The book was written by Norma Jean Darden and her sister Carole Darden. Here's a link with information about her.
http://www.southernfoodways.com/oral_history/sfa_founders/normajean_darden.shtml

The ancestral home has been restored:

DARDEN HOUSE
Location: 1323 Auburn Street, Opelika, Alabama
Marker Dedication or Erection Date: June 27, 2003
Marker Text:
Dr. John Wesley Darden, was the first AfricanAmerican physician to treat patients within a 30-mile radius of Opelika. He built the Darden House in 1904, and later married Maude Jean Logan of Montgomery. Dr. and Mrs. Darden shaped many lives through their commitment to the community by providing better health care and education. The Darden House became the social and political center of the African American community in Opelika. Dr. Darden sometimes saw patients in a clinic on the main floor and many gatherings and events were held here over the years. Prominent visitors to the Darden House included Booker T. Washington, George Washington Carver, and A. G. Gaston.
Erected by the Historic Chattahoochee Commission and the Opelika Historic Preservation Society, 2003.

I haven't been able to verify it but I think that the made for tv movie "Sister, Sister" (1982) with Diahann Carroll and Paul Winfield may have been filmed in the Darden House.

Kind of got off the subject of food but thought I'd add a little background.

Regina