Food is the ticket. Food is something universal. It is something primitive. It is magic if you want to believe in that. Once you bring food into a room, it allows people to drop their masks and bring their guard down, even if it is just for the hour that we are going to dine together.
I spent most of my adult life working in the food industry. I was either a chef or writing about food. After a couple decades of this, I noticed that most of the people at the top were men and often white. I love restaurants as much as anyone, but I started to realize that some of the most important stories about food belong to women, especially home cooks.
Those women carry cultural legacy. They carry the recipes, the histories, and the stories that are passed down through generations.
BIPOC Foodways Alliance is dedicated to breaking down barriers between cultural communities and other differences including gender, age, and background. We use food as a tool to create connection.
Immigrant Kitchen is one of our programs. It provides a platform for women who are home cooks from around the world to tell their stories through the lens of food.
We started Immigrant Kitchen during a time when immigrant communities were being demonized in public conversation. I had this thought that we needed a counter narrative to that rhetoric.
When we bring these women into a room to share their food and their stories with an engaged audience, something really incredible happens. People connect. People understand each other better. Everyone leaves feeling more empowered.
Food culture should never be elitist or stuffy. It should be joyful. In fact it is in our bylaws that we insist on having a good time.
I spent most of my adult life working in the food industry. I was either a chef or writing about food. After a couple decades of this, I noticed that most of the people at the top were men and often white. I love restaurants as much as anyone, but I started to realize that some of the most important stories about food belong to women, especially home cooks.
Those women carry cultural legacy. They carry the recipes, the histories, and the stories that are passed down through generations.
BIPOC Foodways Alliance is dedicated to breaking down barriers between cultural communities and other differences including gender, age, and background. We use food as a tool to create connection.
Immigrant Kitchen is one of our programs. It provides a platform for women who are home cooks from around the world to tell their stories through the lens of food.
We started Immigrant Kitchen during a time when immigrant communities were being demonized in public conversation. I had this thought that we needed a counter narrative to that rhetoric.
When we bring these women into a room to share their food and their stories with an engaged audience, something really incredible happens. People connect. People understand each other better. Everyone leaves feeling more empowered.
Food culture should never be elitist or stuffy. It should be joyful. In fact it is in our bylaws that we insist on having a good time.