Would Spring Council, Author of Southern Roots, Do a TV Show?

Spring Council, Chef, Vintage Curator and now author, published her debut cookbook this month, Southern Roots: Recipes and Stories from Mama Dip’s Daughter.

This is the recap of her author talk at Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh, NC.

Anita ‘Spring’ Council: Chef, Cookbook Author & Vintage Curator

Advocate, philanthropist, Southern chef – these are only a few of Spring’s titles.

She’s also the youngest daughter of Mildred Council, the community icon and restaurateur of the legendary Mama Dip’s Kitchen in Chapel Hill, NC.

I met Spring at the Southern Foodways Symposium where the Council family was the Southern Foodways Alliance’s 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award Winner.

We sat together for the closing dinner after I circled the restaurant several times looking for an open seat.

I didn’t know any of the attendees so I was basically the new kid in high school trying to figure out where to sit at lunch.

Which is amusing after the fact, but not so much when you’re in the situation.

It wasn’t her job to make me feel comfortable but I felt at ease sitting and chatting with Spring.

That was more than a year ago but it’s an experience I remind myself of when I don’t feel like going to some of these food industry conferences and events.

And because of Spring’s kindness, I wanted to show my support for her by purchasing her cookbook and attending at least one of her talks.

Southern Roots Book Tour: Raleigh, NC

Just a few days after launching her cookbook, I attended her author talk and book signing at Quail Ridge Bookstore in Raleigh’s North Hills neighborhood.

Spring was interviewed by Andrea Weigl, owner of Weigl Communications, a PR firm for Raleigh-based hotels and restaurants.

Highlights from the conversation:

• Before she became one of the owners of Mama Dip’s, Spring ran the restaurant’s dining room
• She’s been in the kitchen since childhood, shelling peas, or out on the family farm picking beans and other fresh food
• The family worked at the restaurant so much that the customers were their connection to the outside world
• From her cookbook, she recommends starting with the recipes for the Italian sausage lasagna, which you can freeze for later, and the banana pudding with chocolate meringue.

What’s next for Spring Council?

Audience members asked Spring if she’s interested in a TV show or another cookbook.

Spring said no to the possibility of a TV show but has already thought about her next cookbook.

Honestly, a show or even a short special on Spring and how she combines her love for cooking with designing tablescapes and scouring thrift stores for the best vintage finds would do well.

She’s really funny, charming and a wonderful speaker.

I could see PBS producing this.

And if you subscribe to Spring’s Substack, The Collected Life, you’ll be the first to know if she changes her mind about a show and when she’s dropping her next cookbook.

Where to buy her cookbook, Southern Roots

Order Southern Roots, published by Countryman Press, from BEM | books & more and have it shipped to you in the U.S.

I’ll provide links to other Black owned bookstores where you can purchase Spring’s books when it becomes available in their stores.

Mama Dip’s Kitchen closed but the Council family has other business endeavors

After more than four decades, the Council family closed Mama Dip’s Kitchen.

Although devastating to the public, especially the Chapel Hill community, you can support the Council family’s other businesses.

Spring’s daughter, Tonya Council, is the owner of two retail shops:

• Sweet Tea & Cornbread on the Upper Level of Crabtree Mall at 4325 Glenwood Ave, Raleigh, NC 27612
• and Tonya’s Cookies & Bakeshop at 400 S Elliott Rd, Chapel Hill, NC 27514

You can still order the Mama Dip’s Kitchen Cookbook, t-shirts, barbecue sauces, cornbread mix and pancake mix from the Mama Dip’s Kitchen website.

Connect with the ‘Southern Roots’ cookbook author

Instagram: @Spring.Council
Website: SpringCouncil.Me
Substack: The Collected Life

More from Black cookbook authors

Kiano Moju, AfriCali Cookbook Author, Discusses Food Media Journey | Ep 4