Afros and Knives

Sponsored by Ten Speed Press/Clarkson Potter 

Joining the show this week is co-founder and coo of Detroit-based, award-winning tequila brand Anteel Tequila, Nayana Ferguson. Anteel is the only tequila brand led by a Black woman and received recognition from Forbes, Wine Enthusiast, Cosmopolitan, and more. Be sure to visit the Anteel Tequila website to learn more about the brand and to find a location near you to purchase a bottle or two. Follow Nayana and Anteel on Instagram to stay updated on new releases and all news Anteel related. 

Key points in this episode:

• Why did Nayana choose tequila over other options
• Nayana's life after surviving cancer
• How Anteel came to be
• How Nayana and her husband use their previous experience in corporate work to build a successful brand
• The other way Nayana is reaching back into the community.

What does it mean to be a chef, a woman, a sister, or a mother? These are the questions that Rhonda McCullar, our guest on today’s show, is on a mission to find answers for, for herself. In her first-ever interview, Rhonda candidly shares her vulnerabilities, the challenging experiences that have led her to where she is today, and her plans going forward. Rhonda started out her working life as a biology teacher and she has transferred many of her learnings from the science field into the culinary one. This seemingly unlikely combination has been fundamental to Rhonda’s success, as has her ability to persevere through hard times. Rhonda is determined to bring awareness to the culinary world about holistic eating and giving back to the community, and this is a passion we can wholly get behind! In today’s discussion, we get into what it means to be a black, female chef in an industry that has largely ignored our demographic in the past, and how Rhonda has managed to overcome the feeling that she doesn’t belong in the space and take ownership of her well-deserved title: Chef.

Key Points From This Episode

• Rhonda shares how she is feeling during her first-ever interview!
  
• How Rhonda’s mom influenced her life and her career path.
  
• How tragedy struck Rhonda’s family after graduation and how it altered the course of her life.
  
• Rhonda’s first job, and when she made the decision to enter the culinary world.
  
• Where Rhonda worked in her first culinary role.
  
• What drew Rhonda to Uchi.
  
• The role that Rhonda’s science background plays in her job as a chef.
  
• Why the ability to problem solve is such a vital skill for a chef.
  
• Indications that Rhonda is finding her own self-expression in the food industry.
  
• Similarities between Rhonda and Tiffani’s life paths.
  
• Rhonda’s hesitation to call herself a chef at first, and how her mindset has changed.
  
• Awareness that Rhonda hopes to bring to the food world.
  
• What Rhonda loves about working at Uchi.
  
• People who Rhonda gets her inspiration from.
  
• Rhonda’s definition of success.
  
• The passion that Rhonda feels about giving back to her community, and the ways that she does this.
  

According to Heritage Radio Network, there’s perhaps no greater expert on the food and foodways of the African Diaspora than Doctor Jessica B. Harris. She is the author of twelve critically acclaimed cookbooks documenting the foods and foodways of the African Diaspora including Iron Pots and Wooden Spoons: Africa’s Gifts to New World Cooking, Sky Juice, and Flying Fish Traditional Caribbean Cooking, The Welcome Table: African-American Heritage Cooking, The Africa Cookbook: Tastes of a Continent, Beyond Gumbo: Creole Fusion Food from the Atlantic Rim. Harris also conceptualized and organized The Black Family Reunion Cook Book. Her book, High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey from Africa to America, was the International Association for Culinary Professionals 2012 prize winner for culinary history. Her most recent book is My Soul Looks Back: A Memoir.

In her more than four decades as a journalist, Dr. Harris has written book reviews, theater reviews, travel, feature, and beauty articles too numerous to note. She has lectured on African-American food and culture at numerous institutions throughout the United States and abroad and has written extensively about the culture of Africa in the Americas, particularly the foodways. In the most recent edition of the Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink, author John Mariani cites Harris as the ranking expert on African American Foodways in the United States.

Joy Spence was the first female master blender in the entire spirits industry and today, 40 years later, she is still creating exceptional rum. Joy’s journey into the world of spirits began with a passion for chemistry in high school and a teacher who helped her to reach her full potential. Her intellect, combined with her endearing and tenacious personality, makes her an unstoppable force. According to Joy, the main element that sets Jamaican rum apart is that when you drink it you can feel the spirit of the country; and Joy herself oozes that spirit too. Not only is Joy a world-class blender, but she also dedicates a lot of her time to helping other young women discover their passions and follow their dreams. Joy has so much fascinating knowledge to share, and by the end of this episode, you’ll know if you have what it takes to be a master blender and the proper way to drink rum!

