The Debut Book

The Soul of Food and Wine

A Southern Woman's Journey from Momma's Kitchen to the World

Pull up a chair. This is the story of how a Montgomery, Alabama girl found her voice in a kitchen, a wine glass, and a life lived at the table.

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The Soul of Food and Wine book cover by DeeDee Johnson, featuring a Southern charcuterie spread, wine, and travel mementos

A Love Letter, Written From My Table to Yours

Let me tell you something about myself right up front, I am a Montgomery, Alabama girl to my core. I say that proudly, chest lifted, chin up, with the kind of quiet confidence that a good Sunday dinner gives you. Everything I know about food, wine, and hospitality started in my Momma Nancy's kitchen, where the kitchen was the center of the universe and wisdom was passed like a cast-iron skillet from one set of hands to the next.

This book is a love letter, plain and simple. A love letter to Montgomery, where my story begins. To Atlanta, where I built a life for fifteen years. To Alabaster, the place I call home now. And to Napa, New Orleans, and Jamaica, every place along the way where I tasted something that made my spirit say yes. It is the story of a Southern woman's journey from her Momma's kitchen to the world, and an invitation for you to come along.

"Food and wine are not about sophistication or status or impressing anyone. They are about connections."

I am here to tell you, this is more than a book of recipes and tasting notes. It is the soul of who I am, poured onto every page, seasoned with the same love my Momma seasoned her greens with. Whether you are pulling up a chair for the first time or you have been at my table for years, I wrote this book so you would feel like family by the last page.

Montgomery Atlanta Alabaster Napa New Orleans Jamaica

Sample Excerpts

Let me tell you something about myself right up front, I am a Montgomery, Alabama girl to my core. I say that proudly, chest lifted, chin up, with the kind of quiet confidence that a good Sunday dinner gives you.

Chapter One · Momma's Kitchen

I fry this chicken when I want to say "I love you" without making a speech, when I want the kitchen to smell like home and the table to feel like a soft place to land.

On Sunday Dinner

That first sip was nothing short of a revelation, deep and velvety, with whispers of dark cherry, cedar, and something almost ancient, like the soil itself had a story to tell.

On Discovering Napa

From the Table to Your Hands

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★★★★★

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Pour Yourself a Glass. Get Your Copy Today.

The Soul of Food and Wine is available now on Amazon in paperback and Kindle. Come sit with me a while, I promise it will feel like home.

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Meet DeeDee

DeeDee Johnson smiling in a black button-up with a Delta Sigma Theta tie

TauCora "DeeDee" Johnson

I am a Montgomery, Alabama girl to my core, a wife, and a mother to my daughters Kaleah and Camille. I earned my degree from Alabama State University, married my college sweetheart Ken, spent fifteen years building a life in Atlanta, and came home to Alabaster, about an hour from where it all started. My background is in Program Management, but my true calling grew out of a lifelong love of wine, food, and cooking, learned first in my Momma Nancy's kitchen.

— DeeDee

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