Black, White, and The Grey
The Story of an Unexpected Friendship and a Beloved Restaurant

At The Grey restaurant in Savannah, Georgia, an acclaimed Black woman chef and a food-obsessed White businessman are equal partners who’re bridging their lived experiences—one meal, one conversation, and one business challenge at a time.

Black, White, and The Grey is a story about the mission, trials, and triumphs of two individuals with little in common—acclaimed chef Mashama Bailey and media startup defector John O. Morisano—who came together to build what would be a special restaurant.

Bailey and Morisano, co-owners of The Grey, tell their story in alternating fonts, explaining how they went from tentative business partners to best friends as they turned a dilapidated Jim Crow–era Greyhound bus station in Savannah, Georgia, into one of the hottest restaurants in the country, all while digging into their lived experiences with race, class, and culture through honest, unflinching discussions. As they reveal the rawness, vulnerability, and humanity that make their partnership so inspiring, they show how they’ve tried to bridge the deep cultural divide in America during a time when activated racism and raging classism are at the forefront of our national consciousness.

In celebration of the food and drinks that bring people together, a recipe caps each chapter (21 in total)—from Country Pasta (with pork belly) to Salted Honey Chess Pie—peppering the narrative with food from their story. Everyone fascinated by food culture will savor the behind-the-scenes details of building and running a destination restaurant—in this case, one that is attempting to reshape cultural conversation beyond food.