Did you know: in 2023, a regional pizza chain restaurant put on promotion that called out a Supreme Court Justice?

The promotion was simple, in honor of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ “friendship” with wealthy Republican donor Harlan Crow, they listed every one of their pizzas on sale, for only $9.99.

In an email, &pizza proudly stated: “Every pie on sale, just like Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.” The fast-casual restaurant—with locations in Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York—is known for its irreverent marketing and this was no different.

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Also, let it be known that while this one was funny, they’ve also been known to go too far. When you get some free time, search the term “Marion Barry Knots”.

Anyway, I bring that &pizza thing up for two reasons:

First, if you wondered if Clarence had changed his ways since the world found out he was getting flewed out like a video vixen, wonder no longer. The answer is NOPE! His latest example of being the swagless Spook by the door? Clarence was one of the 6 Justices who decided to gut the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Secondly, the &pizza promotion reminded me that pizza is an excellent way to galvanize people for political action.

And speaking of pizza as a political tool, meet Tracy Beard. The Phd candidate is based in Tennessee and runs a statewide coalition of organizations fighting for housing rights within the Volunteer State. Tracy reached out a while back to let me know she actually used my People’s Pizza Party template to facilitate a meeting of organizers and I damn bear cried. It’s one thing to put an idea in the world; it’s another thing to see people actually believe in your framework enough to use it as a foundation for their work.

Of course she modified the template for her specific needs but that’s alright—the People’s Pizza Party was created to be a blueprint, not a Bible. Last Sunday I interviewed her about her work, her ideas around organizing, and how she used my template to accomplish her goals. You can watch the whole thing if you’re interested. And if you are frustrated with all of the fuckery our country is producing, feel free to read both parts (PART 1 & PART 2) and use pizza to do something about it!

The People’s Pizza Party was not made to be complex. Rather, I created this framework as a simple offering to those who are interested in becoming civically engaged but don’t exactly know where to start. I only ask that if you use it, please be like Tracy and let me know. I would love to see how others utilize this framework for their own purposes.

BLACK FOOD FRIDAY SPOTLIGHT.

Welcome to BLACK FOOD FRIDAYS, our weekly opportunity to showcase Black-owned small businesses in the food and beverage sector! Want to shout a business out? Fill out this Google Form for possible inclusion in a future edition of the newsletter!

SUBMITTED BY: Anikka Green

BUSINESS NAME: Prosperity Market

TYPE OF BUSINESS: Mobile Grocery Store

LOCATION: Los Angeles, California

WHY I SUPPORT THIS BUSINESS: “Just learned about it. They carry food from Black farmers and Black owned food businesses. Next time I'm in LA, I'm gonna look for them fo sho!” [From their Instagram Bio: “We are a mobile farmers market & online marketplace featuring Black farmers.”]

FOLLOW THEM: Instagram

THE FRIDAY FIVE: 05.13.2026

THE FRIDAY FIVE is weekly round up of Black food related pieces of content that I enjoyed! If you come across something dope, feel free to shoot me a message for possible inclusion in a future newsletter.

🍰 The inaugural Berkeley Cake Walk takes place on Saturday, May 2nd, in San Pablo Park. Co-organized by Porsche Combash and Artlyn Johnson, the event will take place at the Frances Albrier Community Center and includes a baking competition, banjo performances, a quilt display and more. [NOSH]

🥐 Friend of the program, Jatee Kearsley, owner of the only Black-owned patisserie in Brooklyn has two croissant making classes coming up tomorrow and Sunday. If you want to learn how Jatee makes her viral croissants, this is your opportunity to do so. [Je T’aime Patisserie]

📝 The Flavors of the South Fellowship, hosted by the Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow, is now accepting applications. The two-week culinary writing residency in the Ozark Mountains of Eureka Springs, Arkansas, is open to writers at any stage of projects centered on Southern food culture. The fellowship provides private lodging, a fully equipped kitchen, dedicated writing space, and access to a stocked pantry and shared meals—all designed to give you the time and nourishment to focus on your work. Fellows also receive a $1,500 unrestricted stipend. Applications are open now through June 30, 2026. [Writers’ Colony]

🍽️ Black culinary collective, Ghetto Gastro, is expanding their restaurant footprint to Atlanta. And if my eyes do not deceive me, it looks like they’ll be taking over the kitchen in the A Ma Maniére store. Anyway, they are hiring for all positions. Check it out if you’re interested in learning more. [Ghetto Gastro Instagram]

📚 Celebrity Chef Marcus Samuelsson and Jamila Robinson (Editor in Chief and Epicurious) have a new cookbook, Back To Green, available for presale. [Marcus Samuelsson Instagram]

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Believe it or not, this is like, the third iteration of “Who Made The Potato Salad?”

The first time I started this newsletter, I meant for it to be a space where I could get off my random food related musings. I was spending so much time on the Apps (specifically Instagram and TikTok) that I felt like I was losing my mind. In an effort to save my sanity, I decided to make the newsletter a place where I could fire off 1000 words about random things like the ways white people’s baby shower food differs from Black people’s baby shower food. Funny, yes, but I didn’t have enough hot takes to maintain anything close to a tight publishing schedule.

Next, I tried to make the newsletter a singular space for all things Black news and information. Long story, short: the stats on those post show that y’all weren’t rocking with that. And, to be honest, staying up on all the news and information started feeling like a chore. Which is unfortunate because, again, not-a-nan soul was asking me to become the NPR of Black food news.

In the end, I settled on mixing the aforementioned concepts. The current iteration of WMTPS allows me to both get my ideas off AND provide Black food news and information. It’s a format that has allowed me to stay consistent. Since the beginning of this year, when I wrote an article about why I think some car-based food reviewers need to find something else to do with their time, I have posted at least once a week—and always on Fridays. Through trial an error, I finally found my flow and I believe my ability to keep my Friday posting schedule is rooted in having a better understanding of what I want this platform to be.

Time Changes All.

All that you touch, you Change.

All that you Change, changes you.

The only last truth is Change.

God is Change.

— Lauren Oya Olamina

Over the last year, I have become deliberate about figuring out what I want to accomplish with this massive audience I’ve curated over the past half decade. To help me in that regard, I did two things: 1) hired a consultant and 2) took my ass to therapy.

All of which helped me to realize something: I did not have a clear goal for BFF. I knew who I wanted to serve but I had no idea where I wanted to take them. I would come to understand that a course was never set because I spent the majority of my time and energy chasing instead of creating.

Oh, my friend is making a living from hosting international travel experiences? Maybe I’ll do that! Oh, such and such just started a podcast? I’m great at talking, and I co-hosted one before the network it was on disintegrated. I’ll just go back to that. Book deals are the wave? Lemme get one of those! TV shows are the move? I have a great personality! I could 100% host a food show on Netflix or whatever network is cutting checks. I cringe thinking about how easily I would sway from idea to idea. Nothing of my own design, just me trying to capitalize off of whatever motion I had at the moment.

The end result after a year of contemplation and prototyping? I finally know what I want to be when I grow up. And, more importantly, it’s a product of my own design. While Black people and Black food will still be the focus of my work, the method of delivery is going to change. How I interact with the world is going to change. How you can be involved is going to change as well. There will still be an online presence but I wanted to create opportunities for us to work together—in the real world. This new direct definitely fulfills that desire.

To be clear: the newsletter ain’t going anywhere but BLACK FOOD FRIDAYS is. BFF will no longer be the primary focus but, rather, part of an extended strategy. A strategy that treats Black food as a tool. I’m looking forward to the next phase of my work and hope you’ll stick around to see what comes from it!

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BLACK FOOD FRIDAY SPOTLIGHT.

Welcome to BLACK FOOD FRIDAYS, our weekly opportunity to showcase Black-owned small businesses in the food and beverage sector!

I am happy to post the first USER GENERATED spotlight! Thank you, Jordan, for taking time out of your day to fill out the Shout Out sheet. If you’d like to recommend a business for possible inclusion in a future newsletter, use this link.

BUSINESS NAME: Addielee’s Kitchen & Catering

TYPE OF BUSINESS: Restaurant

LOCATION: Moncks Corner, SC

WHY I SUPPORT THIS BUSINESS: “The owner, sweet Annie, believes that when you make good food, you make good friends. She believes food is about love, connection, and community. She began making gourmet chicken patties for her family in the 1970s and today, her product can be found in Piggly Wiggly stores across SC. (She's currently fundraising on Lowcountry Local First's Kiva Hub platform in order to purchase equipment needed to increase capacity and sell in more outlets. A loan of $25 can help her reach this milestone. See her story and consider supporting: https://www.kiva.org/lend/3146701)”

FOLLOW THEM: Instagram

THE FRIDAY FIVE: 04.24.2026

THE FRIDAY FIVE is weekly round up of Black food related pieces of content that I enjoyed! If you come across something dope, feel free to shoot me a message for possible inclusion in a future newsletter.

👑 I’m not gonna lie and act like I watched the entire interview between Scott Evans and Mary J. Blige. However, I did see the clip where Mary made it very clear that the Burger King commercial the majority of us thought was a joke was NOT funny to her—at all! The Root interviewed Scott about the entire situation. [The Root]

🥃 So this is interesting: A Black DJ created a concept for a HiFi bar, in Kansas City. He signed a lease and all. But when the name of the upcoming bar came out (“Sundown”), all hell broke loose. He has since stepped away from the concept. My question: how do you feel about the name? [The Kansas City Star]

🍖 This Sunday, April 26th, Black Food Folks will be hosting their first ever West Coast Gathering in Portland, OR. This gather is in partnership with Chef Gregory Gourdet, Pitmaster Bryan Furman, and the Kann Restaurant team and they are planning for an afternoon of great food, drink, and togetherness. Check the link to RSVP and get additional details. [Black Food Folks Google Form]

✊🏾 USA Today called the Black Food Truck Festival one of the best in the country. To be specific, it was recently named the No. 6 cultural festival via the USA TODAY awards. You can experience it for yourself, this weekend, if you happen to be in the Charleston Metro Area (South Carolina). Tickets are still available. [Black Food Truck Festival]

🇻🇨 Geo Banks-Weston recently interviewed Caribbean Chef Rawlston Williams about his debut cookbook, conveniently called The Caribbean Cookbook [affiliate link]. Check it out when you get a moment! [Cuisine Noir Magazine]

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It had been a while since I had a conversation with my literary agent. There’d be a text here, a text there. I’d throw in a “I’ll hit you up this week” for a little razzle dazzle, but there was no follow through. To be sure, we don’t have beef. Life just got in the way. Naw, that’s a cop out—I didn’t prioritize checking in because I wasn’t working on any book proposals. That’s the truth.

But this week, I finally made good on my promises to call. After we exchanged pleasantries and I got all up in her business (she moved to New York state, her husband is now a consultant, she has yet to sign the Danielle Steele of self-help books), she got up in mine. And like anyone in therapy who is enjoying the process of self-discovery, I couldn’t wait to tell her “I’m in therapy!”

More importantly, I couldn’t wait to tell her all that I have learned. I’ll spare you the details of what we discussed, save this one: therapy helped me realize I was not ready to write a book when we tried those many years ago.

