Adrian Miller

{{for|the American music entertainment executive|Adrian L. Miller}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Adrian Miller

| image = Adrian Miller the Soul Food Scholar.jpg

| image_upright =

| caption =

| birth_name = Adrian Miller

| birth_date =

| birth_place =

| nationality = American

| alma_mater = Smoky Hill High School
Stanford University
Georgetown University Law School

| occupation = Culinary historian, professional keynote speaker, policy advisor

| notable_works = {{bulleted list

|Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine, One Plate at a Time

|The President's Kitchen Cabinet: The Story of the African Americans Who Have Fed Our First Families from the Washingtons to the Obamas

|Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue

|Cooking to the President's Taste: Asian Heritage Chefs in White House History}}

| awards = {{bulleted list

|2014 & 2022 James Beard Foundation Book Award-Winner for Reference and Scholarship

|2018 NAACP Image Award Nominee

|2022 Colorado Book Award Winner}}

| website = {{URL|adrianemiller.com}}

}}

Adrian Miller is a culinary author, professional speaker, certified barbecue judge, and former attorney. Adrian previously served as a White House special assistant to President Bill Clinton, and as a senior policy analyst for Colorado Governor Bill Ritter Jr. He is currently the Executive Director of the Colorado Council of Churches, and recently co-curated the “Proclaiming Colorado's Black History” exhibit for the Museum of Boulder. Adrian lives in Denver, Colorado.

Early life and education

After graduating from Smoky Hill High School in Aurora, Colorado, Miller attended Stanford University, where he was resident counselor to David O. Sacks.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/12/23/us/gender-gaps-stanford-94.html|title=For Stanford Class of '94, a Gender Gap More Powerful Than the Internet|last=Kantor|first=Jodi|date=December 22, 2014|work=The New York Times|access-date=April 15, 2018|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}} Miller graduated on April 4, 1991, with a bachelor's degree in international relations.{{Cite web|url=http://sul-derivatives.stanford.edu/derivative?CSNID=00002307&mediaType=application/pdf|title=Centennial Year Commencement Exercises|date=June 16, 1991|website=Stanford University|access-date=March 31, 2021|archive-date=December 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191222100930/http://sul-derivatives.stanford.edu/derivative?CSNID=00002307&mediaType=application%2Fpdf|url-status=dead}} He next attended Georgetown University Law School, where he earned a J.D. in 1995.{{Cite web|url=https://alumni.stanford.edu/get/page/events/details?event_id=15273|title=The Soul Food Scholar|website=alumni.stanford.edu|access-date=April 15, 2018}}

Career

Adrian Miller began his career in public service as a special assistant to President Bill Clinton and as deputy director of the President's Initiative for One America, the first White House program explicitly focused on closing racial divides.{{cite news |last1=Collazo |first1=Julie Schwietert |date=May 2, 2017 |title=The Soul of the White House: Adrian Miller's The President's Kitchen Cabinet |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/05/adrian-miller-book-review.html |access-date=April 15, 2018 |work=Paste |language=en}} He stepped down from his role following the transition to the George W. Bush Administration.

During a period of professional transition, Miller was inspired by John Egerton's book Southern Food: At Home, on the Road, in History to explore the cultural history of food in America, particularly African American culinary traditions. This exploration led to his first book, Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine, One Plate at a Time, which he published with the University of North Carolina Press in 2013,{{cite news|title=SOUL FOOD by Adrian Miller|url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/adrian-miller/soul-food/|access-date=April 15, 2018|work=Kirkus Reviews|date=June 17, 2013|language=en-us}} which won the 2014 James Beard Foundation Book Award for Reference and Scholarship.{{cite news|last1=Porter|first1=William|title=Denver author Adrian Miller wins James Beard award for "Soul Food"|url=https://www.denverpost.com/2014/05/03/denver-author-adrian-miller-wins-james-beard-award-for-soul-food/|access-date=April 15, 2018|work=The Denver Post|date=May 3, 2014}} It was also named a non-fiction honor book by the Black Caucus of the American Library Association.{{Cite news |url=http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2014/02/bcala-announces-2014-literary-awards-winners |title=BCALA announces winners of 2014 Literary Awards |date=2014-02-07 |work=News and Press Center |access-date=2018-05-19 |publisher=American Library Association |language=en}} Blending archival research with personal travel to over 150 restaurants across 35 cities, the book examines how African American migration reshaped Southern foodways across the United States.

While researching for Soul Food, Miller began tracing the overlooked contributions of African Americans in White House kitchens. This became the focus of his second book, The President's Kitchen Cabinet: The Story of the African Americans Who Have Fed Our First Families, from the Washingtons to the Obamas, published in 2017 (again with the University of North Carolina Press). Through extensive archival research, Miller identified the names of over 150 African Americans who served as presidential cooks, stewards, and chefs—many of whom had never before been publicly acknowledged.{{cite news |last1=Schlichenmeyer |first1=Terri |date=May 19, 2017 |title=Historic tidbits fill 'The President's Kitchen Cabinet' |url=http://www.phillytrib.com/lifestyle/historic-tidbits-fill-the-president-s-kitchen-cabinet/article_e2b27746-fc77-56fb-a354-1a3d1459e5a3.html |access-date=April 15, 2018 |work=The Philadelphia Tribune |language=en}} The book was a finalist for the 2018 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work, Nonfiction.{{cite news |last1=Haring |first1=Bruce |date=November 20, 2017 |title=NAACP Image Awards Nominees: Netflix, OWN Lead In TV; Universal, Annapurna, Open Road Top Film |url=https://deadline.com/2017/11/naacp-image-awards-netflix-own-annapurna-universal-pictures-open-road-films-anthony-anderson-1202212017/ |access-date=April 15, 2018 |work=Deadline}} In the course of research, Miller was able to identify the names of 150 African-Americans who cooked in the White House, though there were many more who remain unnamed.

Miller's third book, Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue (2021) examines the central role of African Americans in shaping American barbecue culture. The book profiles pitmasters, restaurateurs, and regional traditions while including 22 recipes. It was awarded the 2022 James Beard Foundation Award in the Reference, History, and Scholarship, as well as the 2022 Colorado Book Award for History.{{Cite web |author=Eater Staff |date=2022-06-11 |title=Here Are the 2022 James Beard Foundation Media Award Winners |url=https://www.eater.com/2022/6/11/23164075/james-beard-foundation-awards-2022-media-winners-cookbooks-journalism |access-date=2022-06-12 |website=Eater |language=en}}

In 2025, Miller published his fourth book Cooking to the President's Taste: Asian Heritage Chefs in White House History. The work uncovers the largely untold stories of Asian American and Asian immigrant chefs who contributed to presidential cuisine from the late 19th century onward. Many began their service through the U.S. Navy and went on to cook aboard presidential yachts, at retreats like Camp David, and in the White House itself. Drawing on archival research and personal interviews, the book shares behind-the-scenes anecdotes and presents 60 tested recipes, ranging from state dinners to personal favorites of various First Families.

Beyond his writing, Miller has served as a policy analyst for Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, a board member of the Southern Foodways Alliance, and currently serves as executive director of the Colorado Council of Churches. As a nationally and internationally recognized speaker, Miller delivers keynote presentations that explore the intersections of food, history, race, and identity. With wit and deep scholarship, he helps organizations navigate cultural complexity, foster inclusion, and inspire dialogue through the lens of culinary heritage.