When I fell down the rabbit hole into the world of food and drink, Black faces were few and far between. Whether there were 50 or 500 people in the room, chances were, I could expect maybe ten Black people to be present, many of them, myself included, there to work, photographing, serving food, tending bar, or volunteering, checking in guests. 

Ten years ago, things began to change. In June of 2015, Dr. Lezli Harvell hosted her first Iconoclast Dinner Experience at the James Beard House in New York, and Toni Tipton-Martin brought folks together in Austin for the first Soul Summit. In the following years, the Soul Food Sessions, organized by Greg and Subrina Collier, hosted collaborative dinners and events with up-and-coming Black chefs in Charlotte and in New Orleans, Resistance Served, led by Ashtin Berry, gathered us to have challenging conversations about the community and the industry. 

These were the events and gatherings that inspired Colleen Vincent and me to form Black Food Folks six years ago, and they served as the foundation for the joyous moments and gatherings that have proliferated since the trauma of 2020. 

Large and small, we have more places to celebrate our food, history, and culture together than ever before. I’ve had the privilege of bearing witness to many of those moments, and I continue to seek them out.

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