I explained to her, while it took me years to accept the notion that I simply wasn’t ready, it wasn’t exactly an epiphany. More like a connection made. Because in actuality, I had been told as much while sitting in a Pakistani restaurant during Charleston Wine + Food Festival.

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Osayi Endolyn is one of the most talented writers I know.

She is a two-time James Beard award-winning writer who, in addition to helping some of your favorite chefs and culinary creatives write their narrative cookbooks, works as a cultural consultant for brands you’ve definitely heard of.

She was also the person who told me—in no uncertain terms—that I was not ready to write a book. She said I wasn’t a serious student of Black foodways. That un-seriousness should give me pause before jumping into the very serious process of creating a book manuscript. Having Toni Tipton-Martin’s cell phone number and earning a James Beard nomination is all well and good, but it won’t mean a thing when it’s time for me to lay 50,000 words on my editor’s desk.

She challenged me to become more knowledgable on the subject of Black food. Because until I started thoughtfully reviewing the work of others who came before me, I wouldn’t be ready to add to the discourse. I mean, she didn’t exactly say it that way but that’s how I remember it. At the time, I feel like I played it cool but inside, my ego was bruised. I really looked up to her (and still do) so hearing Osayi suggest that I wasn’t ready for the big time was a cold shock to my system.

Fast forward a few years…

I spent this past weekend at William & Mary University. I was there to facilitate my second ever BITE THE POWER workshop during the DIGITAL BITES SYMPOSIUM (and y’all—it went extremely well). One of the best parts of the weekend was hanging out with the good brother who brought me to Williamsburg—Andre Taylor.

While sitting with Andre in the student center, I told him that I had recently finished Eating While Black [affiliate link] by Dr. Pysche Williams-Forson, then casually asked: how many books do you think you’ve read while doing research on Black people and our food?

Without hesitation, he said: “250. Easy.”

This me: “WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!”

Andre chuckled then explained why earning a PhD was not a process for those without superior levels of stick-to-it-tiveness. To earn that Doctorate graduation regalia, he would essentially have to write (and defend) multiple novels worth of information. And to make sure he knew what the heck he was talking about, a panel of people—specifically people who had gone through a similar process—would drill Andre with questions for the better part of two hours. No school worth a damn wants someone out here talking about “I got my degree from such and such University” without knowing the candidate in question knew their material backwards and forward.

That’s when it clicked: Osayi was not insulting my intelligence; she was challenging my commitment. I was just not in a place—mentally—to pick-up what she was putting down. If I plan on writing a book about Black food, I need to do the work. First, to make sure I put out some heat but secondly, to show respect to those who have came before me. I need to read the classics, read the contemporary, just read more so that I’ll have more to draw from when it’s time for me to put pen to paper.

With that in mind, I asked Andre if he thought I need to read—gulp—250 books in order to be knowledgable on the subject of Black food. He assured me that I unless I was trying to get a PhD of my own, probably not. In his opinion, I was already way more informed than the average bear. But even still, he believed that I should the take time to dedicate myself to the craft.

I then asked if he’d be kind enough to point me in the right direction. I wouldn’t know where to start, outside of the Black cookbook arena. Fortunately, he obliged by giving me a list of 52 books to read—24 of which were highlighted. Those highlighted joints are related to the Black food question I told him I want to (eventually) answer via the written word. As for what that question is, I’m going to keep that close to my chest. You’ll learn what it is whenever I announce my first book deal. For now, I have a lot more reading to do before I even attempt to cross that bridge. But just know, when I do get that book deal and finish all the edits, I’ll make sure to write the following on the dedication page: OSAYI WAS RIGHT.

BLACK FOOD FRIDAY SPOTLIGHT.

Welcome to BLACK FOOD FRIDAYS, our weekly showcase of Black-owned small businesses in the food and beverage sector! Want to shout a business out? Fill out this Google Form for possible inclusion in a future newsletter!

BUSINESS NAME: Swank Desserts

TYPE OF BUSINESS: Bakery

LOCATION: Summerville, SC

WHY I SUPPORT THIS BUSINESS: I am a huge fan of everything Danetra Richardson has been doing with her pastries. Even before the brick and mortar shop opened in 2019, I had been buying her stuff. To see her rise from online sales and shared kitchen spaces to her own shop AND soon-to-be ice cream parlor, makes me shed tears of joy. Early on, she made a name for herself via her absolutely delicious macrons. But she went viral because of her, now legendary, made-from-scratch banana pudding. Now if I could just convince her to release that damn oxtail focaccia…

FOLLOW: Instagram | TikTok

FREE TIX: COLUMBIA FOOD & WINE.

Do you like food? How about wine? Will you be in Columbia, South Carolina the weekend of April 24th? Well, you’re in luck because I have some free tickets to give away, courtesy of the Columbia Food & Wine Festival! Thanks to the good folks from CF&W and Flock And Rally, I have a permanent plus one status for multiple events next week! Make sure to follow me on Instagram as I’ll be announcing which tickets I have plus ones for AND more importantly, how you can get one of them.

THE FRIDAY FIVE: 04.14.2026

THE FRIDAY FIVE is a round up of Black food related pieces of content that I enjoyed in the past week! If you come across something dope, feel free to shoot me a message for possible inclusion in a future newsletter.

💐 Speaking of reading: Dr. Ashante Reese just dropped her newest book, Gather [affiliate link]. She was kind enough to send me an advanced copy and I’m loving it so far. If you want to see her talk about this new book, you’re in luck, because she’ll be taking her talents on the road. Check her tour schedule today! [Dr. Reese’s Instagram]

🍽️ The Black Church Food Security Network (BCFSN) is an organization that uses “…an asset-based community development approach” to help congregations around the nation establish gardens on their land and host miniature farmers’ markets by leveraging existing assets and the skills of their members. And if that sounds like something you want to be part of, they are now hiring for Executive Assistant. The only catch, you must live in the Baltimore area. [BCFSN Instagram]

👩🏾‍🍳 BEM, the Black food cookbook store in Brooklyn, is partnering with the Edna Lewis Foundation to put on EdnaFest! Just kidding! The official name of the event, which honors the 50th anniversary reissue of Edna Lewis' seminal cookbook The Taste Of Country Cooking, is called The Edna Lewis Festival. And they are hosting one helluva dinner in celebration of this Southern cooking stalwart along with a few other events. Get your tickets today. [The Edna Lewis Festival]

✊🏾 Noted food photographer and all around great human, Clay Williams, is taking his Black Food Folks meetups to the West Coast for the first time. And to help him launch his first Westside Connection, he’s partnering with pitmaster Bryan Furman to give the people of Oregon what they want—good Southern BBQ. The festivities go down on April 26th from 2 PM to 4 PM PST. Register to get in on the good times! [Black Food Folks Sign-Up Sheet]

🍕 MOFAD is hosting a conversation between Down North Pizza founder and We the Pizza [affiliate link] author, Muhammad Abdul-Hadi and Kalilah Moon, CEO of Drive Change NYC, an organization that reimagines opportunities for justice-involved youth by providing culinary and hospitality training. It’s happening on April 20th and tickets are available now! [MOFAD]

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In a recent post on Instagram, travel and lifestyle influencer Anela Malik recently posted, in bold letters, the following phrase:

“SOME OF Y’ALL ARE GOING OT GATEKEEP YOUR FAVORITE SPOTS OUT OF BUSINESS”.

The majority of the 150+ plus comments agreed with her sentiment. Which led me to wonder: if so many people support her way of thinking, what can we do to change the mindset of those dead-set on keeping quality food and beverage businesses “off the radar”? When you think about, NOT sharing a business just to keep the line down at your favorite is not only harmful to the business, it’s actually selfish as fuck.

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I understand the instinct behind keeping a magical find close to the chest. It makes you feel like you’ve gained membership in a special club that only a few people know about. But your lil’ club ain’t helping that business pay its bills. I’d bet my left testicle that your secret society ain’t spending enough money to help that coffee shop you refuse to post about, cover it’s expenses. Let alone make a profit. And for what? To avoid adding 15 minutes to your wait?

In response to Anela’s post, I made my own video. In it, I shared that while my work is heading more into a community organizing direction, the overall goal of supporting Black-owned food and beverage businesses remains.

After posting, I received a Direct Message that spoke to the reality of what gatekeeping can do to small businesses. Elsa Matthews, one of the owners of Comfort Foodies in Houston, shared the 1following (emphasis mine):

This resonated with us because we actually had to [close] our location because of this same issue. We were the “hidden gem” in the neighborhood. So hidden, very little people knew we were there. And anytime an influencer posted about us people would comment “stop giving away our spot”…we were forced to shut down.

To be clear, it is not our responsibility to make sure that every person that decides to open a business is successful. That business owner still need to manage their resources, hire smart, train correctly, pay their taxes, and—yes—market their business. However, if you are an avowed fan of a particular spot, I do think it’s your duty to help them spread the word.

That includes me.

BLACK FOOD FRIDAYS was created to highlight Black food and beverage businesses. That mission led me to James Beard awards and Emmy nominations. And while it’s okay to evolve, it’s not okay to forget the path that led me to where I am today. Hence why, at least on the newsletter, I’m systematizing my support for Black-owned businesses by creating a BFF segment on the newsletter.

The community organizer in me wanted to make sure that this was a participatory process. So if you feel inclined to shout-out a Black-owned food and/or beverage business, fill out this form today! Keep reading to see my first Black Food Fridays spotlight, featuring a Black-woman owned cupcake shop in the Pee Dee region of South Carolina.

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BLACK FOOD FRIDAY SPOTLIGHT.

Welcome to BLACK FOOD FRIDAYS, our weekly opportunity to showcase Black-owned small businesses in the food and beverage sector! Want to shout a business out? Fill out this Google Form for possible inclusion in a future edition of the newsletter!

BUSINESS NAME: Cortney’s Cupcakery

TYPE OF BUSINESS: Bakery

LOCATION: Florence, South Carolina

WHY I SUPPORT THIS BUSINESS: I found this shop while participating in the 2026 Florence Wine & Food Festival. After figuring out that I am from Charleston (the accent was a dead giveaway, I suppose) I told them why I was in town. The employees I spoke to had no clue that Florence had a food festival even though the activities were taking place a mere two blocks away from their shop. After eating one of their super soft chocolate chip cookies, I made sure to reach out to the producers of FWFF to make sure they tried their best to include this Black-woman owned business in the 2027 proceedings!

FOLLOW THEM: Instagram | Facebook

BITE THE POWER at DIGITAL BITES.

This weekend, I’ll be facilitating my Black Food Storytelling Workshop on the campus of William & Mary University. I’m participating in the “Digital Bites” Symposium where speakers will be exploring African American and Indigenous foodways in the digital age. Tickets are FREE and my session takes place at 11 AM on Saturday. Let me know if you’re falling through! [William & Mary Equality Lab]

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THE FRIDAY FIVE: 04.10.2026

THE FRIDAY FIVE is weekly round up of Black food related pieces of content that I enjoyed! If you come across something dope, feel free to shoot me a message for possible inclusion in a future newsletter.

