In Grace the Table, Smalls combines his talent for storytelling with his love for food in a memoir of his journey from his hometown of Spartanburg, South Carolina, to the cosmopolitan cities of Europe and eventually to Manhattan. "Growing, buying, preparing, serving, eating -- food, the whole tasty subject -- has captured and framed so many of my memories that in a curious way it has not only sustained me but given me life", writes Smalls, and his unabashed passion is readily apparent as he regales readers with such recollections as the first meal he ever prepared (when he was six), his accidental but rewarding encounter with Joan Sutherland, and his adventures, culinary and otherwise, while touring Europe as one of the stars of the Houston Grand Opera production of Porgy and Bess.

As a special treat, 100 of the culinary creations he invented during his travels are sprinkled throughout the book, allowing readers to recreate his menus and enjoy such Southern Revival dishes as black-eyed peas with arugula, and macaroni-and-cheese terrine with Creole sauce.