Hey Sistah is all about highlighting people deeply woven into the fabric of our nation’s food whose story needs a deeper telling. In honor of Black History Month we wanted to commemorate and give homage to an African American female cook.  Zephyr Wright cooked for Ladybird and Lyndon Johnson for over 20 years in Texas and Washington D.C. Although little known, she made a profound impact in the White House. We made her Shrimp Curry for lunch. It is an old fashioned dish that was creamy and divine, a little midweek treat.

Leonard H. Marks, director of the U.S. Information Agency during the Johnson administration, tells this story about how she may have influenced his work on civil rights reform.

“Many say that Lyndon, because he came from the South, didn’t believe in civil rights. Lady Bird had two people as hired help, Zephyr and Sammy Wright. Zephyr was the maid and cook, and Sammy was the chauffeur. At one of the luncheons I attended before Johnson became president, Zephyr was serving when Lyndon told her that she and Sammy should get ready to drive to Austin. The family would join them later. She said, “Senator, I’m not going to do it.” There was silence.

She said, “When Sammy and I drive to Texas and I have to go to the bathroom, like Lady Bird or the girls, I am not allowed to go to the bathroom. I have to find a bush and squat. When it comes time to eat, we can’t go into restaurants. We have to eat out of a brown bag. And at night, Sammy sleeps in the front of the car with the steering wheel around his neck, while I sleep in the back. We are not going to do it again.”

When Johnson became president and signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law Zephyr was there. Johnson motioned to her, gave her the pen that he used to sign the bill. He said, “You deserve this more than anybody else.” NPR – Recipes from the Presidents Kitchen

Zephyr Wright Shrimp Curry

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 pounds raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
2 1/2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup minced onions
3 tablespoons flour
1 1/4 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/2 chicken bouillon cube, dissolved in 1/2 cup boiling water
1 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

 

 

Instructions

Steam shrimp until done — approximately 5 minutes or until pink.
Sauté onions in melted butter until tender.
Stir in flour, curry powder, salt, sugar and ginger, and cook for a couple of minutes.
Dissolve bouillon cube in water.
Gradually combine bouillon and milk with onion and spice mixture, stirring until thickened.
Add cooked shrimp and lemon juice, cooking only enough to heat through.

Serve over rice.

Source: LBJ Library

Notes

Finish with black pepper