🥃 This is the first time I’ve posted something in the FRIDAY FIVE that I’ve already posted on WMTPS. But I didn’t email this article out to everyone so a lot of y’all missed it but, apparently, Steph Curry is out here selling $250 bottles of bourbon. Which is much more affordable than the $900 bottle he attempted to sell before that! [WHO MADE THE POTATO SALAD?]

🐎 Built around the Juneteenth holiday, SoulFeast Week—held in Lexington, Kentucky—is a week-long celebration of culture, cuisine, and community that shines a spotlight on Lexington, KY as a soulful destination for flavor, cultural expression, and shared joy. They are introducing a “Proud to Pay” model that allows supporters to pay more for event tickets, if they like! What a neat idea. [SoulFest Week]

✊🏾 Jean Trinh wrote about the Prosperity Market, a Black-woman owned mobile farmer’s market trailer, for the LA Times. The mobile market carries Black-owned brands and produce from local farmers and took five years to bring their idea to life. [LA Times]

🍽️ I’ve written about this before but as it relates to hosting cookouts, kickbacks, and other types of gatherings—the internet has turned a lot of folks into cowards. People are so scared that someone is going to talk bad about them on the internet (and to be fair, that definitely happens) that it prevents them from even trying. Hosting expert Amber Mayfield Hewett said something similar on her Substack recently. [While Entertaining]

🏈 Former college football players, organized under the name “Black 14”, partnered with the Church of Latter-day Saints and the College Football Hall of Fame to donate over 36,000 pounds of food to the Atlanta Community Food Bank. [Deseret News]

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Did you know that Steph Curry sold bourbon? I certainly didn’t. Underwhelming signature footwear, yes? Crypto coins? Yes (unfortunately). But learning that the NBA’s all-time leader in damn near every stat related to the three-point shot has released his third bourbon collaboration was a complete shock to me!

His first bourbon dropped in 2023. Jonah Flicker of the Robb Report actually referred to that offering as the “Seth Curry of bourbon”, which, yikes! It’s a description that is equal parts hilarious, mean-spirited, and—from what I can tell from what I read on the internet—fairly accurate. But I’ve never tasted it so I’ve decided to take that review with a grain of salt.

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The next drop was a limited edition release inspired by the fact that both Steph and his father, Dell Curry, played 16 years in the NBA. Which…okay? I mean, it’s cool what he and his father have accomplished, and I respect that they only produced 1000 units of this 16-year old bourbon, but the price is almost as absurd as Steph’s range. If you want to try the Player Edition, you can pick up a bottle right now, for $950! I’m sure most folks saw that price tag and was like, “I ain’t spending that much money on on no damn Dell Curry and Son bourbon. He think he Jordan or something?!” Or was that just me?

This new joint, available for pre-order, is “only” $250 which ain’t cheap but it’s a much easier price to swallow than that $1000 joint. Here’s the product description from the website (emphasis mine):

Whether you are a leader on the court or in the community, I’ve found there’s no better feeling than knowing you’ve impacted others as you’re working towards greatness together. Over the years, I’ve taken inspiration from leaders from various backgrounds, places, and lanes that I respect. In Japanese culture, the term SHACHO (shaw-tcho) is a revered word meaning “leader,” where vision and humility can power your path. We’ve crafted our latest Player Exclusive edition, limited to just 850 bottles, to celebrate those milestones and moments where you’ve moved the needle as a leader in your way. This special 11-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is inspired by the spirit of SHACHO and finished in rare Japanese Mizunara new oak barrels from the Hokkaido prefecture. Proofed at 105, the mashbill is 78% corn, 13% rye, and 9%.

Listen, I don’t know Steph Curry at all. Not even a lil’ bit. So if he says that he was so inspired by this Japanese word that he and his co-conspirators decided to age bourbon in Japanese Mizunara oak barrels, I have no reason not to believe him. I also want to acknowledge that this product description reads like Grade-A coach speak. But if it taste good, all will be forgiven. I don’t imagine myself dropping damn near three bills on this bottle, so I’ll wait to hear about its tasting notes from one of y’all some other time.

PRE-ORDER: Gentleman’s Cut Player Exclusive bourbon whiskey: Shacho edition. [Reserve Bar]

Years ago I called one of my best friends, Dessa (she co-hosted the first “Soundbite Sunday” with me), to tell her my idea for a bar that played excellent music, had great drinks, delicious bites, and was closed at 10 PM. My target audience: The Washed. She absolutely loved it! Here’s the gist…

We’d break the day up into two vibes. For the happy hour crowd, we’d hire a DJ to play old school and current R&B jams—music that our fellow Washed could get buzzed to and sing along with. Then, say around 7 PM, the DJ would have permission to go in and play all the club bangers. Stuff we grew up with like old Cash Money and No Limit tracks, but also newer hits from across the spectrum of Black music: Amapiano, Hip-Hop, House, Jersey Club, anything to get the people going! Success, to us, was being able to provide a great atmosphere for people who liked the energy of being outsiiiiiiiide but didn’t actually want to be outside all damn night because they had stuff to do in the morning.

I even created merchandise for this fictitious bar with the two main products being stadium cups for our speciality cocktails (that idea was inspired by the Royal American in Charleston, SC) and tee shirts that said “Home by Midnight”. This bar for the Washed and Washed Adjacent idea was crafted as I was entering my mid-30s. Back when I wasn’t officially Washed but all the signs were pointing in that direction. Today, as someone firmly planted in their 40s, I write this as a proud, card-carrying member of the Washed Brigade and embrace my dual desires to both have a fete and be in my bed at a reasonable time. And I have food festivals to thank for that!

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Just this week I confided to my dog, Jamaal, about me being ok with being Washed and how, even though I want to continuously take in new experiences, I’m kinda over trying to do all the things. I’m so blessed that I am able to attend (and in many cases, am invited to) food and beverage events all over the country. But this year, it hit me: I want to participate in panel discussions, host events, and taste the delicious wines, cocktails, dinners, and desserts. I just want to add a side of “take a nap” while doing it.

So far in 2026, I’ve already attended—and had a wonderful time at—the always epic Charleston Wine + Food Festival and the up-and-coming Florence Wine & Food Festival (later this month, I’ll be headed to my state’s capital city to experience the Columbia Food & Wine Festival for the first time and you’ll have the opportunity to win tickets via future newsletters). And for the first time since I started going to these events, like 5 years ago, I didn’t feel like I was about to die. Why? Because I finally learned how to pace myself. I went to the things I was contractually obligated to and said “No thank you” to most everything else.

For the non-obligated stuff I attended, I found satisfaction in staying for a few hours then bouncing. More importantly, and I can’t stress this part enough, I fully accepted that I’m not built to party with chefs. Chefs are fun as heck to be around, it’s just that many of them party way harder than I have the capacity to do at this point in my life. And that’s okay!

In May, I’ll be announcing a crowdfunding campaign for my first tour. One of the gifts for people who contribute, at a certain level, will be one of these “Home By Midnight” tee shirts. I also am collaborating with the country’s only only full-time Black blade smith on a custom item for that campaign as well. I’ll give y’all the full details in time just know that my tour will not include late night ragers but will include nerdy food talk and coffee. If that sounds like your type of party, please share this article with someone who is also on that type of time. Let’s be Washed Foodies—together!

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See Me at William & Mary University.

Next week, I’ll be facilitating my Black Food Storytelling Workshop on the campus of William & Mary University. I’m participating in the “Digital Bites” Symposium where speakers will be exploring African American and Indigenous foodways in the digital age. Tickets are FREE and my session happens at 11 AM on Saturday, if I’m not mistaken. I hope to see you there! [William & Mary Equality Lab]

PUTTING “BLACK FOOD” BACK INTO BLACK FOOD FRIDAYS.

I haven’t regularly posted about Black-owned restaurants for a few years now. But, through this newsletter, I want to change that. I’ll be making a space for Black-owned food and/or beverage businesses on this newsletter to be highlighted by myself and others! In fact, if you can write 250 words (.50 cents/word) about a dope Black-owned business in Detroit or Columbia (SC), I may be in need of your services. Hit me up in the comments and let me know if you’re the one I’ve been looking for! #OnTheLodgeWithIt

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THE FRIDAY FIVE: 04.03.2026

THE FRIDAY FIVE is weekly round up of Black food related pieces of content that I enjoyed! If you come across something dope, feel free to shoot me a message for possible inclusion in a future newsletter.

🍚 Speaking of Jamaal, the homie and James Beard Award winning writer penned a piece for Ebony Magazine that I had to share (and not just because I’m quoted). In it, he writes about how one cannot possibly hope to understand his hometown of Charleston, South Carolina without understanding the importance of rice. [Ebony Magazine]

✊🏾 Next week, on the 13th of April, esteemed food historian Michael Twitty will be in conversation with multi-hyphenate artist Preach Jacobs at the Koger Center for the Arts in Columbia, South Carolina. I don’t know what they’ll be talking about but I’m confident that it will be educational and entertaining as neither man is afraid to speak truth to power. [SoulHAUS Gallery Eventbrite]

🚚 The Black Food Truck Festival is celebrating its five year anniversary this month! Each time, the festival has presented an interesting array of 40+ Black-owned food trucks, retail vendors, musical performances, a cigar lounge, and so much more. Tickets are on sale now. [Black Food Truck Festival Eventbrite]

🍕 Did you know that the a Black-owned restaurant was featured in a recent episode of “The Simpsons”? While exploring the city of Philadelphia, Homer Simpson took some time to grab a pizza from Down North Pizza. To commemorate their inclusion in the show’s 800th episode, DNP dropped a tee shirt with an image from the show. If you want one, it’s available on their online shop for $40. [Down North Pizza]

🥇 The full slate of finalists for the James Beard Awards (chef and restaurant) have been announced and there are a few friends of the program on the list, including—but not limited too—Rasheeda Purdie, Tavel Bristol-Joseph, and Ope Amosu. Media nominations will be announced on May 6th. [Eater]

I have always been one of those weirdo kids who loved school. Elementary school, in particular, was an extraordinarily enjoyable time for me. The food, the commradarry with classmates, special area, recess, clubs, I was with all that! And because I was a certified nerd, I especially loved the library.

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Picture books were cool but chapter books?! Those were my jam! And if a teacher wanted someone to read out loud, you know I was trying to be the first person to shoot my hand in the air and wave it like I just don’t care. The only thing I liked more than reading out loud was when I was asked NOT to read out loud. I can’t explain it but I always felt an immense sense of pride wash over my not-yet-adolescent body whenever a teacher would skip over me, saying something like, “We’ve already heard from you. Let’s give someone else a chance.” It was proof of my excellence—an unspoken signal to the other kids that my reading skills were top notch.

And don’t even get me started on my devotion to Scholastic Book Fairs! I cherished each precious minute that I got to peruse the shelves. Even now I can see my little hands gliding over the glossy book covers, picking up joints that caught my interest and putting my nose in the middle of an open book. Something about the smell of a brand new book gave me an alarming hit of dopamine.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ME: **deep sniff** Yeah, that’s the stuff!

