Jeanine Hays and Bryan Mason of AphroChic revisit their summer 2020 conversation with one of New York’s most prominent chefs — JJ Johnson. Held on Instagram Live, they discuss the James Beard Award winning chef’s heroic work feeding those in need during lockdown and his focus on developing a creative ecosystem that supports Black farmers, restaurants and consumers. 

With the release of The Contemporary African Kitchen, Alexander Smalls continues his legacy of storytelling, celebrating the rich culinary traditions of the African Diaspora. The cookbook highlights recipes from leading African chefs while delving into the cultural significance of these dishes. Through its pages, Smalls invites readers to connect with the history, flavors, and personal stories that make African cuisine a global treasure.

Christa Barfield is the founder of FarmerJawn. The agricultural center in the Philadelphia region is focused on regenerative farming practices and reclaiming the legacy of Black farming. Christa shares her incredible story with us - leaving her job in health care administration and embracing a new perspective that quickly connected her to the social issues that surround Black and Brown communities around the perceptions, prices, and quality of the food available to us. With the mission of creating, educating and feeding the community through farming, FarmerJawn continues to grow, overseeing 600 acres of land in a Philadelphia suburb, and developing corner stores in the city that will offer healthy, organic foods.

Fast food is usually the last place anyone would look for a history lesson, a social conscience or a message of change. And maybe that’s the problem. In a world where fast food is often the only food available in our communities, is there any reason why it shouldn’t be a force for good, serving healthy food while encouraging community togetherness and mutual respect? Chef Rock Harper says no, and he’s proving his point with Queen Mother’s, his new Arlington, Virginia-based restaurant that’s aiming to change the way we see fried chicken, and a few other things as well.

“You have a social responsibility as an artist,” says Tiffany-Anne Parkes, the founder of Pienanny. It’s a responsibility that she does not take lightly. Speaking with the culinary artist over Zoom, it’s clear that Parkes is always thinking deeply and intentionally about the work she’s doing, even while on vacation. Enjoying the Jamaica sun while visiting with family, her hair pulled back in beach-ready blonde cornrows, she’s equal parts reflective and instructive, talking about pies as if she were still teaching history in front of a classroom - a full-time profession that she recently left in 2022. “For me,” she continues, “art is not just about being pretty. It’s not about something just being attractive…” After a brief pause she asks, “Why aren’t we taking it a step further and thinking a bit more deeply about culinary artistry and thinking about how we can use that as a way to say something meaningful?”

Food does so much more than just nourish our bodies. It brings is together. Not just as families, but as people. We all need it, so we all have it. And because we’re all different, there are countless ways to prepare it, serve it and take it in. Each one is attached to a culture - to a particular way of being human. Like cultures, food overlaps, weaving a fantastic tapestry of influences that shows where we are, where we’ve come from and who we’ve met along the way. If you listen, food will tell you a story. Few people know that as well as Chef Alexander Smalls.

Family is at the heart of the story. For Jocelyn Delk Adams, founder of Grandbaby Cakes, family is where everything begins. The food blogger, turned cookbook author, turned television personality, was once just a little girl absorbing all of the knowledge and love there was to be found in a family kitchen. From the beginning, Jocelyn’s baking, with it’s focus on sweet treats and fond memories, has centered on the influence of a central character: her grandmother, “Big Mama.”

The smell of eucalyptus, roast chicken and citrus creates a fragrant mix in the kitchen as Chef Rashad Frazier puts together the perfect holiday meal. As the setting for this feast, the chef’s table is set with a mix of golden flatware, painted goblets and taper candles.  For some, creating a magical holiday meal starts days or even weeks in advance, but Chef Frazier has the process down to a science. As he describes it, “a dazzling roast, spectacular sides and amazing cocktails,” are all anyone needs to make a big impact during the holidays. It’s a simple menu, focused on classic dishes with a few moments of culinary style added in for good measure. But as the room fills with the scent of roast chicken and its supporting cast of side dishes, it’s getting hard to argue with the virtues of the chef’s minimalist approach.