Preparing Black Food Fridays’ 2025 Gift Guide. Yes, 2025!

Also: Learn why I'm not a big fan of Christmas as a concept.

I hate Christmas.

To be more specific, I hate the commercial aspect of Christmas. To get even more granular, I hate the OUTSIZED EMPHASIS on the commercial aspect of a day meant to celebrate the alleged birth of Jesus. The “getting up with your loved ones” part of the holiday is wonderful! Christmas carols (or Parang)—also lit! But the lengths that some of us are willing to go to buy shit, so that we can have a “good Christmas”, never ceases to amaze me. In fact, I’m willing to bet my left testicle that “Christmas Lack” is the origin of someone’s villain story. If not a villain then it’s, at least, it’s the origin point of why someone became a bully!

AND DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON SANTA!

Even as a kid (and by “kid”, I’m referring to elementary school-aged KJ) I thought this Santa business was sketchy. “So you mean to tell me that a fat white man breaks into EVERY HOUSE IN THE WORLD! And no one has ever seen this man? And he’s doing this to do what now? *checks notes* To leave gifts under the tree? Well, why do we already have gifts under the tree? Oh, he brings more gifts? How is he supposed to get in the house because we don’t even use our chimney?! AND WHAT ABOUT PEOPLE WHO DON’T HAVE CHIMNEYS?!” Yeah, I was that kid. One last thing: Dear Black people, don’t you think it’s weird to give a fictional white man—WHO ENSLAVES ELVES AGAINST THEIR WILL—credit for shit you bought with your hard earned money?

However unpleasant, we do live in a capitalistic system. In fact, the entire Black Food Fridays platform was created to highlight Black-owned food and beverage businesses so that you will spend money with them. While some may consider my aims to be noble, it’s still capitalism baby! So instead of not participating in this time-honored tradition of creating content expressly made to get you to spend your aforementioned hard earned money, I just need to spend time thinking about what kind of gift guide I want to build. It will feature black-owned businesses, of course, but outside of that—I’m open on how it should look. If you have any suggestions, please let me know!

In the meantime, today’s BLACK FOOD NEWS will be a mixture of Black food and beverage gift guides and food-related gift ideas I came across while cruising Michelle Obama’s internet. Give these as a gifts or get stuff for yourself because you work hard and you deserve nice things! Oh, and if you’re wondering what to get me for Christmas, I’ll have some information at the very end for you to consider. By the way, I won’t be earning any money from any of the items listed nor has anyone paid me to list them. I’m just sharing for the sake of sharing! But next year, I’ll be sharing for both the sake of sharing and to make money!

With love & respect,

KJ

BLACK FOOD NEWS is a bulletin of interesting Black food news and information from around the African Diaspora. If you want your Black food news to be added to a future newsletter, please send a press release to news@blackfoodfridays.com for consideration.

• [GIFT GUIDE] If you’re into food (which, why would you subscribe if you were not?!), then check out EatOkra’s Holiday Gift Guide. They give you direct links to some the best consumer package goods from across the African Diaspora. (EatOkra.com)

• [GIFT GUIDE] Ty & Kye, fellow Black-owned brand advocates, created a robust list of Black-owned gift ideas for you to peruse. I just linked to their food and beverage items but take a look at the entire list. (Benable)

• [GIFT GUIDE] Essence Magazine has a dope gift guide with a lot of food and beverage items—Black-owned of course. (Essence Magazine)

• [GIFT GUIDE] BEM Books, a Black-women owned bookstore that focuses on food, dropped a two-part gift guide featuring the best in Black food books! If you’re going to buy a book for someone in your life, get it from a Black-owned bookstore if you can. (BEM Brooklyn IG)

• [GIFT GUIDE] The folks behind Black Restaurant Week have a gift guide to help you buy something for the many type of foodies in your life. From brunch fanatics to wine lovers, and everyone in between, there’s probably something on this list you’ll love to gift! (Black Restaurant Week)

• [GIFT GUIDE] Tembe Denton-Hurst made a great gift guide, for the Strategist, featuring 47 Black owned items. I am linking to the food section of that guide! (New York Times)

• [GIFT GUIDE] Walmart cuts all DEI efforts. In response Kit Campoy, who writes about retail workers, gave her readers 8 small, Black-owned business to buy from instead of Walmart. All of the items aren’t food related but Walmart is ass for this, so it’s my pleasure to post. (Kit Campoy)

And here’s a few gift ideas, while we’re at it!

• [GIFT IDEA] Looking to buy some Black owned LICCKA for the holidays? Check out Reserve Bar’s collection of Black-owned spirit brands. There will be some familiar faces on their list as well as a few brands that may be new to you. (Reserve Bar)

• [GIFT IDEA] Jermaine Stone aka The Wolf of Wine, dropped a book AND an accompanying soundtrack produced by The Heatmakerz! Entitled Wine Barz Vol. 1 — For the Love, this book merges wine and Hip-Hop culture in a way that I’ve never seen before. (Amazon)

• [GIFT IDEA] If you think that the recent “backlash” against Ghetto Gastro was uncalled for, show your support by buying their cookbook or some of their consumer packaged goods! (Ghetto Gastro)

And I couldn’t let the week go by without giving you some actual news:

• I was interviewed by James Beard award winning, Southern-centric magazine and online outlet, The Bitter Southerner. But that interview came out when I was under my self-imposed social media break so I hadn’t shared it with the newsletter yet. So, check it out when you get a moment! (The Bitter Southerner)

• Did you know that a local activist, in Washington DC, recently opened a Go-Go Music Museum and Cafe? (Because Of Them We Can)

• Charlamagne tha God has partnered with the Atlanta-based burger chain, Krystal, to open a location in his home state of South Carolina. (The Post & Courier)

• Byron Allen's $10 billion discrimination lawsuit against McDonald's will head to trial. (The Hollywood Reporter)

• Walmart changing it’s DEI policies in anticipation of the Trump administration will have huge effects on Black-owned businesses. The massive retailer is going to shutter it’s $100 million Center for Racial Equity, among other changes. (New York Times)

• Highway Vodka, Houston’s first Black-owned distillery and the maker of Highway Vodka With Hemp Seed, is hiring a freelance Growth Specialist. Visit the link to read the scope of work and apply if interested! (Highway Vodka)

• 50 Cent is an investor in Jadakiss’ coffee shop? People of a certain age can remember when the two had real rap beef. But in 50’s effort to invest in the city of Shreveport, it looks like the two Hip-Hop legends have put all that aside for a bigger cause. (Black Enterprise)

Speaking of gifts—if you want to give ME a gift, buy a ticket for yourself and/or a loved one to my BITE THE POWER Dinner taking place on March 6, 2025 at the 2025 Charleston Wine + Food Festival!

Last year, with support from Lawry’s Seasoning Salt, I hosted a three-city tour for my BITE THE POWER Black food storytelling event. CHSWFF saw that and was like, “Hold my beer—what if you hosted BITE THE POWER at Charleston Wine + Food Festival but turned it to a multi-course dinner featuring Black chefs?”

So that’s what we are doing! There will be 100 seats, five chefs, and 3 speakers, and unlimited positive vibes. Tickets went on sale while I was on my social media hiatus but we have about 30 seats left if you’re interested! Not to mention, I’ll be giving one ticket away to one of my newsletter paid subscribers so stay tuned for details on that. Tickets are $250 per person and you can buy them via the CHSWFF website.