As an adult, I fully understand why I loved school so much. It gave me a chance to stunt on hoes—academically speaking. I wasn’t just content with being one of the best readers in the class—I wanted everyone to know it. As a child, I definitely suffered from a bad case of Academic Arrogance.

The one thing I never got to do in elementary school (at least, I don’t remember doing) was participate in a SHOW & TELL event. But as an adult with free will, I am doing something about it!

On March 29th (two days from now), I will be co-hosting my first, monthly virtual meet-up on Substack Live. I’m calling these meet-ups “Soundbite Sundays” and for each one, there will be a theme. For the inaugural edition, Dessa (one of my best friends in life) and I will host our own, online version of the elementary school practice of showing off your shit and offering an opportunity for others do do the same.

On March 29th, at 4:00 PM EST, I want you to join us on Substack Live by bringing a food/beverage related item that holds significant meaning for you. Let me give you an example:

In 2020, when I started the BLACK FOOD FRIDAYS instagram account, I had no idea who James Beard was or that he had an award. Four years later, my Black food culture and history focused account won the Beard for “BEST SOCIAL MEDIA”.

That award means a lot to me but since I just wrote about it, I’m not gonna show that off. As you for, though, you could bring your James Beard award, your grandfather’s old apron, your favorite mug, or your grandmother’s handwritten biscuit recipe. Each speaker will get a few minutes to introduce themselves and tell us about their item. Whatever the item, I hope you to see your smiling face this Sunday. If you can’t make it, please share with someone who may be interested in participating. ‘

Oh, and you can just come to watch if you’d like. There is no pressure to speak in front of the class!

JOIN US FOR SHOW & TELL

See Me at William & Mary University.

Yeah, I posted this last week but I’m super stoked about it so you just gonna have to see it again! On April 11th, I’ll be facilitating my Black Food Storytelling Workshop on the campus of William & Mary University. I’m participating in the “Digital Bites” Symposium where speakers will be discussing slash exploring African American and Indigenous foodways in the digital age. Tickets are FREE! [Andre Taylor LinkedIn]

THE FRIDAY FIVE: 03.27.2026

THE FRIDAY FIVE is weekly round up of Black food related pieces of content that I enjoyed! If you come across something dope, feel free to shoot me a message for possible inclusion in a future newsletter.

🗽 Yesterday, I read one of the best Black food articles I’ve ever seen on Substack. A brother named Andrew Ricketts wrote about his love and appreciation for Jerk Chicken. Dear Substack: Keep showing me stuff like this! [Dead Ass New Yorker]

🧑🏽‍🌾 Leah Penniman, co-Founder of Soul Fire Farm and the author of Farming While Black, will be a Keynote speaker—TODAY—at the 37th Bioneers Conference in Berkeley, California. Bioneers is a nonprofit organization that highlights breakthrough solutions for restoring people and planet and their conference runs until the 28th. Visit the Bioneers Conference website for tickets. [Bioneers Conference]

🧁 On Saturday, April 4th, Edible DC will be hosting a hands-on cake decorating workshop with James Beard Award semifinalist Kareem “Mr. Bake” Queeman. It’s part of Edible DC’s launch party for their Spring Issue. [Edible DC Eventbrite]

✊🏾 Leaders in the food justice movement collaborated to respond to a recent opinion piece, on Civil Eats, that asked “Can Food Justice and MAHA Find Common Ground?”. The food justice coalition, led by the co-founder and senior advisor for the National Black Food and Justice Alliance, Dara Cooper, were like “Balance what with who?!” It’s definitely worth reading. [Civil Eats]

🔥 I’mma keep it a buck—I don’t exactly know what does besides workout, share pictures of dope food she’s made, and be outsiiiiiiiiiide! Speaking of being outside, she’ll be in DC for the Black Women In Food Summit. And in addition to her hosting duties at the Summit, she’ll also be hosting a Happy Hour meet-up called EXTRA HOT SAUCE so she can meet and mingle with her supporters. It’s taking place on Thursday, April 23rd from 6 to 9 PM. Visit her Substack for more information. [Food & Feelings]

Imagine it’s a Friday and your at the gas station.

Oh also, also imagine that you are Black! That part is going to come in handy, later.

Anyway, back at the gas station, you have an empty fuel tank and $40 to your name. But today has been an unusually good day, so instead of putting all of it on Pump 4, you take 10 of those dollars and buy a scratch off ticket. One of them bright ones—with bold, golden numbers—teasing an opportunity to win “up to $500,000”.

And in this hypothetical scenario, you hit every number needed to with that half million dollars! Then imagine, while you’re busy thinking of all the stuff you can buy, someone comes up to you and says: “Wow! You now have $500,000 worth of ‘Black buying power’!” (See, I told you that being Black would be important)

How would you respond to being told you have all this “buying power”?

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After reading my previous newsletter about the effects the Target Boycott has had on small Black-owned businesses, someone from a Substack called “Black Conservative Times” wrote an article in response to mine. While I agree with a lot of the points made (mainly, the question of what good came for Black people via these various actions against Target) their biggest point—that we squandered our $2.1 Trillion in Black Buying Power—was too harmful for me to ignore.

So as not to bury the lede, let me state my position: BLACK BUYING POWER, as a concept, doesn’t actually mean anything. So using that as the foundation of a an argument makes the entire article pointless. To paraphrase the great James Baldwin: to be Black in this country and to be relatively conscious is to hear about Black Buying Power once a month. This phrase has been said a million times by a million different people but has anyone ever told you where it came from?

Meet John H. Johnson.

TL;DR: John Harold Johnson, founder of the Johnson Publishing Company, is credited with coining the term “Black Buying Power”.

If that name seems familiars, it’s probably because his company produced two of the most influential magazines in the history of African American media: Ebony (first published in 1945) and Jet (first published in 1951). At their peak, these magazines where doing major league numbers. Ebony had a circulation that hovered around 2 million while Jet was moving 900,000 issues a week! That doesn’t even include the people who read those magazines but didn’t purchase a subscription (think doctor’s offices, hair salons, barbershops, libraries, or other people’s homes).

And while those numbers are genuinely impressive, they don’t exist in a vacuum. Someone had to pay for those photos. Someone had to pay the editors and writers. Someone had to pay for those magazines to be printed and shipped. And while subscription fees helped, the big money came from advertising. There was just one problem—not enough Black-owned businesses had advertising budgets big enough to keep massive publications like Ebony and Jet alive. Mr. Johnson wanted to find a way to get the Cadillacs and the Coca-Colas of the world to spend money with Johnson Publishing Company in an era where the acronym “DEI” wasn’t even an idea yet. His solution: BLACK BUYING POWER.

What Is Black Buying Power?

Black Buying Power—at its essence—is a made up number. One that suggest that Black people, in the United States, have a large pot of money to spend at any given time. And even though Black people have never made up more than 18% of the population, and our historical low for the amount of Black people in poverty was 17%, if you let certain people tell it, we actually have trillions of dollars within our grasp. Well, here’s how they get to those numbers:

BLACK BUYING POWER = Median Income of Blacks In The United States x Number of Blacks in the United States. So if we plugged in today’s values, this is what we get:

MEDIAN INCOME FOR BLACKS IN THE UNITED STATES (2024) = $56,020

NUMBER OF BLACK PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES = 40,919,547

BLACK BUYING POWER = $56,020 x 40,919,547 = $2.29231302 Trillion

This financial ruse is regurgitated ad nauseam by people who sincerely believe that Black folk can “economics” our way out of oppression. Yes, $2 Trillion is a lot of money but even if the number is true, it doesn’t represent actual power. No policy is being changed, on our behalf, because we have access to this pot of money. Further more, in order to believe in the formula, you would also have to believe that even children (this equation includes ALL BLACK PEOPLE) have access to $56,020 and you know good and damn well that ain’t true!

It also suggest that Black people are spending all their alleged $56,020 on available goods. If Black folks got free housing, free food, free transportation, free healthcare, free education, and free haircuts then, in theory, we could spend all our money on Cadillacs and Coca-Colas. Until that day comes, we’ll have to use some of our annual median income on things that will keep us alive: food, rent/mortgages/car notes, stuff like that. Once you see how the number is formulated, you start to see “Black Buying Power” as nothing more than a story. One used to mold Black people into whatever narrative best serves the person doing the talking.

If the speaker wants to paint Black People as a group of financially illiterates, Black Buying Power can help tell that story—I mean, look at all that money we let slip through our fingers every year! If the person wants to sell a story that Black people are in the best financial position we’ve ever been in or we have enough money to bring forth the changes we wish to see in the world or we really shouldn’t be asking the government for hand outs because we have everything we need if we’d just do a better job of managing our money, Black Buying Power can help them do that.

At best the phrase “Black Buying Power” is a useful marketing tool. But at its worst, it can be used as a paternalistic weapon against a group of people who have never had a fair financial shot in this country. That’s why I am of the belief that we need to stop using it.

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Now I’m not saying that I’m against Black people being financially literate or that we can’t do a better job at circulating our money within our communities. In fact, that was kinda the point of my last FRIDAY FIVE joint. What I’m suggestion is that this $2 Trillion of buying power is nothing more than a wet dream for those who believe that Capitalism will lead us to liberation.

THE FRIDAY FIVE: 03.20.2026

THE FRIDAY FIVE is weekly round up of Black food related pieces of content that I enjoyed! If you come across something dope, feel free to shoot me a message for possible inclusion in a future newsletter.

✊🏾 If you happen to be in Williamsburg, Virginia on April 11th, come see me facilitate my Black Food Storytelling Workshop on the campus of William & Mary University. I’m participating in the “Digital Bites” Symposium where speakers will be discussing and exploring both African American and Indigenous foodways in the digital age. Tickets are FREE! [Andre Taylor LinkedIn]

🎦 Speaking of Williamsburg, VA—on March 26, Emmy-award winning Black culinary historian (and friend of the program) Deb Freeman will be screening her award-winning PBS documentary “Finding Edna Lewis” at the Jamestown Settlement (part of the Jamestown Settlement & American Revolution Museum at Yorktown) on March 26th. She’ll also sticking around, post screening, to answer questions about the beautiful film she executive produced. [JYF Museums]

🎟️ Tickets are available for the 2026 edition of the Black Women in Food Summit! Produced by Dine Diaspora, the Black Women in Food Summit celebrates the Black woman talent, resilience, and innovation found within the food industry. It takes place in Washington, DC from April 23-25 and Toni Tipton-Martin will be the Keynote Speaker! [Black Women In Food]

🚚 The Black Food Truck Festival, hosted in Charleston (SC) has been ranked the 6th best cultural festival in the United States in the latest USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. If you want to try it for yourself, the festival returns April 24 and runs through April 26th. Tickets are available right now! [10best USA Today]

🥩 Check out this round-up of 12 Black-owned Barbecue shops in Tampa Bay (FYI: Paywall). [Tampa Bay Times]

On Monday, I started therapy. And on Tuesday, I woke up a new man—the kind of man that no longer frowns at people who—for reasons I’ll never understand—want their grits to taste like a bowl of Frosted Flakes.

I should make it clear, though: I did not need therapy to extend grace to my sucrose seduced brothers and sisters. I just wanted to tell y’all I’ve started therapy because I’m super stoked about it and hope that my admission will convince other men to do the same.