Appleton Estate’s Master Blender, Joy Spence, has the honour of being the first woman to hold the position of Master Blender in the spirits industry. In this role, Joy is responsible for ensuring the quality and consistency of existing blends, creating new rum blends, and monitoring the company’s inventory of aging rum stocks.  Simply put, it is Joy’s job to ensure that that all Appleton Estate rum blends meet the high standards that consumers have grown to love and expect. Joy joined Appleton Estate as Chief Chemist in 1981 where her passion for the art of creating rum-blends was inspired by her predecessor and mentor at the company, then Master Blender, Owen Tulloch.  When Owen retired Joy was appointed the Master Blender in 1997.

Meet Fawn Weaver. Serial entrepreneur, investor, USA Today and New York Times bestselling author, and one badass Black woman.  She is a risk-taker. And why not? Her risks are calculated and more often than not pay off in big ways. She doesn’t look back on old successes or failures and keeps her eyes fixed squarely on the future.

She loves her life, adores her family, and lives in the here and now..and right now she is rewriting the history of Uncle Nearest whiskey, the American spirit market, and building an incredible Black-owned brand as the CEO and Founder of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, and she’s absolutely not stopping there.

For the second year in a row, Uncle Nearest is the most awarded American whiskey or bourbon. They have garnered 85 awards in 2020, including 8 Best in Class and 12 Double Gold, the coveted “World’s Best” by Whisky Magazine, and Double Gold from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

• They were honored as Wine Enthusiast's Spirit Brand of the Year.
• Uncle Nearest 1856 earned a spot on this year's Oprah's Favorite Things list! And not only Oprah’s Favorite Things, but a separate list with the Queen herself saying, “Folks who love the diversity in business and a superb drink will be glad to unwrap this gift."
• Inc. Magazine honored Uncle Nearest with their Best in Business award.

Olive oil goes beyond the brand you find on the shelf. It’s about where it comes from, what it tastes like, and the passion that’s gone into producing it. Very few people have actually tasted ‘the good stuff, “and it’s only once you’ve tried it that you can truly understand what olive oil can offer. Today, we sit down with Skyler Mapes, an American architect who reinvented herself halfway across the world to produce an ancient delicacy. Skyler currently resides on a 300-year-old farm in Calabria, Italy, with her husband Guiseppe. In our conversation, we find out from Skyler about her transition into the world of olive oil, as she tells us about the serendipitous events which led her to Italy. She touches on how she came to be involved with Guiseppe’s family farm, and the ethos that comes with farming olives and other foods in Italy. As we dive deeper into the topic, Skyler notes how she strives to set her brand apart from the rest, and details her approach to branding and appealing to a cross-generational market. We then come back to the topic of production, with Skyler sharing the journey an olive takes to become extra virgin oil. We learn about the process and testing, and why her work is so labor-intensive. Toward the end of the show, Skyler talks about the finished product and describes how you can perform your own olive oil tasting; the proper way. For more on Skyler’s inspiring story, how to identify great olive oil, and much more, be sure to tune in with us today.

Take-Aways From This Episode:

• Skyler shares her olive oil origin story, and why producing at scale was never part of her plan.
• Hear how an architecture internship introduced Skyler to her husband, Guiseppe.
• Skyler tells us what she enjoyed and disliked about the architecture industry.
• The factors that led Skyler to leave the architecture industry.
• Skyler shares why it is so important to have diversity within the same industry.
• Why limiting people’s choices stops their ability to be discerning about what they are eating.
• How the Italian government embraces farming through favorable tax regulations.
• Skyler shares her olive farm’s rich family history and how they’re positioned in the olive oil market today.
• We hear the stark reality of Italy’s poverty and third-world traits.
• Skyler touches on her goal to create a luxury brand that appeals to all generations.
• We talk to Skyler about the varieties of olive oil produced on her farm.
• Skyler gives insider detail on the production of olive oil, contrasting farmers and producers.
• Find out what a day’s work is like on Skyler and Guiseppe’s olive farm.
• Find out how you can start consuming healthier, better olive oil.

