On this episode, Zella interviews personal chef and caterer Chef Benjamin “BJ” Dennis. Dennis was born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina, and infuses the flavors and culture of the lowcountry into his native Gullah Geechee cuisine, bringing a new taste to an ever expanding culinary palate of the southern U.S. What differentiates Chef BJ’s food from his contemporaries in “southern” cooking is the homage he pays to his Gullah Geechee heritage, a culture formed by enslaved West and...

On this episode of Culture & Flavor, Zella talks with Dr. David Katerere, Research Platform Chair of Pharmaceutical and Biotech Advancement in Africa (PBA2) at Tshwane University of Technology in South Africa. He is the Co-Director of the recently established CSIR / TUT Cannabis and Hemp Research Centre. In this capacity, they provide contract extraction and formulation services for farmers and entrepreneurs in South Africa and the SADC region. He is the co-inventor of the nutraceuticals...

On this episode of Culture & Flavor, Zella talks with Tunde Wey, a Nigerian social practice artist using food, finance and investment capital to address economic disparities across geographies and demographics. His work engages systems that create material disparity, focusing particularly on how economics and finance impact working class Black people globally. Wey uses performance and installation, film, food, writing, and finance to confront disparities in material conditions and attempt...

On this episode, Zella talks to her favorite high school teacher, former Dance Director of the Lincoln Park High School Concert Dancers in Chicago, Illinois Efé McWorter. Efé, pronounced E-Fay, hails from the concert dance world of Chicago. Affectionately known as Mama E, she has brought a 40-year Chicago foundation of professional concert modern dance to LA where an actor flowed forth, winning the DC Black Film Festival 2019 Best Actress Award for her role in Tony Scott’s “TOGETHER.” She has...

On this episode, Zella talks with Dr. Malinda Maynor Lowery and Hannah Goins. Dr. Lowery is a historian and documentary film producer who is a member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. In July 2021, she joined Emory University as the Cahoon Family Professor of American History, after spending 12 years at UNC-Chapel Hill and 4 years at Harvard University. Her second book, The Lumbee Indians: An American Struggle, was published by UNC Press in 2018. The book is a survey of Lumbee history...

On this episode, Zella talks to Charity Blanchett, an Indigenous Yup'ik and Black Award-Winning Non-Profit Founder and CEO, Public Speaker, and Social Impact Entrepreneur dedicated to empowering Indigenous youth and championing cultural identity. As the Founder and CEO of Dipping Spoon, a pioneering non-profit Hospitality Agency, Charity directs her efforts towards serving the luxury needs of Indigenous Youth, guided by principles of access, representation, and cultural identity. Under her...

On this episode of Culture & Flavor, Zella continues her conversation with Madame Barbara Trevigne to talk about the legacy of Marie Laveau, Voodoo Queen of New Orleans. Trevigne, a 7th Ward Native of New Orleans, shares her research about growing up Creole in New Orleans, New Orleans food, religous and death traditions, and the importance of Madame Marie Laveau.

On this episode of Culture & Flavor, Zella sits down with Mariama Diallo, Brooklyn-based renowned filmmaker, writer, and director. Her debut feature, Master, from Amazon Studios, was released in March 2022 after premiering in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the Sundance Film Festival. Previous works include the short films Hair Wolf (Sundance 2018) and White Devil (TIFF 2021), as well as HBO’s Random Acts of Flyness. She has been featured in Variety’s 10 Directors to Watch and Filmmaker...

On this episode of Culture & Flavor, Zella sits down with Chef Jonathan Rhodes from Houston, Texas. Chef Jonny’s work experience is founded in time at several high-profile restaurants including Gramercy Tavern, The Inn at Dos Brisas, and Oxheart. During this time, Rhodes was inspired to launch the Jensen Chronicle, Indigo to Broham, and Food Fight Farms. Chef Rhodes' mission is to continue advancing the culture through agriculture and land ownership as it represents the sacrifice and...

On this episode of Culture & Flavor, Zella talks with A'Lelia Bundles about the legacy of Madam C.J. Walker, Zella's great grandfather Dr. Joseph Henry Ward (who was Madam Walker's doctor and friend), and A'Lelia's soon to be released book, "The Joy Goddess: A'Lelia Walker and the Harlem Renaissance." A’Lelia Bundles is the author of "On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker," a New York Times Notable Book about her entrepreneurial great-great-grandmother and the...

On this episode of Culture & Flavor, Zella talks with Chef Toya Boudy about growing up in New Orleans and her journey to be authentically herself in food media. Chef Toya specializes in putting a unique twist on New Orleans-style dishes and cooks with a Southern flare. As a native New Orleanian, she started honing her culinary skills at a young age and used her talent to kickstart a successful career. As a culinary authority on Cajun and Creole cuisine, she enjoys bringing creativity to...

On this episode of Culture & Flavor, Zella talks with Aimée Wallin, a political foodie that advocates for local eating, sustainable production methods and preservation of Black food cultures. Wallin is Swedish/ Malian and works with the Non-profit Ghana Food Movement (GFM), a network for food actors in Ghana. GFM's vision is a resilient local food system that provides jobs and nutritious food for all Ghanaians. GFM's is currently a food education hub in Accra, Ghana opening in September...