But my realization that I no longer gave a damn how people eat their grits happened about a year and a half ago. After an unnecessary back-and-forth with a card carrying member of Team Sugar Grits, I came to understand two things: 1) some people take this “debate” way more seriously than I do and 2) I do not want to spend a single, solitary grain of energy arguing—even if in jest—about this. I know how I like to eat my grits and I’m not going to judge someone (publicly) about how they enjoy theirs.

The “let them people live” mentality, concerning the sugaring of grits, was solidified thanks to the unceasing amount of foolishness our current President, and his motley crew of Eugenics enthusiasts, continue to bombard us with. Who cares whether or not someone wants to put maple syrup, brown sugar, honey, jelly, or [insert sweet stuff] on their grits at a time like this! Big Cheeto just ATTACKED IRAN for no damn reason, continues to fund Isreal’s occupation of Palestine, cozies up to Authoritarians from around the globe for the fun of it, posted a meme of the Obamas as primates “from the Lion King” when everyone knows good and damn well there wasn’t no monkeys in that movie (outside of Rafiki), and signed an executive order—during Black History Month, no less—to help bring coal back as an energy source.

Coal…in 2026?!

As a country, and as a people, we have more important things to worry about than sugary grits. We need as many people in the fight as possible and I refuse to turn away help just because they like their grits with a dash of diabetes. My grits could give an elephant high-blood pressure so, at the end of the day, we all will end up in the doctor’s office if we’re not mindful. So please, continue to enjoy your grits however you see fit because times are hard enough as it is. While sugar is not my preferred additive, know that there will always be a place for you at WHO MADE THE POTATO SALAD?

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Earlier this week I read an article, on The Root, that boldly claimed “The 400-Day Target Boycott Was More Effective Than You Think”. I also watched the accompanying hour-long press conference that echoed the same sentiment.

According to both the article and the press conference, the Target boycott should be considered a success because 1) Target lost more than $12 billion since the boycott began and 2) Target pledged an additional $100 million on top of the $2 billion the corporation already planned on spending with Black-owned businesses.

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Although I didn’t learn anything revolutionary during that hour, they made clear the real reason this boycott started: peoples feelings got hurt. Former Ohio Senator, Nina Turner, gave a passionate explanation of why this boycott was so important. “It was the reason why,” referring to the all the Black-centric initiatives Target committed to in the aftermath of George Floyd, “when you have a Target to make the kind of promise they made—which was a righteous promise—and then they backtrack like that. They tell us that they love us and they seduce us into the store, only to backtrack on that love, and treat us like a secret love. We’ve had to call Target out on this.” After thanking the 300,000 people who registered their support for the Target Fast, Dr. Jamal Bryant backed up his comrade by saying that there were many “naysayers” who didn’t think that the boycott would work because, in his words, “...a whole generation has not seen an effective boycott”.

If your definition of success was about how much money Target could lose or to see how long you could go without shopping there, then this was an effective boycott! And speaking of victories, as a community organizer I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge that their ability to keep this boycott active within the collective consciousness of Black America—for 400 days straight—is, genuinely, a thing to be proud of. To mobilize that many people around a singular issue, is a modern miracle.

But thats about where the praise ends for me.

I say that because while I can acknowledge the impressive duration and vigor of this 1political action, I do not subscribe to their definition of success. Yeah, Target lost money and donated to important causes but what about the Black people who were part of Target’s 1,800 person layoffs, the Black-owned businesses that were left to fend for themselves, or the Black people who didn’t have the option of shopping elsewhere. There’s also an interesting conversation to be had on the validity of this boycott as many look at the Minnesota chapter of Black Lives Matters as the true leaders of this movement, but that’s a conversation for another day.

As for me, I was never concerned about what happened to Target. My main concern was for the Black folks who would be negatively effected by this culture-led embargo. That’s why, in late January, I reached out to 16 Black-owned food and beverage consumer packaged goods brands to find out how they had been affected. In the month since I sent those messages, only one founder agreed to speak about their experiences and to be fair, I get it. What could be gained by speaking the uncomfortable truth? Why invite unnecessary backlash given how sensitive this topic has been. This founder put it plainly: “People dragged Tabitha [Brown] for speaking on this! The darling of the Black internet. If they do her like that, we don’t stand a chance.”

At one point, during the press conference, Leader Tamika Mallory lifted up the sacrifices made by Black authors and vendors. Namely, for publicly speaking in favor of the boycott and asking supporters to buy their products elsewhere. Them doing so, lent a certain level of credibility to the mission. That made me chuckle. Not because she said anything funny but because of the irony of it all.

In my conversation with that founder, the topic of sacrifice definitely came up. Specifically, the prevailing idea that “everyone has to sacrifice”. My source told me that, in their opinion, people often mistook being inconvenienced as actual sacrifice.

Sacrifice is taking out $100,000 worth of loans to get your products into one of the largest retail stores in the country only to wake up one day and see that your people are no longer fucking with said retailer. Sacrifice is smiling in public while screaming inside because asking people to think about your investment would be considered an act of treason against your people.

Watching the cognitive dissonance of your people abandon Target yet turn right around to happily give corporations like Amazon and Whole Foods—owned by the man who bought the Washington Post just to block Editors from writing an endorsement of Kamala Harris—was akin to having an out of body experience. Mark Zuckerberg was one of the first to kiss the President’s ring, yet, that didn’t stop people from using his social media platforms to point a digital middle finger towards Target and shame anyone for trying to host alternative conversations around this issue.

This founder was not suggesting that Target should not be held accountable. But they were left wondering why other companies, that also turned their backs on DEI (Google, Ford, Major League Baseball, Victoria’s Secret, etc.), got a pass? Especially when boycotting those other companies may not have caused so much financial trauma to the Black-owned businesses we claim to support.

Suffering In Silence.

Getting to brass tacks, I asked my source if their business saw increased direct support from Black people once the boycott started?

“The first week, yes! Absolutely.” But they lamented that after the initial wave of support, it’s been crickets. According to my source, this is not an isolated situation. Many of the brand owners they are in contact with share the same experience. But, again, they’ve had no opportunity to say their piece so most people never took their feelings into consideration. In turn, they felt both isolated and lied to. We did not actually buy directly from them once their boxes were out of eye sight. So yes, many brand owners did speak out in support of the boycott. But, in all honesty, what else where they supposed to do? Y’all saw how they did Tabitha.

My conversation with the brand owner was much more robust and nuanced than what can be expressed through this newsletter but I do want to leave y’all with this last thing. When I mentioned that—to me—it seemed like we hated Target more than we loved our own people, they felt the same way. But the worst part, for them, was seeing their community treat them with the same level of callousness that they claimed Target had for us. There was an opportunity to lead with empathy that was never taken, “…the calls to stop shopping at Target were disproportionately louder than the calls to drive business to the Black people affected by the boycott”.

For my source, “…it would have been magical to see. A real marvel,” as it relates to funneling all of that anti-Target energy towards the economic empowerment of existing businesses. But as it stands, that moment has passed. And the real question is, now that it’s over (again, depending on who you ask) how do we rebuild those who were broken in the process? More importantly, can you get people to take that issue seriously when, all around them, people are already claiming we won?

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THE FRIDAY FIVE: 03.13.2026

THE FRIDAY FIVE is weekly round up of Black food related pieces of content that I enjoyed! If you come across something dope, feel free to shoot me a message for possible inclusion in a future newsletter.

🍷 Friend of the program and founder of Estelle Colored Glass, Stephanie Summerson Hall, was just named to to Inc.’s Female Founders 500 list. Stephanie recently opened a flagship store in Downtown Charleston and has over 250 wholesale accounts selling her high-end, hand blown glassware. Congrats on the recognition, Stephanie! [Estelle Colored Glass]

🍾 Chef JJ Johnson is collaborating on with Sommelier Kelly Mitchell, a Wine Enthusiast “40 Under 40” Tastemaker, on a celebratory dinner for Women's History Month. Let Her Cook: Uncorking Herstory is “…a culinary narrative honoring the women who have built, defined, and led the industry.” This dinner takes place in NYC on Thursday, March 19th. Tickets are $200 and can be secured via Chef JJ’s website. [Chef JJ Johnson]

📊 Detroit-based chef and food business leader Ederique “Chef E” Goudia is working with the Bread Bakers Guild of America to facilitate a three-part workshop series that focuses on three key areas: Menu Design, Optimization, and Pricing. According to the event description, these workshops are “…designed for early-stage bakers…” and “…explore how your menu can do more than list products—it can guide customer choices, highlight your strengths, and improve your bottom line.⁠” These sessions are taking place on March 16th, 23rd, and the 30th via Zoom. Register via the BBGA’s website today. [Bread Bakers Guild of America]

✊🏾 Check out this list of four Black-owned restaurants curated by the Sacramento News & Review—including one of my favorites, Fixins Soul Kitchen. A spot I’ve definitely covered before! PRO-TIP: Add the Henny floater to the Kool-Aid cocktail! [Sacramento News & Review]

🔟 Did you know that, for the past 10 years, there has been a celebration of Black-owned restaurants in Richmond, Virginia? I didn’t until I read this piece in Richmond Magazine. In it, I learned that the Richmond Black Restaurant Experience (RBRE), which runs until March 15th, has yielded over $1.7M in revenue for its participating network! If you want to learn about some of the individual restaurants that make this week so special, check out the article. [Richmond Magazine]

This week will be light in terms of content as I’m hosting events for Charleston Wine + Food Festival (CHSWFF) AND participating with my cohort as part of the South Carolina Port Ambassador program—at the same damn time!

But next week, I’ll be giving you a summary of my conversation with some founders of Black consumer package goods brands found in Target. Seeing that the one year anniversary of the Target boycotts pretty much came and went without much ado, it made me wonder: Did Black folks hold up our end of the Target boycott bargain? That is to say, when it was declared that Target was persona non grata, it was also said that we don’t need Target to support Black-owned brands—we can and will shop with Black brands directly.

So I reached out to founders to ask them a simple question: did that support actually materialize? Next week’s newsletter will attempt to answer that question. So stay tuned for that!

In the meantime, I’d like to know: do you believe our Communtiy stood by our brothers and sisters, who retailed in Target, by purchasing from them directly or do you believe that it was all talk? Let me know in the comments!

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THE FRIDAY FIVE: 03.07.2026

THE FRIDAY FIVE is weekly round up of Black food related pieces of content that I enjoyed! If you come across something dope, feel free to shoot me a message for possible inclusion in a future newsletter.

