Daufuskie Island Kitchen Diva Sallie Ann Robinson

In addition to her high visibility as a recognized television personality, Robinson has been a frequent favorite subject of magazine and newspaper journalists. Some have profiled her as an author while others have focused on her ongoing efforts to preserve the legacy of Gullah culture. Articles showcasing her life and work have been presented in such publications as: the 2005 Old Farmer's Almanac; Southern Living (April 2005 and Sept 2004); National Geographic (Dec 1987); (2004); Hilton Head Monthly (May 2008); and The South Magazine (Oct-Nov 2006).

Ironically, Robinson first attained national prominence as a character named Ethel, one of the students portrayed in famed author Pat Conroy's novel, The Water Is Wide. Since its publication in 1972, the novel has inspired stage adaptations as well as two major movie productions, all of them helping to introduce the world to Robinson via her fictional alter ego.

Additionally, portraits of members of Robinson's family, including her grandmother, Lovinia Robinson, are featured in Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe's 1982 book Daufuskie Island: A Photographic Essay. Moutoussamy-Ashe's title can be compared to works by the late Savannah photographer Jack Leigh, and like his, it successfully documented a unique culture at a time of important historical transitions.

In 2003, the University of North Carolina Press published Robinson's first book, Gullah Home Cooking the Daufuskie Way. The book successfully combined sea island recipes with personal memoir and drew critical praise from diverse reviewers.

Publihsers Weekly noted the following: "This book honors a love of her childhood and her family, and that love is intertwined with food. Introducing most recipes are reminiscences of loading the wood stove, trips to the store, fishing for sheepshead, washing clothes on a washboard and cooking "long pots" (slow-cooked meals)." And PW Daily for Booksellers observed that, "Robinson shares her memories and recipes from a culture and place outside the normal realm of everyday America and provides a provocative glimpse of a time gone by. . . . Beautiful photographs%u2026"

Robinson worked with other natives of Daufuskie Island during the late 1980s to launch Daufuskie Island Day, which is observed on the fourth Saturday in June. The event has become an annual one that pays tribute to the history, customs, dialect, and distinct culture of the island natives. Similarly, Robinson started the Daufuskie
Island Tours in June 2008. The tour might be described as edutainment that allows participants to enjoy a boat ride from either Hilton Head or Savannah to the island.

The tour of the island itself consists of visits to Robinson's former dwellings, island churches, schools, a library, museum, and the beach, providing a rare and yet comprehensive experience of the Gullah culture.

The University of North Carolina Press followed up on the success of Gullah Home Cooking the Daufuskie Way with the publication of Robinson's Cooking the Gullah Way, Morning, Noon, and Night in 2007.

Once again, critics and readers alike praised the author for the storytelling quality of memoir in the book, the authenticity of the recipes, and the tasty results achieved when trying them.