On this episode of Culture & Flavor, Zella talks with Patty Durães, a food scholar with expertise in Afro-diasporic heritage in Brazilian cuisine based in São Paulo, Brazil. They discuss Patty's journey as an Afro-Brazilian food scholar and activist. Durães' research includes bibliographic and field research, articles, and speaking engagements at various institutions such as MASP, Itaú Cultural, Preta Hub, and SESC SP. Additionally, she has contributed to the São Paulo Book Bienal and...

On this episode of Culture & Flavor, Zella talks with Dr. Howard Conyers about the legacy of whole hog barbecue and moonsine. Dr. Conyers serves as the A1 Mechanical Design Lead, and is responsible for facilitating design efforts for systems used in testing and supporting RS-25 testing. Dr. Conyers, a NASA Stennis Space Center engineer, most recently served as the Principal Investigator & Project Manager for the High Dynamic Range Stereo-X (HiDyRS-X) project. In 2009, at the age of...

On this episode of Culture & Flavor, Zella talks with Klancy Miller, author of For the Culture: Phenomenal Black Women and Femmes in Food. She also wrote Cooking Solo: The Fun of Cooking For Yourself and is the founder of For the Culture: A Magazine Celebrating Black Women and Femmes in Food and Wine. After graduating from Columbia University, and working in international development in French Polynesia, she earned a diplôme de pâtisserie from Le Cordon Bleu Paris and apprenticed in the...

This week on Culture and Flavor we join our host Zella Palmer for a vibrational conversation with Chef Kudzai Bingepinge, co-founder and Chief Product Officer at African Flavor Labs, N'UM African Artisinal Salts, and Executive Director of Gastronomy at Kings Kraal in Johannesburg, South Africa. Kudzai is at the forefront of integrating indigenous ingredients with sustainable practices. His work is aimed at elevating African cuisine on the international stage while honoring the continent's...

Megan Braden-Perry is a published author, award-winning freelance journalist, public speaker, photographer and multigenerational New Orleans native. Her books include Crescent City Snow: The Ultimate Guide to New Orleans Snowball Stands (UL Press, 2017) and Allen the Alligator Counts Through New Orleans: A New Orleans Kids’ Counting Book (2014). In 2019, she was awarded the Jack Jones Literary Arts retreat Roxane Gay fellowship in prose, for her upcoming novel Greener Grass, Different...

Angie and June Provost are farmer-activists residing in New Iberia, LA. They are the creators of the Provost Initiative, a venture that encompasses a for-profit farm named Provost Farm LLC and a non-nonprofit organization called the Provost Farm Heritage Center and Community Garden, Inc. Their mission is to educate and empower the next generation of farmers and farm workers, while promoting diversity and inclusion in agriculture. Zella talks with June & Angie Provost about their legacy as...

A serendipitous encounter with some New Orleanians brought Chef Serigne Mbaye to the Crescent City. Serigne was born in the United States, but raised and educated largely in Senegal. A love for cooking led him to New England Culinary Institute where he graduated at the top of his class in 2016. Though he started as a line cook, he rose to the level of sous chef at Commander's Palace and was the sous chef at Café Adelaide before its closing. He left New Orleans to hone his skills at Atelier...

Joseph Baba Ifa is a Babalawo in the Yoruba Lucumi spiritual traditions of Cuba with over 20 years of experience in the Ifa and Orisha culture! Born in Hialeah, an area of Miami, FIorida many consider to be the capital of Ifa and Orisha practice in the United States, Baba was exposed to Ifa at a very young age. Through countless experiences that span over two decades, Baba has been able to identify key topics that help those with interest on their lfa journey. The desire to guide others is...

Chipo Kandake is a Dancer, Griot, Musicologist and Filmmaker who studies dance movement as it relates to social life and culture throughout the Afro- diaspora. (Bachata of Haiti, Bellydance of Nubia, Cumbia of Mexico and Second line of New Orleans) After receiving her BA at Dillard University (New Orleans, LA) in Filmmaking, Kandake continued her research abroad (Dominican Republic, Cuba, Mexico and Egypt) studying the landscape of dance and its connection to culture, community, and...

Angela Locklear Queen is the author of Native American Herbal Medicine for Beginners. Angela has been decolonizing wellness/herbalism spaces for almost 20 years. Today she uses her extensive knowledge in herbalism and nutrition as a marketing professional supporting conscious and ethical brands that choose to avoid appropriation and make a difference in the world. Additionally, she nurtures an herbal tea brand called Elemental Herbal Teas. Angela is a member of the Lumbee Tribe of North...

On this episode I am thrilled to welcome my dear friend Prince Lobo to the show. At 25 years old, he is one of the youngest award-winning small business owner chefs and winemakers in New Orleans. Prince serves as the General Manager of Addis NOLA, a highly rated and recognized Ethiopian restaurant founded by his mother and his father and he is the creator of their specialty Honey Wine. Today we'll hear his family's story of coming to the United States, plus we discuss what's so special about...

Joëlle Dussek (pronouns: Lï pronounced 'Lee' in Haitian Kreyol, All the pronouns in any colonizer language) is a hybrid of many ancestral markers, geographical locations, skills, and careers. Being both Haitian & African American ascendant person who hails from two illustrious cities, New York and New Orleans. Joëlle’s working background has been in entertainment for over 20 years, and is accredited on multiple award winning shows like Food Network's “Chopped” and 2017 #1 iTunes podcast...