🧈 National Pound Cake Day was March 4th and Black Enterprise dropped a list of seven Black-owned bakeries that sell that sweet manna from on-high! Feel free to add a few suggestions in the comments on this glorious Black Food Friday, while you’re at it. [BLACK ENTERPRISE]

🍾 If you plan on coming to the 20th year celebration of CHSWFF, you can catch me hosting a cooking demonstration, on the Culinary Village main stage, with Top Chef Winner Christian Epps this afternoon. You will need a ticket to enter the village so click the link if you are so inclined (not an affiliate link). [CHARLESTON WINE + FOOD FESTIVAL]

🎙️ I was recently a guest on the Princess Diary Podcast, hosted by Kris Kaylin! I had a blast talking with my fellow South Carolina State Bulldog about my rise in the food documentation space. If you want me to be on your podcast, and you’re willing to bring me in-studio, slide me a message. [PRINCESS DIARY PODCAST YOUTUBE]

😩 It is with extreme sadness that I share the founder of A Dozen Cousins, Ibraheem Basir, has passed away. It was shared via the brand’s official Instagram account so if you want to extend your condolences, please do it there. [A DOZEN COUSINS INSTAGRAM]

🛒 Did you know that, during Black History Month, a Black-owned grocery store opened up in Chicago? Me either! It’s called FORTY ACRES (IYKYK) and it’s located in the Austin neighborhood. [CBS NEWS]

If you haven’t seen much activity from the BLACK FOOD FRIDAYS account, you’re not imaging things: I’m on a social media diet. I’ve limited my daily interactions with Threads, Instagram, and Facebook to 15 minutes per app. While the number might not stay at 15, I have found that limiting my time, online, has made me 100% more productive. It’s also led me to “rediscover” LinkedIn.

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The reasons I rarely used that platform remain: LinkedIn has an ugly ass user interface and have you seen how much the premium membership cost?! However, I’ve rather enjoyed my recent LinkedIn experiences for this main reason: everyone is so damn positive! Even the reactions you can make on a post are super positive; I’ve been running out with green, celebration button!

While most of my connections are not actual friends, it warms my heart to see so many people reaching their goals. My Linkedin timeline is full of folks announcing promotions at work, securing of new jobs, earning degrees or certificates, and even writing poetry! A vast departure from the sewage that can be the comment section of any other platform.

I am especially happy to see all the community engagement. To be fair, a lot of it seems job-ordered: “So grateful that my company MEGA TUBRO BOOTY allows me the opportunity to give back to the community” type shit. But at least they are doing something. And seeing others post about their community work has given me permission to do the same. For those of you who are new here, my day job is as a community organizer for a non-profit organization. I’m doing stuff for—and with—my people all the time but you wouldn’t know that based on what I post. That is, unless you decided to follow me on LinkedIn in the past week because ya boy has been highlighting all of his community outreach! Like the Community Resource Event I produced just last night!

FULL DISCLOSER: I did not remove one vice and replace it with another. I have a time limit on the LinkedIn app too. But it has been nice to see people be happy via an online forum. If you’re on the platform and you’d like to see more of my day-to-day work—which is heavily influencing my plans for Black Food Fridays (hence the social media break)—feel free to connect with me!

THE FRIDAY FIVE: 02.27.2026

THE FRIDAY FIVE is weekly round up of Black food related pieces of content that I enjoyed! If you come across something dope, feel free to shoot me a message for possible inclusion in a future newsletter.

🍗 The 22-year old founder of Sienna Wings is in a dispute with a large development corporation. The company won’t let her put a sign on the space she’s renting from them because the name of the development is called SIENNA. I guess they think someone is going to mistake their planned community for a wing joint or something? If you’re in Houston, consider supporting this young lady for Black Food Friday! [ABC NEWS 13]

📖 If you are looking for information on how to write a cookbook and plan on being in New York City tomorrow, buy a ticket to Nicole A. Taylor’s “So You Want to Write a Cookbook” workshop—presented by BEM Cultural Foundation. Nicole is the James Beard Award-nominated food writer, home cook, editor, consultant, producer, and author of Watermelon & Red Birds: ​A Cookbook for Juneteenth and Black Celebrations. [Luma Ticketing]

🔥 You may be too young to remember—I was only 2 years old when it happened so my “memories” of the event come from retellings of the story more than my personal knowledge) but, in 1984, Michael Jackson’s hair caught on fire during the filming of a Pepsi commercial. Seriously. Anyway, some people who were close to the King of Pop point to that moment as the beginning of the end for him. [The Root]

👨🏾‍🌾 Civil Eats did the Lord’s work by compiling, at no cost to us, every story they have written as it relates to Black Farmers. The articles are compiled from the website’s last 6 years of reporting. I don’t know whose idea this was but thanks for doing this. [Civil Eats]

🏅 The James Beard awards just named the the six recipients of its 2026 America's Classics Award (a Restaurant and Chef Awards category). One of those recipients is the Black-owned soul food restaurant, The Serving Spoon. Based in Inglewood, CA and now owned by brother and sister, Justin Johnson and Jessica Bane, they serve classic soul food items but also daily specials like Wednesdays’ oxtails and weekends-only shrimp and grits. [James Beard Foundation]

No, your eyes do not deceive you! I am sending a newsletter at the beginning of the week as opposed to the end. This past Friday, I realized this essay was sitting in my drafts since MAY of last year! For the life of me, I have no idea why I never posted it but seeing as there have been developments in the housing issue this essay mentioned, I figured this was the perfect time to push send!

If you live in South Carolina and tenant’s rights matter to you, make sure you follow the South Carolina Tenants Union and share this post with someone cares as much as you! Also, I mention the ACLU South Carolina in this post. I wanted to mention, for full disclosure, I now sit on their board. That wasn’t the case when I first wrote this.

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Last week I hosted my first real-life, People’s Pizza Party. For those of you who may be new here, the People’s Pizza Party (PPP) is a hyper-local, non-partisan, pizza-fueled, postcard writing party created to gather everyday citizens around a single issue. You can learn more by reading parts ONE (what is the PPP?) and TWO (how to host a PPP).

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I co-hosted this convening of concerned citizens with Kenni Cummings, the fearless leader of the South Carolina Tenet Union. The SC Tenet Union is a state-wide organization helping poor & working-class people to organize around the issue of providing all citizens with safe, high-quality, affordable housing.

Kenni brought the people and the subject matter expertise while I brought the pizza and supplies. What took place was a fun (and delicious) 1-hour session that was informative and fruitful—collectively, we wrote 15 letters to public officials, asking for them to take House Bill 4270 to subcommittee. Without a subcommittee, there is not path for this bill (to seal eviction records after a certain period of time) to become law. I suggest you read South Carolina ACLU’s position on H.4270 (they vote YES) if you want some background information on the matter.

Kenni did a great job explaining what the eviction landscape looks like in South Carolina (bleak), what the path to eviction in South Carolina looks like (confusing), and how H.4270 would be a benefit to tenets and landlords, alike. While she explained everything to everyone, those of us who wanted pizza, chowed down on some delicious pies from Park Pizza Co. (the only Black-owned pizza spot in town did not open in time for me to patronize them). Once properly debriefed and fully fed, we wrote letters to select group of elected officials, encouraging them to be on the right side of this important matter.

While I think this event was useful, it can be improved. For example, for reasons I don’t understand, it never crossed my mind to post a flyer IN THE LIBRARY IT WAS BEING HOSTED IN! That was a missed opportunity. Secondly, I could have sent mailers to the neighborhoods surrounding the library which would have helped to increase awareness for the PPP as well. But like I said, overall, I was very happy with both the turn out and the outputs from this first attempt!

UPDATE: The Bill Got Pushed Through!

I’m happy to say that our People’s Pizza Party played a very small role in this small yet VERY significant win for South Carolina tenants and landlords!

(Via the SC Tenant Union Facebook page): “@sctenantunion showed up strong and prepared on Tuesday with a diverse set of tenants, landlords, property managers, childcare providers, educators and faith leaders to make sure members of the committee could get a clear picture of the impact of eviction filings and why a bill like H4270 matters to housing stability for families and individuals across South Carolina.

Thankfully, the committee heard us loud and clear! Thank you SC Daily Gazette for covering the day!

“Legislation removing evictions from public access after five years advanced unanimously Tuesday in the South Carolina House...

All 13 people who testified Tuesday spoke in favor of the bill.

“This is one of the best crowds of testimony that I’ve heard in my opportunity to be here,” said Rep. David Martin, R-Fort Mill, who was elected in 2024.

He cheered that people with a range of vantage points on evictions, from people who’d faced eviction to property managers who screen tenants, showed up to support the legislation.”

How dope is that? Remember, you don’t have to wait on me—you can host a PPP anytime you’d like. Just go to this previous article and take notes. If you do host one, pleeeeeeeeease let me know! And if you’ve made it this far, consider subscribing because only WHITE SUPREMACIST pass on the opportunity to do so! 👀 ✊🏾

I could say that my social media break was planned to coincide with Lent but that’d be a lie. It literally just happened that way. I’m such a heathen, I didn’t even realize that these days were coming. It wasn’t until I was walking down the street and saw a white woman with a black smudge in the middle of her forehead that it clicked. Coincidently, it was about 30 minutes before coming across said white woman that I settled on the decision to take break from social media.

I know that during Lent, a lot of people “give something up”. From my understanding, traditional Lent practices prepared parishioners for Easter by imitating Jesus Christ’s 40-day fast in the desert. During that time, Believers are supposed to be fostering repentance, practicing self-discipline, and creating solidarity with the poor. How that morphed into “Don’t eat fried foods for 40 days” is beyond my expertise (although I would watch a documentary that could explain that transition).

My “giving something up” is less cold turkey and more baby steps. By limiting myself to a daily 15-minute max on Threads, Instagram, and Facebook I’m trying to reprogram my mind. I want “less social media consumption” to be a permanent lifestyle change and I’m using the next few weeks as a way to jumpstart that process. My business involves being online but that doesn’t mean it has to dominate my every waking hour. I am developing a new relationship with the socials, one that allows me to enjoy it but also treat it as a tool—not a babysitter.

In the next section, I lay out three of the main reasons that impacted this decision. Then afterwards, you can read through my weekly FRIDAY FIVE. If you’ve made it this far, and you’re not already subscribed, consider doing so now.

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I have a host of reasons why I’m taking a break. I just decided to list three of them. I’ll save the full list for whoever had the (mis?)fortune of becoming my therapist:

#1 — I’m Tired Of Tech Billionaires.

One day, somebody realized that by gamifying the internet you can get people to stay online longer. Likes, loves, shares, comments, leader boards, points, pings, beeps, badges—they all keep people engaged because they release little spikes of dopamine to users. Over time, Internet Overlords realized that while likes and points are cool, rage is the best medicine of all because anger produces action. So they modified their algorithms to look for conflict because conflict—more so than the mere gamification of their apps—is what really gets the people going. Therefore, if you can draw a crowd, no matter how you do it, you will get views. Even Substack, the platform that was all about long form writing, has thrown its hat into the engagement circus (seriously, please take a few minutes to watch the CEO of Substack stumble over the easiest moderation question of all time).

At the end of the day, it’s those views that allow people like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerburg to stay flush with cash. And what are they doing with their money? Stuff like influencing political policy and buying newspapers to hide information they don’t want us to see. In the process, our brains are rotting. And if you don’t believe me, listen to Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath who recently testified before Congress and said that Gen Z the first generation to be cognitively less apt than the generation before them. It’s so bad that the country of Denmark is actually undergoing a nationwide rollback on screen time in schools. They are choosing to go back to—get this—READING BOOKS and WRITING ON PAPER! They see the cognitive slide and are like, “Nej, for helvede! We will not be producing a nation of dummies.”

