Diaspora Food Stories

We all need at least one homegirl in our lives who we can talk to about anything and also make sure we have some good food. Our homegirl for this episode is Niehla Ollie, a Chicago entrepreneur who founded Homegirl's Hummus. Before making hummus herself, she remembers one particular vendor at a market in Milwaukee, and the taste of that green hummus she purchased regularly never left her mind or t...

Born and raised in the Republic of Congo, Victoire left the country at the age of 20 after receiving a visa to live in Italy.   It was there that she found her passion for cooking and embarked on an amazing culinary career that includes opening her own restaurant in Milan and competing on Bravo's "Top Chef Italy," and "Top Chef World All-Stars." In sharing her story, she is very candid about how t...

Aprille Thomas heads up the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI) Public Relations Department, overseeing all PR efforts for the U.S., Canada, U.K., Latin America and the Caribbean, along with corporate communications for the organization. Aprille joined BTMI after leading on PR strategy at the five-diamond Sandy Lane Hotel, and later helping Canadian fashion brand Joe Fresh expand internationall...

Estamos muito entusiasmados em compartilhar o nosso primeiro podcast multilíngue com a restaurateur Ana Sofia Lopes ou que muitos simplesmente conhecem como Sofia, proprietária do Sophia's Place em Lisboa, Portugal.   A anfitriã convidada Janice Da Silva fala com a Sofia sobre a sua infância na cidade e como os seus pais sempre fizeram questão de que ela se mantivesse ligada às suas raízes cabo-ve...

Guest host Janice Helena Goncalves Da Silva is talking to Ana Sofia Lopes about growing up in Lisbon, Portugal, and how her parents always made sure she stayed connected to her Cape Verdean roots. From a career in beauty to opening her first restaurant on the very street where her father also owned a business, Sofia is on a mission to unite people, especially the African diaspora through food. It'...

Wambui Mbichi is the founder and host of Farm to Table Podcast KE; a platform that shines a light on innovations within Kenyan food systems as well as neighboring countries. Her interest in agriculture started at home at a young age and extended into adulthood.   She is passionate about finding sustainable food solutions and believes everyone has a role to play in doing so. Listen and Connect Farm...

Delaware-based chef O'Shay Lolley gives new meaning to the description of soul food with a twist. He is building a cult following in his hometown of Wilmington and beyond by coming up with some of the most innovative dishes including BBQ potato salad, orange soda greens,and fried banana pudding. Chef O'Shay devoted much of his early career to traveling as a musician and private chef working in kit...

Siphokazi Mdlankomo was raised in Tsolo in the Eastern Cape, near Mthatha in South Africa.   Growing up, she had an interest in music followed by fashion but was not able to pursue either.  At 19, she gave birth to a son and had to leave Tsolo to look for work, which she did as a domestic worker for a family in Cape Town. Over the years, as she cooked for the family, she nurtured her cooking skill...

  Tamia Coleman-Hawkins knew at a young age that she wanted to be an entrepreneur.   The Missouri native started Mia's Treats Delight at just 8 years old and as a teenager today, she is actively growing her business while managing her studies and participating on her school's track team. The celebrated youth entrepreneur was named as The ROOT Young Futurist 2020 and Living Legends Young Shero 2022...

Dontaye Ball (also known as Mr. Gumbo) is the chef and owner of Gumbo Social based in San Francisco, California.   The California native is on a mission to make gumbo the official dish of the United States and has been serving build-your-own gumbo, po'boys, and more classic soul food at Bay Area farmers markets since 2019. Dontaye is set to open his first Gumbo Social brick-n-mortar in the spring...

Luv Hankins had a clear mission when she opened CLTRE | Vegan JNT in Virginia Beach; to bring the community together in a welcoming and inclusive space that served vegan coffee, tea and bites. The entrepreneur and restaurateur began her vegan journey on a challenge over six years ago and first started a small catering company doing events before going in a different direction and launching her fir...

If you have never heard of realistic cakes, you'll want to follow South Carolina entrepreneur and baker Joi Kyles.  A baking enthusiast since high school, Joi knew from an early age that creating amazing sweets from cakes, cookies and more would be the career path she wanted to pursue launching Joi Filled Delights. Over the years, she became a big fan of the realistic cake phenomenon, eventually u...

