“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?”

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.”