SUNY Adirondack, NAACP offer 'Soul Food'

GLENS FALLS, New York (Oct. 21, 2025) — The aromas of fried chicken, collard greens and sweet potato pie will fill downtown Glens Falls as SUNY Adirondack partners with the Glens Falls branch of the NAACP to present "Soul Food: A Celebration of Culture and Cuisine" from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25, at Seasoned, 14 Hudson Ave.

More than a meal, Soul Food is a tribute to heritage — a feast that honors the deep roots of African American culinary traditions and the stories they tell. Members of the northernmost NAACP chapter in New York will use their recipes and wisdom to prepare the meal with SUNY Adirondack’s Culinary Arts students under the guidance of Chef Matthew Bolton.  

The menu features comforting Southern classics like fried chicken, cornbread, black-eyed peas and macaroni and cheese, dishes that have nourished body and spirit for generations.

The public is invited to visit Seasoned, SUNY Adirondack’s student-run fine-dining restaurant, to eat in or take out. Plates are $22 with additional sides of a pig’s foot for $8; macaroni and cheese for $7; and pies for $18.  

The Soul Food event is the Glens Falls branch of NAACP’s biggest fundraiser of the year, supporting its scholarship funding awarded to local students.  

"This meal represents the best of this community: Our chefs, students and homecooks work together with passion," said Lindsay Farrar, a counselor at SUNY Adirondack, a member of the college's Diversity Committee and a lifelong member of the NAACP. "We appreciate this collaboration as we all grow in our ability to communicate and see each other with compassion.”

The Glens Falls NAACP was founded in 1966 — less than a year after the Voting Rights Act was passed. In the years since, the local arm of the national institution has organized voter registration drives, supported various volunteer organizations, and led conversations about inequities in employment and housing.

The Glens Falls NAACP founded several community programs, including a scholarship fund; bringing speakers to schools and groups to talk about African American culture; an annual Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration; and an annual film festival at Crandall Public Library.