Hillel Echo-Hawk is a chef and educator, who is dedicated to creating more awareness about indigenous American food traditions, with a specific focus on those of the Pawnee Nation. She runs Birch Basket, a catering company based in Seattle, creating delicious food using healthy, sustainable, beautiful ingredients, indigenous to North America. Like so many of us, Hillel has had an interesting and challenging journey through cuisine and we get to hear all about it in today's episode. Hillel charts her work as a young missionary, and how she enrolled at culinary school after being forced to move back home. We also talk about food in her home growing up, and the early experiences with her mother that shaped her understanding of cooking before we discuss the important aspects of indigenous American cooking that interest Hillel the most. The conversation also covers some thoughts on culinary education, its gaps, and why it is important for people to speak up to shift the conversation away from outdated models. The last part of this illuminating episode is spent discussing life since the pandemic, adapting to uncertainty, and Hillel's challenges with epilepsy. Make sure to join us today, to hear it all!

• An introduction to Hillel and her work as a chef and food educator.
  
• Hillel's transition from missionary work into the culinary world.
  
• The organic move that Hillel made into the education space around food.
  
• America's indigenous foods and their inextricable place in the history of the region and its people.
  
• Hillel's early experiences of cooking at home and the first things she learned to make.
  
• The mission to broaden knowledge that Hillel discovered in her years at culinary school.
  
• The important steps that Hillel took in linking with I-Collective and building Birch Basket.
  
• A massive disruption in the form of the pandemic and how Hillel has managed this.
  
• How epilepsy has affected Hillel's work and the hurdle of medical conditions for chefs.
  
• What Hillel's professional life looks like right now under these unusual circumstances.
  
• The projects and organizations that Hillel is working with and championing right now.
  

We are at risk of losing so much rich culinary heritage if we don’t start documenting it properly, so Kiano Moju, our guest on today’s show, is on a mission to do just that. Through her company, Jikoni, Kiano and her team have created a space for people to become active participants in the telling of their food-related stories. Kiano talks about the vision she has, and the way she hopes it will revolutionize the way people think about food from cultures other than their own. Kiano’s love for food began on her grandparents’ farm in Kenya it was the place where she had her first major realization about the importance of preserving traditions linked to food. We talk about some of the biggest names in the food world, and why you should not be trying to emulate them; too many creatives get trapped in “the machine” which may lead to more views and more followers, but at what cost? We also get Kiano’s perspective on risk-taking, the lack of diversity behind the scenes of much of the content that we consume, and why promoting brands without their consent can do more harm than good.

Episode Takeaways

Key Points From This Episode:

•   Kristin and her history with the Six Acres property where she runs her B&B.

•   How the history of the Six Acres property informs Kristin’s approach to hosting guests.

•   Kristin’s thoughts on her commitment to sourcing products by Black-owned businesses.

•   How Kristin weaves Black histories tied to the locations of her restaurants into her design choices and the guest experience.

•   How Kristin’s business choices tie into the growing heritage tourism movement.

•   Questioning norms and Kristin’s thoughts on Blackness being branded in negative ways.

•   Perspectives on luxury and a story about a travel writer who appreciated her experience at Six Acres.

•   How the pandemic is challenging us to find new ways of inhabiting our spaces.

•   The role of Kristin’s team in building her brand and how a common value system drives them.

•   Thoughts on telling Black stories and excitement for what is in store for Sojourn.

Today’s guest is Kristin Kitchen, Founder, and CEO of Sojourn Heritage Accommodations, talking about how she is using hospitality to share African American history and inspired community building. Sojourn is a heritage tourism brand where luxury meets history, with a vision to share the rich past of African Americans across the country through art, jazz, wine, and food in a uniquely diverse hospitality setting.

The first property Kristin acquired is now the Six Acres Bed & Breakfast, a house in the Underground Railroad Network, which she converted into very successful hospitality business in Cincinnati, Ohio. This was the first in Kristin’s brand of boutique hotels that blend the intimacy of a bed and breakfast with the amenities of a first-class hotel. Our conversation begins with the story of how Kristin found the Six Acres property and decided to convert it into a bed and breakfast that incorporated the rich history of its context into the guest experience.

We talk about Kristin’s decision to support Black-owned businesses through the products she sources and then dive into the importance of keeping African American history alive in the present. Our conversation explores the importance of defining luxury for ourselves and how this connects to the experience of basking in the beauty of our shared culture. We speak to Kristin about the importance of her team, the intersection of her business plan with the heritage tourism movement, and what is in store for the different locations that she currently has under operation.

