Dr. Fulton Could Cook
Ossie Davis and Ruby circa 1975, Courtesy of The New York Public Library
Master Herbalist Dr. Alvenia Moody Fulton opened a combination health food store and restaurant on the south side of Chicago in a rough part of the city. In 1962, actors and activist Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee met Fulton when they went to her store while in Chicago performing Purlie Victorious. The entire cast was invited to Fulton’s store and home for dinner. “She prepared an unusual, most tasteful meal. It wasn’t until it was over that we realized that no meat had been served. The meat substitutes were delicious, fulfilling, and only a small part of the vegetables feast, topped off with a marvelous dessert and a truly believable coffee substitute.” The dinner, writes Ruby Dee, “was the beginning of a long relationship in which she changed my way of thinking about food. She not only showed me better ways to prepare and enjoy it, but also introduced me to the concept of food as medicine.”