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‘Inspirations’ Note Cards by Jonathan Green
‘Inspirations’ Note Cards by Jonathan Green
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Drew Rose Designs Ceramic Woven Trim Planter
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GULLAH CUISINE: BY LAND AND BY SEA
Kouboo 1110141 Manhattan 2-Tier Console, Natural Rattan End Table, Brown
Kouboo 1110141 Manhattan 2-Tier Console, Natural Rattan End Table, Brown
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Woven Bamboo Placemats, Set of 4 By Anthropologie in Blue Size SET OF 4
Lenox Watercolor Horizons Microwave Safe Blue 12-Pc. Dinnerware Set, Service for 4, Created for Macy’s
Lenox Watercolor Horizons Microwave Safe Blue 12-Pc. Dinnerware Set, Service for 4, Created for Macy’s
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Goddesses by Synthia SAINT JAMES Canvas Wall Art 3 Piece
Set of 4 Natalya Ikat Stripe Placemats Gray – Ballard Designs
Set of 4 Natalya Ikat Stripe Placemats Gray – Ballard Designs
‘Southern Imagery’ Notecards by Jonathan Green
‘Southern Imagery’ Notecards by Jonathan Green
Whitewash Wood Draped Bead 4 Light Chandelier by World Market
Whitewash Wood Draped Bead 4 Light Chandelier by World Market
Suzanne Kasler Greek Key Sham – Ballard Designs
Suzanne Kasler Greek Key Sham – Ballard Designs
GROWING UP GULLAH IN THE LOWCOUNTRY (PAPERBACK)
GROWING UP GULLAH IN THE LOWCOUNTRY (PAPERBACK)
MASTER PIECE LESSONS GULLAH ISLANDS WALL ART, 35X35
MASTER PIECE LESSONS GULLAH ISLANDS WALL ART, 35X35
‘Inspirations’ Sheer Scarf by Jonathan Green
‘Inspirations’ Sheer Scarf by Jonathan Green
Finnhomy Sideboard Buffet Cabinet, Kitchen Storage Cabinet with Rattan Decorated Doors
Finnhomy Sideboard Buffet Cabinet, Kitchen Storage Cabinet with Rattan Decorated Doors
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GULLAH NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS (HARDCOVER)
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Yaheetech Set of 2 Weave Arm Chair Mid-Century Metal Dining Chair Y-Shaped Backrest Hemp Seat, Black
GULLAH GEECHEE HERITAGE IN THE GOLDEN ISLES (PAPERBACK)
GULLAH GEECHEE HERITAGE IN THE GOLDEN ISLES (PAPERBACK)
Arthur Court Designs Sea Horse Twisted Seagrass Placemats – set of 4
Arthur Court Designs Sea Horse Twisted Seagrass Placemats – set of 4
Doric Upholstered Wingback Arm Chair Red Barrel Studio Body Fabric: Skylar Antique Blue
Doric Upholstered Wingback Arm Chair Red Barrel Studio Body Fabric: Skylar Antique Blue
GULLAH DAYS: HILTON HEAD ISLANDERS BEFORE THE BRIDGE 1861-1956
GULLAH DAYS: HILTON HEAD ISLANDERS BEFORE THE BRIDGE 1861-1956
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GULLAH IMAGES: THE ART OF JONATHAN GREEN
Estaugh Ikat Black/Gray Indoor / Outdoor Area Rug Union Rustic Rug Size: Rectangle 8′ x 11′
Estaugh Ikat Black/Gray Indoor / Outdoor Area Rug Union Rustic Rug Size: Rectangle 8′ x 11′
MASTER PIECE GATHERING GULLAH ISLANDS WALL ART, 30X40
MASTER PIECE GATHERING GULLAH ISLANDS WALL ART, 30X40
Set of 4 Woven Striped Placemats – Frontgate
Set of 4 Woven Striped Placemats – Frontgate
THE JOHN HOPE FRANKLIN AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE: MAKING GULLAH: A HISTORY OF SAPELO ISLANDERS, RACE, AND THE AMERICAN IMAGINATION (PAPERBACK)
THE JOHN HOPE FRANKLIN AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE: MAKING GULLAH: A HISTORY OF SAPELO ISLANDERS, RACE, AND THE AMERICAN IMAGINATION (PAPERBACK)
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RING SHOUT GULLAH ISLANDS – UNFRAMED PRINT ON CANVAS WORLD MENAGERIE
Mud Pie Rattan Serving Utensils
Mud Pie Rattan Serving Utensils
AFRICAN AMERICAN LIFE IN THE GEORGIA LOWCOUNTRY: THE ATLANTIC WORLD AND THE GULLAH GEECHEE (RACE IN THE ATLANTIC WORLD, 1700–1900 SER.)