“My serious relationship with wine began in 2008, when I attended graduate school for my Master in Fine Arts (MFA) at Spalding University, Low Residency MFA program, in Louisville, Kentucky. Surrounded by writers of all genres – playwrights, screenwriters, fiction, non-fiction, and poets – we discussed our lives, our work, and our craft over drinks. Wine, to be specific. Each subsequent residency we would bring wines to introduce to each other. It was there my passion for wine was ignited. I shared what I learned with others; helping many a wine drinker find their way from, “I only drink…” to, “Wow, this wine is delicious.” This always gave me great pleasure. In 2011, my good friend Mark gifted me a 32 bottle wine refrigerator as a housewarming gift. Of course, I had to fill it! I had a party asking people to bring wine. I gave them some parameters (I drank red almost exclusively at that time) and sent my friends on a wine hunt around town. It was an incredible success. My guests got to try different wines and my wine chest was magically filled. Little did I know, I had just hosted my first home wine tasting.
In 2015, my interest in doing home wine tastings was refueled after several incidents occurred at corporate wine tastings – my name not being on the attendee list, my guests almost being turned away, being seated in the back, and sushed continuously despite my wine tribe purchasing wine. The spark was ignited, a dream set in motion. Sip & Share Wine started and still continues to do home wine tastings pouring African American and women winemakers into the intimacy of your home. We bring a fun experience, wine education, and build awareness about African American wines/winemakers.

Marcia is a wine and spirits consultant from Silver Spring, Maryland. She is the founder of Bubbles & Bourbon, a tasting soiree’ experience. She is knowledgeable and passionate about wine and spirits and a proud member of the Women In Bourbon Association, DC Chapter and is a graduate of the Stave and Thief Society and has her certification as a bourbon steward from Moonshine University.

Chef Cat has a lifelong passion for food and cooking. She received her degree in Professional Cooking from Baltimore International College. After graduating she entered the Air Force Reserves and joined the Army Corps of Engineers. In addition to her culinary degree, she holds a Bachelor’s in Organizational Management and is pursuing her Masters in Acquisition and Procurement Management. When deployed, she managed a dining facility that fed over seven thousand troops daily.

She was the sous chef for Guy Fieri's Kitchen and Bar at the Horseshoe Casino in Baltimore. She has been the executive chef of a dining company and at Dovecote Cafe. She currently operates her own culinary business Culinary Socialite and is a member of the board for The Food Project. She is the founder of Just Call Me Chef, a professional networking organization for black women in the culinary industry.

Introducing the Fresh Voices series…these are conversations with women who are in the early stages of their life in food, wine, or hospitality. I want to learn about their experiences, get their perspectives, and increase their visibility.  Today’s fresh voice is recent culinary school graduate Nina Broadie…let’s dive in!

Nina Broadie is the co-founder of the lifestyle brand Matter of Motley, lives in NYC, and is making moves! She is an International Culinary Center graduate, accomplished project management professional, and US Air Force veteran with 10+ years of experience in project/program management and data analysis. Follow her journey!

Desiree is a 20-something, self-professed wine lover. Her unexpected entry into the world of wine and spirits started as a part-time gig and transformed into a full-time passion. In true millennial style, she quit her traditional corporate job to pursue a career in wine. The start of her brand was inspired by the lack of representation and diversity in the wine industry.

Desiree created Wino Noire to chronicle her experience as a developing wine professional and to share no-nonsense tips. Her mission is to encourage other Millennials of color to enjoy wine minus the snobbery. Desiree has earned a Level One and Level Two certification from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust. She is a Maryland native and graduate of the University of Maryland.

Meet Kalisa Marie Martin, she has roots in both the US and Jamaica,  is a classically trained chef with degrees in food science and culinary arts, and has built an extensive career in food media. She left her role as Brand Director for renowned digital food publication, Tasting Table to the launch popular lifestyle travel company, The Runaway.

Her current YouTube channel, Kalisa Marie Eats, is a fun, romantic, and travel-inspired food and beverage channel. She is launching a new series in the coming weeks, called Food Sci Fridays, it will draw on her background in Food Science and will explore the science behind why food does what it does with fun info and simple recipes to illustrate the facts.

Chef India grew up inspired by all cuisines, as a professional chef her food cooking style is based on fresh, local, and classic ingredients with cultural and exotic twists. Her food is an artistic interpretation of many cuisines she enjoys and her craft is ever-evolving.

Chef India also has a pretty fly video series called Sauce, spice and smoke...it’s available to watch via IGTV or YouTube, you have to get into this...you know how I love creative food content, shot beautifully! Her partnership with Media Lifted Films does not disappoint.

Joining the conversation this week is the kitchen manager/head chef of the St. James School in Philadelphia, Deborah Anthony. I met Deborah when I worked for the Vetri Community Partnership, I led the kitchen at Girard College in the summer for the Vetri collaboration with the ESF Dream Camp Foundation. Debra was the heart and soul of the kitchen, and one of the most talented chefs I know. Most of our earliest food memories come from childhood, and Chef Deborah has been engaged in the noble labor of feeding the children of Philadelphia for some time. She has a generous heart, and a kind spirit, and what I consider the most important job in food.