Karen is a southern girl with a love of food, travel, and wellness. A bit of a travel junkie, many know Karen as a past cast member of the show, "Married At First Sight." Now living in New Orleans,  Karen also loves to explore new places and cultures.  Her dream life (which she intends to create for herself) allows her to practice self-care and a healthy lifestyle while traveling and showcase her...

Ali Manning is a food scientist and the CEO/Founder of Umami Food Consulting, LLC. She is the creator of Food Science 4 Kids, a program that teaches grade-school children food science education and allows them to perform hands-on activities. She is also the program consultant for Project Green Fork (a local restaurant sustainability program) within the Clean Memphis organization and the author of...

In our first conversation of the year, we're talking to social impact entrepreneur, storyteller, mentor, athlete and food bon vivant, Charity Blanchett.  Born and raised in Alaska to an African American father from Philadelphia and a Yupik native American mother, Charity is the founder of the Dipping Spoon Foundation whose work includes identifying and cultivating the next generation of Black, Ind...

In this episode, we catch up with Ghanaian chef Joseph Odoom, one of Africa's rising culinary stars. In 2021, Joseph won the culinary reality competition "House of Chefs," which was the first season of the show, and is currently the executive chef at an Afro-fusion restaurant in Abuja, Nigeria. Throughout his career, he has trained under amazing talent, including chefs Fatmata Binta and Siba Mtong...

Vava Angwenyi is the founder of Vava Coffee, a certified B-Corporation with a vision to challenge the status quo and promote positive social disruption within the coffee Industry. Vava is putting awareness of Kenyan coffee on the global map one cup at a time. She recently opened a coffee school and community center, La Dulce Torro, on the beautiful island of Lamu, the first for the country and the...

When health issues forced Cartiear Madlock to change his life, he adopted a plant-based lifestyle and lost over 100 pounds.  Now through his social media channels on Facebook and Instagram, he shares information, tips and resources for others who may be looking to change to live healthier lives. In this episode, he talks about overcoming obstacles and events leading up to this final decision to go...

After attending an event in Charleston and noticing the absence of Black food trucks, Marcus Hammond wanted to do an event that would bring them all together.  He produced the first Black Food Truck Festival in November of 2021 and then again in April of this year which was very successful.  As he prepares to celebrate the one-year anniversary this November with another 2-day festival, he is shari...

Chef Nelson German began his career in New York more than 20 years ago. Born and raised in Washington Heights, as a Latino of Dominican descent, his childhood is filled with memories of watching his mother and grandmother preparing some of his favorite dishes that have inspired the menus at his restaurant alaMar Kitchen & Bar and tapas bar Sobra Mesa. He appeared on season 18 of Bravo's "Top Chef"...

With a career that spans over 20 years, Chef Tiffany Derry has become one of the most recognizable faces in the culinary industry. The Texas native takes pride in telling the story of Southern cuisine influenced by her world travels. As the founder of Tiffany Derry Concepts and owner of Roots Chicken Shak and Roots Southern Table, Tiffany is also able to offer fans and customers a taste of her Tex...

Kardea Brown is the host of the Food Network hit show, "Delicious Miss Brown," which features delicious recipes inspired by her upbringing in South Carolina and Gullah Geechee heritage. In this podcast, she shares the journey of leaving social work to pursue a career in food and the years of hard work and determination before landing her own show.   Listen and Connect Website Facebook Instagram Re...

With more than 30 years in the industry, Chef Chris Scott has worked in some of the most respected kitchens as well as opened his own notable culinary concepts that have garnered both attention and accolades. He appeared on season 15 of "Top Chef" and is the author of "Homage: Recipes and Stories from an Amish Soul Food Kitchen." He stops by Diaspora Food Stories to talk about his career,  the imp...

Chef Dorian Hunter is proof that if you continue to follow your dreams at any age, they will come true. The Ohio native knew from a young age that she wanted to pursue a career in the culinary arts and as she chased her dreams throughout the years, her big break came when she was offered a spot to compete on the reality culinary TV show, "MasterChef" in 2019.  After months of competing in one of t...

Over the last 10 years, Freda Muyambo has become a sought-after expert on African cuisine, contributing to numerous publications, podcasts and various TV features Her blog My Burnt Orange has become an outlet for those looking authentic African recipes. In this episode, she details how her food journey started as a way to escape the stress and demands of being an engineer to fully exploring and sh...