The Legacy Quilt honors the countless African American food and drink producers who have laid the foundation for American cuisine. The tradition of quilts in African American culture runs deep, quilts have long been associated with expressions of celebration, remembrance, and respect. Commissioned by MOFAD and created by Harlem Needle Arts for MOFAD's 2022 African/American: Making the Nation's Table exhibition, the Legacy Quilt is a handmade quilt composed of 406 blocks, each one representing one African American contribution to American cuisine. Standing at 14 feet tall and nearly 30 feet wide, this awe-inspiring object makes a powerful point: there are countless stories that deserve recognition.

The African/American: Making the Nation’s Table exhibition Advisory Board—28 of the country's most distinguished scholars, writers, chefs, and food and drink producers—was tasked with coming up with names of iconic figures and noteworthy moments in African American food culture. Those for the contemporary period were easier to add and discover; individuals and items for the 17th, 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries were more daunting; the curatorial team began to research African American’s more profound food history and came up with more names and concepts and contributions, and the list grew. The culmination of this research was vetted by Dr. Scott Barton alongside Dr. Jessica B. Harris, the exhibition’s lead curator. Noted graphic designer Adrian Franks created 400 illustrations, which were printed onto fabric, then skillfully cropped, and appliquéd onto their respective quilt block by artists. Writer Osayi Endolyn was tasked with amplifying and verifying the biographies and creating a series of brief synopses that would be used to inform visitors about the quilt’s contents.