Truth is, if there any companies need to be boycotted, it’s the ones that allow Black people to call other Black people coons for not raging against Target or Dollar General but that’s a conversation for another time. So yeah, I need a break from the Hedonic Treadmill but more importantly, I’m tired of helping horrible human beings make more money than God just because I’m bored and need a dopamine hit.

#2 — I Need Therapy.

TO BE CLEAR: I’m not in a mental crisis or anything like that, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have stuff to work out. For one, becoming quasi-famous has done a number on my psyche and I’m struggling with learning how to deal with this. Secondly, I know that Capitalism is not the cure for what ails Black folks (see the previous section) but having money would help fund initiatives that would benefit us. Everyday I’m contemplating stuff like: Do I equate having money with the Capitalistic system that has fucked Black people since the days our ancestors stepped foot on this soil—and if so—am I subconsciously sabotage myself from being able to reach my full economic opportunity? But how is doing that helping anyone—myself or my people? Am I a good son? Am I a good brother? Am I a good friend? Is my Dad gonna be okay? What TF are Mother Wounds and do I have those??

I’m not going to pour my heart out on these newsletter streets (I’ll save that for my eventual therapist) but that’s like 5% of all the stuff floating around in my head and my heart. I think a pause in consuming what these apps are serving will do me some good. In the meantime, I’ve already reached out to a few therapist and I’m looking forward to starting that process in earnest. I’ve been talking about it for years but this is the year I make it happen because, well, in short: I HAVE PLANS.

#3 — I Have Plans.

While the other two reasons are more important, this is the thing that made me decide to limit my social media intake. YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST: I’m going on tour this Fall! The only thing I can tell you now is that, while it is food related, it’s not an eating tour. It’s something completely new (at least, according to the research I’ve done). While the prospect of hitting the road to present this idea to the world is exciting, I gotta keep it real: I’m scared as shit, y’all.

I don’t have a team of people helping me figure this out—it’s just me and my best friend Dessa. I don’t have a brand deal that is covering the cost, I don’t have a rich uncle sliding me a check, I don’t even know if brands would want to invest in this concept. On the other hand, everyone I’ve told about the concept likes it! Loves it, actually. And that makes me feel better. But good vibes does not buy plane tickets or hotel rooms or supplies. Thinking about the task ahead of me makes me want to throw up but I know that’s just negative self talk. I need to find out why—even with all the success I’ve experienced through Black Food Fridays—my first inclination is to doubt myself (hence, the therapy).

I don’t know how any of this is going to work. But what I do know if that I’m not gonna get answers by doomscrolling my life away. So I’ve decide to stop the scrolling and start figuring some stuff out. The newsletter will still be rolling, just don’t look for any new IG/Threads/Facebook content in the immediate future.

Wish me luck!

THE FRIDAY FIVE: 02.20.2026

THE FRIDAY FIVE is weekly round up of Black food related pieces of content that I enjoyed! If you come across something dope, feel free to shoot me a message for possible inclusion in a future newsletter.

👨🏾‍🍳 I don’t think I mentioned this but I’m going to be hosting two events at the upcoming Charleston Wine + Food Festival. Only one of them is open to the public and it’s is happening on Friday, March 6th. On that day, I’ll be bringing the vibes during a cooking demonstration with Top Chef season 22 winner and world renowned Afro-Caribbean chef, Tristan Epps. If you want to see it, you need a ticket to the Friday edition of the festival’s Culinary Village [Charleston Wine + Food Festival]

🍖 Want to know how celebrity chef Gregory Gourdet was able to lure Southern Barbecue pitmaster Bryan Furman to Portland, Oregon? Read this excellent profile by friend of the program and James Beard Award winning journalist, Mike Jordan, via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, to find out. [AJC Dinning]

👨🏾‍🌾 Speaking of Atlanta, if you are in the Atlanta Metro Area and are interested in learning how solar power can be used to revitalize distressed farms, then this “Agrivoltaics Benefits for Black Farmers & Landowners” workshop—featuring vegan chef Patricia Parks—might be something you want to check out. [Eventbrite]

🍰 Last week, I was being nosey and saw a picture of a beautiful cake on this Black woman’s phone screen. I asked her if she made it and she smiled and said “YES I DID!” I told her that I’d share her information in my next newsletter so that exactly what I’m doing. To be clear, I’ve never had her cakes but they really do look amazing. If you’re in the Charleston Metro Area and want to support a Black-woman baker, trying to make a name for herself, check out her Instagram and order something! [SweetsByShelle Instagram]

🔟 While it may feel like the wildfires that sweep over California just happened, that actually happened over a year ago! The LA Times posted an article on their website, written by Senior Food Editor Daniella Dorsey, shouting out 10 Black-owned restaurants, in Pasadena and Altadena. Give that a gander on this glorious Black Food Friday. [Los Angeles Times]

As always, thank you for reading and if you are new here, please consider subscribing to this newsletter! The only people who don’t are WHITE SUPREMACIST! I’m just joking (maybe 👀)! Enjoy your weekend and have a Happy Black Food Friday.

A few weeks ago I posted a Reel about a delicious, yet very experimental, oxtail focaccia created by my friend Danetra Richardson—owner of Swank Desserts in Summerville, South Carolina. I don’t know if it was the sheen of grease from the decadent cheese and meat combo that made me glow or just the feeling of extreme satisfaction but, either way, I was beaming! That focaccia creation was one of the most delicious things I had ever eaten in my life and I wanted the world to know. So I made a video right then and there which—for those of you who may be new here—is a rarity! I don’t film a lot of “KJ eating food” content.

That joy must have oozed from my pores, through the fiber optics that make up the backbone of the internet, and into Brooklyn because—that same day—I got a text from pastry chef Jatee Kearsley, the owner of Je T’aime Patisserie. Not only did she think that Danetra’s oxtail focaccia looked amazing, it inspired her to oxtailify something of her own: a croissant.

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“I saw this video and instantly got inspired,” read the text. Jatee, who went viral for allowing her customers to pay for her high-end, handmade French baked goods with EBT/Snap benefits went on to text me everything she thought Danetra should try during her next attempt. Then, in true Jatee fashion, she ended her impromptu lesson with the following:

This however is just my opinion and really doesn’t matter lol

So you really don’t have to share it lol

I just love focaccia soo much and this shit sounds good

Me, being the community organizer of the group, did the exact opposite of not sharing! Danetra, surprisingly quick with her response, was receptive and had a few questions/statements for Jatee as well.

By the way: my use of the word “surprisingly” was not meant to suggest Danetra never answers my text. I said that to highlight how extremely busy this woman woman is! Running a very popular gourmet dessert spot in the downtown area of a small (and very fast growing) town will do that to a person. When she hit me back so quickly, I took that as a sign to try an connect these two dynamic women. 1) Because I believe they should just know each other and 2) because the instructions were getting too in-the-weeds for my liking. I needed to remove myself from this game of telephone as soon as possible!

So that’s what I did (via email) and, to be honest, it was a privilege to do so. There is so much annoying energy put around this idea of “African Diaspora Wars” and the concept that very successful Black-women can’t get along. Even if their coming together doesn’t inspire a wave of large-scale Black pastry collaboration, I can say on this day, Brooklyn and Charleston came together in a delicious way! And I’m happy to have played a small part in that union.

IN CONCLUSION

Danetra has not perfected her recipe so she has NOT put that oxtail foccacia on the menu as of yet! But I believe, with enough positive peer pressure, we will be able to coax a limited run of them soon. Make sure you visit the Swank Desserts Instagram account and let her know we neeeeeeeed that!

As for Jatee, when I asked her how it felt to connect with a Black-woman who knows exactly what she’s going through, she was appreciative of the opportunity. Mainly because the chance to speak with other Black women whose full-time occupation is running a bakery of any sort, don’t often make themselves available. “It felt good,” Jatee texted me, ”…gatekeeping is so normal in this industry. So when you actually find someone that you can just chat and vent to it’s golden!!!”

My second question was about the response to her creation. People were flooding my DMs with inquires about Danetra’s oxtail experiment so I wondered if she was experiencing something similar—especially because people could actually buy her product. “It’s been overwhelming, I literally can’t keep up with it. It’s an honor to have people love my creativity.”

Which led to one, final question: is the oxtail croissant going to be a permanent fixture on the Je T’aime Patisserie menu or should I hurry up and buy a ticket to the frigid streets of Brooklyn? “They are on the menu for now,” she laughed. “Idk how long but they will be around.”

Hopefully, they’ll be around when I finally make it back to the Big Apple. Because unless someone is paying me, I won’t be in NYC until the Spring! But if you live in NYC (I’m looking at you ), stop by her shop at 471 Marcus Garvey Blvd to try a Black girl spin on French pastries.

KJ ON THE KAREN HUNTER SHOW

This week I made my second appearance on The Karen Hunter Show (SiriusXM UrbanView) and I had a ball! I didn’t tell y’all about the first time so I wanted to make sure I did this go'round. Above, I’ve attached a YouTube clip that Karen put on her channel. In it, we’re discussing our feelings on Trump’s snub of Governor Wes Moore from the National Governors Association annual dinner with the President. If you want to hear the full, hour-long segment, you will need an account to listen.

THE FRIDAY FIVE: 02.13.2026

Here’s my weekly round up of five Black food related pieces of content, I enjoyed! If you come across something dope, feel free to shoot me a message for possible inclusion in a future newsletter.

🍞 Bakers Against Racism is calling all bakers to mobilize for a Nationwide day of mutual aid! Normally, they host bake sales to raise funds that go to organizations making a difference. This time, they are asking bakers to give goodies away for free as a way to bring awareness to what’s going on in this country. For more details, visit their website. [Bakers Against Racism]

🍋 What city pops into your mind when you hear the phrase “lemon pepper”? If you say anything other than Atlanta you are either lying or genuinely uninformed. Anyway, legislation has been introduced to make lemon pepper the official wing flavor for the state of Georgia! I think that’s dope and that more Black Foodways should be codified. But how do you feel? [The Root]

✊🏾 I love when Black-owned consumer goods brands lean all the way in! This Black History Month commercial from Ghost Town Oats is hilarious—I had to share it! [Ghost Town Oats Instagram]

🍽️ A new episode of “Harlem Eat Up”, the award-winning show hosted by celebrity Chef Marcus Samuelsson, drops on Valentine’s Day! Check out this clip of Marcus with Nneka Nurse, the Caribbean cuisine advocate and founder of Best Dressed Plate, and prepare to get hungry. [Harlem Eat Up Instagram]

🍚 As a Gullah Geechee person, anytime I can talk about rice, I’m gonna do it! Shout out to Sonja Norwood—aka Wickd Confections—and her series about Black American recipes that have been lost over time. One of her most recent videos was about Rice Johnny, an old Gullah item that turned “leftover rice” (whatever that is) into savory slices of fried perfection. [WickdConfections Instagram]

I don’t know if you’ve seen any anti-Soul Food rhetoric on your side of the internet but I certainly have. Fortunately, I’ve never had to bare witness of anyone saying something completely asinine like “Soul Food is nasty” but I have seen a lot of, what I’m calling, Soul Food Fatigue. The internet has been showing me more “I’m tired of (insert food associated with Black Americans)” posts on Threads than I know what to do with.

