Fidelity has evolved from a simple modern soul food and music blog into a movement to change the way people eat and think about food, particularly what we consider soul food. The shift was driven by the disparities in health across different ethnic groups, particularly how African Americans are disproportionately affected by diet related diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular.
Recognizing that there were many families like mine - working parents struggling to get suitable weeknight meals on the table in a convenience driven world. With peers desiring to honor and retain their heritage but not at the expense of their health, I began sharing our household practices and habits, the ones we utilized as weapons to break the cycle of obesity and the related illnesses born out of poor lifestyle and food choices.
Though raised a true Texan, I lived in the windy city of Chicago for 13 years with my wife Benee and two kids before returning to Austin,TX.
What can you expect to find here:
- Ernest and passionate commitment to flavor
- Food that is grounded in culture from around the world with particular emphasis on cuisine from across the African diaspora
- A focus on fresh, clean ingredients. There will undoubtedly be exceptions during my cheat days where nothing is out of bounds and those southern classics like fried chicken, neck bones, oxtails, and ham hocks make cameo appearances.
- Time saving short cuts
- Personal, self deprecating stories related to my culinary journey
- Dope music that inspire and trigger nostalgic emotions connected to food. Sample some of the music vibes featured on the site via these dope custom spotify playlists!
I've worked in the food industry for several years as a Consumer Insights professional for both Quaker and Kraft Foods, recipe developer, and now as a food blogger. I am active in the community and serve as a Chef Ambassador for the American Heart Association and a spokesperson for Real Men Cook Charities.
Post your Food Fidelity recipes on social media using the hashtag #foodfidelity