AFRICAN AMERICAN LIFE IN THE GEORGIA LOWCOUNTRY: THE ATLANTIC WORLD AND THE GULLAH GEECHEE (RACE IN THE ATLANTIC WORLD, 1700–1900 SER.)
MASTER PIECE JOOK JOINT GULLAH ISLANDS WALL ART, 35X35
MASTER PIECE JOOK JOINT GULLAH ISLANDS WALL ART, 35X35
Gullah Spirituals – by Eric Sean Crawford (Paperback)
Gullah Spirituals – by Eric Sean Crawford (Paperback)
Gullah Spirit: The Art of Jonathan Green
Gullah Spirit: The Art of Jonathan Green
MY KIND OF NET ART PRINT BY GULLAH LIVING SERIES BY SAMANTHA CLAAR – X-LARGE
MY KIND OF NET ART PRINT BY GULLAH LIVING SERIES BY SAMANTHA CLAAR – X-LARGE
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GULLAH HOME COOKING THE DAUFUSKIE WAY: SMOKIN’ JOE BUTTER BEANS, OL’ ‘FUSKIE FRIED CRAB RICE, STICKY-BUSH BLACKBERRY DUMPLING, AND OTHER SEA ISLAND FAVORITES (PAPERBACK)
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ColorBird Stripe Tassel Tablecloth Cotton Linen Dust-Proof Table Cover for Kitchen Dinning Tabletop Decoration (Rectangle/Oblong, 55 x 120Inch, Blue)
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Stratton Home Reddish Brown Tulum Woven Lantern Stand
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carol&frank Josie Indigo Pillow
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Gullah Geechee Home Cooking: Recipes from the Matriarch of Edisto Island
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GULLAH CULTURE IN AMERICA (PAPERBACK)
Safavieh Noely Coastal Writing Desk
Safavieh Noely Coastal Writing Desk
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35″ X 35″ GULLAH GEECHEE CONJURE WOMAN BY SYNTHIA SAINT JAMES CANVAS ART PRINT – MASTERPIECE ART GALLERY
MASTER PIECE CHASING SENSE GULLAH ISLANDS WALL ART, 35X35
MASTER PIECE CHASING SENSE GULLAH ISLANDS WALL ART, 35X35
Handmade Gullah Sweetgrass Drink Coasters . Traditional Hand Crafted Folk Art . Natural Woven Home Decor . Made in the USA
Handmade Gullah Sweetgrass Drink Coasters . Traditional Hand Crafted Folk Art . Natural Woven Home Decor . Made in the USA
Woven Wicker Rattan Wall Decor, Round Seagrass Boho Kitchen Decor, Minimalist Rattan Chargers & Placemats for Dining Table & Wall Art, Rattan Wall Decorative Basket
Woven Wicker Rattan Wall Decor, Round Seagrass Boho Kitchen Decor, Minimalist Rattan Chargers & Placemats for Dining Table & Wall Art, Rattan Wall Decorative Basket
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Willow Row Multi Colored Ceramic Coastal Decorative Jar – Set of 2
Quilted Patchwork Cotton Throw Blanket – Indigo Blue Shibori Dye Indian Decorative Super Soft & Warm Blanket for Sofa and Couch 50 x 60 Inches
Quilted Patchwork Cotton Throw Blanket – Indigo Blue Shibori Dye Indian Decorative Super Soft & Warm Blanket for Sofa and Couch 50 x 60 Inches
Lowcountry Rice Culture Note Cards
Lowcountry Rice Culture Note Cards
Sweetgrass Kite Earring
Sweetgrass Kite Earring
G IS FOR GULLAH
G IS FOR GULLAH
35″” x 35″” Juneteenth by Synthia Saint James Canvas Art Print – Masterpiece Art Gallery
35″” x 35″” Juneteenth by Synthia Saint James Canvas Art Print – Masterpiece Art Gallery
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MAMA DOONK’S GULLAH RECIPES (PAPERBACK)
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BLACK BORDER : GULLAH STORIES OF THE CAROLINA COAST
TALKING TO THE DEAD : RELIGION, MUSIC, AND LIVED MEMORY AMONG GULLAH/GEECHEE WOMEN
TALKING TO THE DEAD : RELIGION, MUSIC, AND LIVED MEMORY AMONG GULLAH/GEECHEE WOMEN
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Asheville’s Appalachian Food Culture
Family Travel Guide to Asheville
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Black Heritage Travel in the Outer Banks
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Les Vendeuses of the French Quarter: Women who Sold Food for Freedom