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I don’t think I’ve ever commented on one of those posts but if I did, I’m sure I engaged in a bit of whataboutism. Something along the lines of asking Black people if they have ever seen Chinese people say they are tired of Chinese food or if they have ever read of Mexicans tiring of Mexican food?

If I did respond that way, my bad. For one, I have no way of knowing whether there has ever been a Chinese or Mexican person posting about being tired of their cultural cuisines. Secondly, responding that way does not actually answer the unsaid questions prompted by the spirit of Soul Food Fatigue. It’s just that, reading stuff like that, makes my blood boil. And, for reasons I can’t explain, it turns me into a culinary Malcolm X of some sort.

In a speech Malcolm X gave at the funeral services of Ronald Stokes, he asked questions that are just as relevant in 2026 as they were in 1962 when they were first uttered. I may be considered “being extra” for what I’m about to say but when people openly express being struck by Soul Food Fatigue, this portion of Mr. X’s speech echos within me:

Who taught you to hate the texture of your hair? Who taught you to hate the color of your skin? To such extent you bleach, to get like the white man. Who taught you to hate the shape of your nose, and the shape of your lips? Who taught you to hate yourself, from the top of your head to the soles of your feet? Who taught you to hate your own kind? Who taught you to hate the race that you belong to, so much so that you don't want to be around each other? No... Before you come asking Mr. Muhammad does he teach hate, you should ask yourself who taught you to hate being what God gave you.

My brain remixes it to: Who taught you to hate your cultural cuisine? Who taught you to hate eating what God gave your ancestors so that your lineage would continue?

Dramatic, much?

So imagine my surprise when a ray of sunshine—in the form of a video from Georgia State graduate and content creator, Sierra Reece—peaked through the clouds and smiled upon my digital face.

Sierra is the creator of a website called Eat Your Greens. The subtitle for the site is “Celebrating Black American Culture and Heritage through our foodways and culinary traditions” and while that’s true, I think it hides the genius of her concept. For those who did not take 60 seconds to watch the video above, allow me to provide a summary: stop acting like a bitch eat soul food everyday. If your face frowned up because your inner voice told you that she’s essentially begging you to eat fried chicken seven days a week, calm down and keep reading, because hat’s not what she’s suggesting. But first, a little context.

While living abroad and working towards earning an MBA, Sierra realized that, for most of them, she was the first Black American they had ever interacted with. She also noticed how none of her international classmates seemed to fall pray to their cultural equivalent of Soul Food Fatigue. In fact, it was quite the opposite: they loved both making and sharing their cultural cuisine with everyone. Which led her to ask why she wasn’t making her cultural cuisine everyday. That realization led down a path of intense research.

And once she started, she found a ton of information! She learned about the Black Farmer Index and how there are over 500+ such farms in the United States. She found Black-owned consumer packaged goods brands so that, even if you weren’t near a Black-owned restaurant or can’t cook a lick, you could still eat Black food. And instead of gatekeeping that information, she turned all she had found into a searchable treasure trove of delicious data! Why? Because we’re losing recipes, of course! And as an elder member of Gen Z she knew that if people her age (or younger) were going to get this information, it would have to be digitally, so that’s exactly what she did. “The youth want to be met where they are,” she told me. And in my opinion, she’s doing a great job at making that happen.

The site is broken down into six categories. I already mentioned the Black Farm list and consumer packaged goods, but there is also:

• The Pantry — The essence of her work can be found here. Sierra created a list of individual ingredients that visitors can click through to, quite literally, build a well-balanced plate of delicious soul food items. She even has a link to a website that shows which foods are in-season, if that's something you’re mindful of.

• Recipes — If you’re inspired to cook something after playing with the plate feature, you can hit up this section to find healthy Soul Food dishes to make. It’s even searchable by ingredient. Recipes are sourced from Oldways African Heritage Diet, a nonprofit promoting healthy eating through cultural food traditions. Oh, and please note that this section isn’t super robust yet, so don’t go over there starting trouble because she doesn’t have a specific recipe you like.

• The Bookshelf — A list of categorized books, about Black food, created by Black authors. In it, you’ll find a variety of cookbooks, of course, but she also has a section of cultural forward works like Anela Malik’s “American Soul” and “The President’s Kitchen Cabinet” by Adrian Miller.

• Videos — Sierra curated videos that cover everything from the history of Soul Food to adaptations of traditional recipes into something a bit more health conscious. Perfect for learning new techniques or discovering the cultural roots of your favorite dishes.

Is this website the most comprehensive collection of Black foodways information? No. But it’s more than most people would ever come across if left to their own devices. And the fact that she did all of this research and decided to share every single piece of it with us, is such a generous and selfless act. I figured the least I could do was share it with you. Now, I challenge you to share Eat Your Greens with someone else today! And if you want to stay up on Sierra’s work, make sure to follow her on Instagram.

If you have created a digital Black-food resource, or know someone who has, make sure to drop a link to that work, in the comments!

THE FRIDAY FIVE: 02.06.26

📚 If you never had the pleasure of eating at the historic and very popular Chapel Hill-based Soul Food restaurant, Mama Dips, I feel for you. Started in 1976, with just $64, Mildred "Mama Dip" Council created a delicious legacy that would span decades. While the restaurant is closed, the family is still doing their thing. For example Spring Council, the youngest of Mama Dip’s children, is releasing her first cookbook! So even if you couldn’t make it to them, some of those recipes can still make it to you. [Affiliate Link — Bookshop.org]

🥃 I haven’t written anything about this Uncle Nearest debacle out of respect for the process. But recently a bunch of outlets, including Essence, have reported that the brand—once evaluated at over $1 Billion—is in not only in major debt but that it may be in danger of being foreclosed upon. This is all still developing so I’ll keep you posted as new information is brought to light. [Essence]

🇸🇳 I came across this great interview of outstanding Chef and human, Serigne Mbaye, talking about how being true to himself and his Senegalese roots is more important than any award (and his restaurant, Dakar NOLA, has accomplished a lot)! [4WWL]

🤳🏾 If you were a fan of my #BlackFoodFacts series, then let me put you on to Antionette Johnson! The chef, food journalist, and cultural storyteller has a Black History Month series where she highlights a Black food story or history fact, every single day! Check out this one about Robert Bogle, the Black man considered the father of American Catering. [Antoinette Johnson Instagram]

🥕 This might not matter to y’all, hence why I saved it until the end, but No Free Coffee—an evolving, community-driven lifestyle brand founded by Mario Kristian, blending specialty coffee with streetwear culture through experiential pop-ups and a cafe—and Carrots by Anwar Carrots are doing another collaboration! At least, I think that’s what this Instagram post is referring to. Whatever they’re doing, I’m tuned TF in! [No Free Coffee Instagram]

This is the first time, in the almost six years I’ve been running my award winning Instagram account, that not one, single, solitary “We’d like to book you for Black History Month” email has graced my inbox.

No speaking engagement request. No content creation contracts. No opportunities to chat to eager classrooms. Nothing. It’s almost as if white people don’t care about Black Lives anymore—a stark contrast to the high times of 2020.

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When COVID-19 had everyone stuck in the house, eyes glued to the device of their choice, people couldn’t help but be moved to action after witnessing the state-sponsored murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. In the end, that “care” proved to be mostly performative. The spikes in Black content creator’s follower counts and bank accounts did not last, nor did they lead to any real, meaningful policy changes.

The Summer of 2020 saw my Instagram follower count jump higher than Busta Rhymes trying to reach for that bottle of Courvoisier (“Don’t this shit make a…”), increasing 696% in just 3 months! With that increased notoriety came a lot of press and economic opportunities. And I don’t know if anyone else experienced this but, at one point, I had white people in my DMs begging to give me money. Like, literary asking for my CashApp (👀) account because they cared deeply about what was going on and wanted to personally “support my work”.

I appreciated all the extra attention but I knew it wasn’t going to last. Every generation, a new group of white folks get confronted with the realities of how their country actually feels about anyone who isn’t a white male, and they have a grand awakening. And with our current Administration in the midst of practicing open-face fascism, a new awakening is taking place a mere 5 years after the last one. Is it disappointing? Yes. But as I have come to learn, it’s par the course for this nation. And if you live long enough, I promise you’ll see it happen again.

So instead of yelling into the void about the state of this country or the dearth of corporations hiring Black creatives during Black History Month, I decided to prepare my people for the battles yet to come…by curating a free folder of Kente Hat reaction memes! You’re probably wondering how Kente Hat memes will properly girdle your loins for battle against this authoritative regime. In all honesty, they won’t. Any shifts in power are going to come from real people fighting in the real world.

These memes are simply here to provide some sense of joy while you find your way during these very precedented times. My only goal was to provide my people with some unserious ways of reacting to the mounds of foolishness, about to come our way, over the next few weeks.

Because mark my words, in the month of February, Trump and/or one of his minions is going to say something wild reckless about Black people and our contributions to this country. When that happens, and you decide to text your homies or make a post on the social media platform of your choice, I want you to have some good reaction memes at your disposal.

Black people have had hundreds of years practicing the art and science of simultaneously holding both joy and anger, fear and hope. These current times will be no different. I’m not saying NOT to fight for policy change or ousting elected officials who don’t have your best interest at heart—I’m just saying that if in the midst those fights, should you find the need for a Black-ass meme to get your point across, I got your back.

50+ KENTE HAT MEMES TO HELP YOU STAY WOKE [Google Drive]

THE FRIDAY FIVE: 01.30.2026

👩🏾‍🍳 The hit culinary competition, Top Chef, has just revealed the cast for season 23. Their roster includes some talented Black Chefs including, friend of the program, Nana Araba Wilmot. I might actually watch this season as they will bounce between the cities of Greenville, South Carolina and Charlotte, North Carolina (NOTE: I live in North Charleston, SC). [Food & Wine]

🍑 James Beard Award-winning food and culture journalist, Mike Jordan, wrote (in my opinion) an excellent article about food in Atlanta. Specifically, he spoke to Black culinary professionals to ask them why Atlanta has NOT become a “Mecca” for Black-owned restaurants, like it has for other Black aspects of Black culture. [UATL]

🫖 Congratulations to Brooklyn Tea! The Bed-Stuy based tea brand recently celebrated the opening of their first airport storefront. If you find yourself in JFK’s Terminal 4, make sure you grab a sip from the first Black-owned airport-based tea retail shop in the United States. [The Grio]

☕️ Cxffeeblack, the Memphis-based anti-gentrification coffee shop, is conducting a PAY IT FORWARD campaign. They are asking that, during these frigid times, you consider paying for someone in their community to have a warm cup of coffee. [Cxffeeblack Instagram]

🍕 I’ve written about the glorious (and often viral) Kale Salad at Charlotte-based, husband and wife owned BIRD Pizzeria a few times before. This week, Kerrel Thompson (aka the husband), was interviewed (while running!) about the success of their shop and future expansion plans. [Charlotte Observer]