Be sure to connect with the St. James School online at stjamesphila.org, they are opportunities to donate and volunteer. Chef Debbie and I are working on getting her recipes into a digital space so they are available to everyone..and I'm still talking her into bottling and selling her salad dressings. 

As a former star athlete on the Wake Forest University Track and Field Team, she knows what it means to focus and sacrifice for the team. As a professional, Chel led the design of a 5 Star rated coffee menu for Solar Cafe Coffee Bar and has over 4 years of experience developing unique specialty coffee products.

Black Roux Collective is what happens when a talented, Black chef combines the love of travel with a passion for food. Chef Maya created the concept of the Black Roux Culinary Collective to bring the world to every table. Her immersive culinary experiences create a dynamic approach to studying and sampling the culinary traditions of diverse regions.

“Black Roux offers adult culinary classes geared toward the passionate home cook who is serious about expanding their knowledge and skill in multi-regional cuisine.  Weekly classes delving headfirst into cultural cooking traditions will leave students with the confidence to prepare food from far away places with skill.”

There are also the Black Roux Culinary Excursions. Immersive travel experiences aim to take students directly to the source.  These excursions offer participants the opportunity to experience the world’s diverse culinary traditions up close and personal

Korsha Wilson is a brilliant food writer and the host of A Hungry Society podcast on Heritage Radio Network. She examines and illuminates the world of restaurants, food, culture, and how what we eat speaks to the conditions of our society. 

She is a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America and spent two years in journalism school at Emerson College She has written for many publications including The New York Times, Saveur, Food & Wine, the New Yorker, The Boston Globe, Boston Magazine, Eater, Civil Eats, Thrillist and more. She was named a Southern Foodways Alliance Smith fellow, was a participant of the  Jack Jones Literary Arts’ inaugural #Culture, Too fellowship in 2019.

In 2020, her essay on restaurant criticism was included in "Best American Food Writing", an anthology edited by J.Kenji Lopez-Alt and Silvia Killingsworth.  Her weekly podcast A Hungry Society on Heritage Radio Network highlights diverse voices in the food world.

Nyanyika Banda is a professional chef, writer, and entrepreneur. She is American-Malawian. “Raised b/w a New England college town & a Midwestern one. Working through identity issues by writing, cooking & traveling.”

Middle Passage Events is the celebration of the African diaspora through food, music, art & word. My goal is to continue to tell the stories of Black and Brown people, and those of African descent.

In her own words: “The term Middle Passage is used to describe the journey Africans were forced to endure as enslaved peoples from their native countries to those across the globe. As a young child learning about the Middle Passage I was overwhelmed with empathy and also fear. In some ways, it was easier for me to block the horrific details of my ancestral past than to acknowledge how hateful some people could be, and that if born in a different time, it could have been me. For the past five years, I chose to live in a moderately sized city in Northern Minnesota. Of the 87,000 residents 90% are white, 2.3% Black. I had finished my undergrad there and decided to stay and turn my pop-up restaurant into a brick and mortar. For 3 years, every meeting I went to I was the only person at the table that looked like me. With every interaction, I felt I was being seen and judged before I was being heard. There were many instances when my intelligence and life experiences were being undermined. I grew up in predominantly white towns and spaces. I have a lifetime of experience being a “token”. But when I thought about my ideal work environment, one that I was creating, it was one that included folks who look like me. And then I realized I had never had that experience. I’ve worked in some of the top restaurants in the US, and still not with more than 2 other black folks in the kitchen. I eventually realized I desperately needed more diversity in my life. I made a promise to myself to find my tribe, and share space with them, and collaborate with them. I am no longer subduing my identity to make my Blackness more comfortable for others, but rather finding spaces through which I can be Black, loud, and proud! “

Rahanna Bisseret Martinez first appeared on culinary television joining Bravo’s Top Chef Spin-off Top Chef Junior Season One as a finalist at the age of 13. Since that time, She has interned at Chez Panisse Café, Mister Jiu’s, Emeril, Gwen LA, Compère Lapin, Ikoyi, Californios, and other culinary institutions. Rahanna collaborated with Target to create a food waste awareness commercial promoting vegetables and has enjoyed designing culinary creations for corporate and private events. At age 16, Rahanna continues to intern, build her company, Rahanna LLC, and appear as a public speaker celebrating vegetable consumption, culinary access, and inclusion for all.