About the Author

Carla Labat, author of Steppin' Out & Satisfy Your Soul, was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana.  At age 12, her family moved to Dakar, Senegal, where her father served as Peace Corps director.  During the five years she and her family lived in West Africa, Carla gained an appreciation for the local cuisine and music.  A year in a Swiss boarding school heightened her interest in international cultures and foods.  After graduating from the University of Maryland, Carla moved to Manhattan where she pursued a career as a retail manager and accessories buyer.  While traveling in Europe and throughout the U.S., she was constantly introduced to new restaurants and developed a reputation among her friends and associates as a dining and travel connoisseur.  Her own frustrations over not being able to identify or find restaurants featuring the type of cuisine she most enjoys prompted her to pull together this unique guide.  She spent four months on the road seeking out these establishments, sampling the food and entertainment offerings, and personally interviewing close to 300 owners, managers, and chefs.  Carla self-published this guide and currently lives in McLean, Virginia.

 

Steppin' Out: An African-American Guide to Our 20 Favorite Cities
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ISBN: 1562615440
Format: Paperback, 351pp
Pub. Date: October 2000
Publisher: Avalon Travel Publishing
Edition Description: 1 ED

Covering 20 cities across the United States, Steppin' Out is the most comprehensive sourcebook of travel information written specifically with African-Americans in mind. Author Carla Labat gives refreshing and spirited first-hand accounts of recommended places and events, providing information on restaurants, nightclubs, museums, festivals, and the arts. Steppin' Out also covers churches, historical landmarks, and sporting venues, highlighting African-American owned businesses. Each chapter takes an in-depth look at the soul of city - what makes it tick, how it will lure you in, and what about it will make your trip memorable. Included are chapters on Atlanta, Birmingham, Boston, Charleston, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Memphis, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, St. Louis, and Washington, D.C.

 

Satisfy Your Soul: A Guide to African American, African & Caribbean Restaurants
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ISBN: 0965920402
Format: Paperback, 224pp
Pub. Date: September 1997
Publisher: Impressions Books
 

With information on over 250 establishments in 20 cities, Satisfy Your Soul is the first up-close-and-personal guide to African American, African, and Caribbean restaurants, night-clubs, and caterers in the U.S.  Decor and menu details, crisp, cutting reviews, meaty chunks of culinary wisdom, and nourishing bits of humor are gathered here from interviews with owners, managers, and patrons.  All this, where to go, when to go, and what to expect when you're looking to give in to your cravings for down-home or international cuisine noir.  Whether it's Creole, Southern, Caribbean, Barbecue, Ethiopian, or Soul Food you seek -- you'll find what you've been looking for and more in Satisfy Your Soul!

To learn more about Satisfy Your Soul visit http://www.soul-dining.com

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