When Monique Wells followed her dream of living in Paris, France, the last thing the Houston native thought she'd miss was home, let alone the food of her childhood. However, after having "wallowed in the wealth of French cuisine for several months," Monique had a revealing experience.

Ten years later, she clearly remembers that defining day. "I woke up one morning and realized that I didn't want a croissant for breakfast. What I wanted was grits. In that moment my mind was flooded with memories of food from home, such as fresh biscuits and cane syrup," she says.

Monique decided to turn her longing for home into an opportunity to connect with others. She was one of the first members of a group of African American women in France called SISTERS. Started as a vehicle to discuss life in Paris from shared perspectives, the meetings inevitably turned to reminiscences of food. Monique began to work on a book of recipes for the group, which evolved into a cookbook that pays tribute to her Texas and Creole Louisiana roots. In 2000, she published Food for the Soul, a collection of Southern, largely soul food, recipes.

Monique realizes that our Southernness is always connected to the foods we ate as a child--good or bad. "Fortunately, mine are great memories," she says with a smile. "Food and family are the essence of life. As long as one takes meals with one's family, the two are irrevocably intertwined."

To learn more about Monique and her award-winning recipe collection, see the Food for the Soul Web site.

"Sustaining a Southern Heritage" is from the November 2002 issue of Southern Living.