Les Vendeuses of the French Quarter: Women who Sold Food for Freedom

The Café Rose Nicaud in New Orleans is Kenneth and Melba Ferdinand’s tribute to a woman who sold coffee in the French Quarter to purchase her freedom in the early 1800s. The restaurant is dedicated to selling healthy, sustainable food and breakfast all day.  Coffee is an important staple on the menu.

Rose Nicaud was an enslaved woman, and enterprising vendeur or seller on the streets of the French Quarter. She was the first coffee vendor – black or white – to sell her chicory blend to passersby from a portable stand. Through a complicated though legal contractual agreement (coartacion) with her owner, she was able to work her business on the weekends, save a portion of her earnings (the owner received their share), and ultimately purchase her freedom.

“Her coffee was like the benediction that follows after prayer; or, if you prefer, like the bendictine after dinner.” — Catherine Cole, in the 1916 book “The Story of the Old French Market”

The short version of this story is that as a free woman, she re-invested in herself, opened a kiosk in The French Market, and made a substantial living. Her existence and business pre-date the city’s Café du Monde and Starbucks. Her retail business model was more than ingenious; it was the forerunner to what is now a multi-billion dollar industry in the United States. Yet, all she wanted was her freedom.

Rose Nicaud was not alone in her efforts to use food as a path to freedom. She was one of a group of enterprising enslaved black women to sell everything from coffee to calas to pralines and more on the streets of the Quarter. They were known as Les Vendeuses.

Les Vendeuses used the law to their advantage. There was coartacion or the contract enabling them to make a down payment towards their freedom, using their earnings to pay a set amount to their owners for their freedom. And there were the Code Noir laws that gave the enslaved in the city agency on the weekends, particularly Sunday, to work on their own. Once a woman paid the established price to the owner, she was free, and the law prohibited her from every being enslaved again. (Louisiana ended the right of self-purchase between 1806-1810, and restricted eligibility for freedom.)

Mural by artist Max Bernardi depicting Rose Nicaud making coffee<br><br><br><br><br><br>

Free vendeuses were required to wear the mandatory tignon to distinguish themselves from enslaved women selling their wares on the street. Many vendeuses not only purchased their own freedom but also the freedom of family. Some – a minority – became slaveholders, using the free labor to build their businesses.

Other notable vendeuses include Zabette, Rose Gla, and Manette, who followed Rose Nicaud to sell coffee. Zabette also sold calas and biére du pays (beer brewed from pineapples). Clementine sold calas, carrying a basket on top of her head, across from the old St. Louis Cathedral. And Tasie sold pralines. The names and vendeuses are many. Rose Nicaud is perhaps one of the few documented vendeuses to be referenced by a surname.

Painting by Maddie Stratton commissioned by NOLAcom

Once Louisiana changed the self-purchase laws and altered Code Noir, the presence of les vendeuses using food to purchase their freedom decreased. Existing free vendeuses continued to operate with stalls in The French Market or move to other parts of the city.

Post-emancipation, les vendeuses had been completely replaced by white-owned businesses hiring black women to cook the same wares for customers.

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Fast forward to 2019, there are some black women vending in The French Market, one of the oldest businesses to operate is Loretta’s Authentic Pralines, which has been in business for over 35 years. Restaurant industry icon and food entrepreneur, Chef Shelley Everett, operated The Chubby Biscuit from a stall in The Market for a number of years as well.

The enterprising legacy of Rose Nicaud can be found throughout New Orleans in various forms. The legacy of Les Vendeuses involves their influence on a city’s economic development and the country’s growth in commerce.

Robin Caldwell

Robin Caldwell is the blogger behind freshandfriedhard.com and a public historian and researcher focusing on Black culinary traditions and foodways.

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