Macon Magazine

46 maconmagazine.com | February/March 2026 our ancestors ate. This helps people understand more and destigmatizes history." Exposure is key, Mason added. Upon hearing about fellow musician Dean Brown's food event at the Tubman Museum, he committed to helping Brown expand the horizons of Central Georgians. The result was "Jubilee: A Taste of Soul", a food extravaganza featuring West African and Caribbean dishes prepared by talented cooks. It later led to Mason hosting a major food education event of his own. Mason also has put Macon on the minds of people abroad. His United Nations-sponsored work on Trinidadian Moruga Hill rice is significant, as it is based on his production of 40 pounds of seed from 20 plants over two years. His goal is to create a citywide gardening system in which everything — plants, animal life, and people — works in harmony. Mason described how they should operate: "Like Felton, environmentally responsible places designed to provide locally and culturally grown food." Middleton, now the president and CEO of Moving to Success — an outreach organization she oversaw while with MHA under its former name, Macon Housing Moving to Success, and that she continues Follow along with Rodney's work at @restoredrootsmacon to lead in retirement — met Mason three years ago and was immediately drawn to the Restored Ancestral Roots name and intent. She retained his services with Felton Homes to start and wanted to duplicate its success at other housing authority locations, where Moving to Success has a garden program. "Felton was the blueprint for what we wanted to do at other locations. The response has been very good. We definitely needed his expertise to maintain these areas," Middleton said. The Moving to Success platform has proven to be a strong one to demonstrate Mason's value. Gardens he has touched feature standard species such as tomatoes, blueberries, greens, and edible flowers flourishing alongside herbs like rosemary and lavender. Middleton appreciates the inclusion of non-native foods such as African okra, Puerto Rican rice, hibiscus, and African black rice as a way of educating housing authority residents and the general public. This effort is creating sustainability and addressing food insecurity. "Just being able to eat off the land is huge. You're feeding the mind, body, and soul. That's why what Rodney is doing is so needed. You're never hungry when a garden is around," she said. It is all part of Mason's plan to close the culinary divide through environmental activism and education. "My greatest confidence is that this was a great idea," he said. "My payback is creating an environment where people can see their roots in your work." "Just being able to eat off the land is huge. You're feeding the mind, body, and soul. That's why what Rodney is doing is so needed. You're never hungry when a garden is around."

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