Culture & Flavor

Jim is at home at every level, whether as a six-time USA delegate to Slow Food’s Terra Madre in Italy, a visitor to Cuba to study organic farming, extensive work in urban agriculture, or planting on his 30-acre farm. Jim maintains that the local food and sustainable agriculture movement is the foundation of a sustainable community. As a scuba diver and photographer, Jim has traveled widely to capture the beauty of the land and oceans. He has exhibited his photos in books, hospitals, galleries, and magazines. Working now on two books, Jim has contributed articles and photographs to We Are Each Other’s Harvest, Sustainable World Source Book, Encyclopedia of Northern Kentucky, Kentucky African American Encyclopedia, Latino Studies, Biodynamics Journal, African American Heritage Guide, Stella Natura and other publications. Jim believes that we need some big ideas that connect humans in a sacred relationship with the Earth and Cosmos, which will require us to think not just “out of the box” but “out-of-the-barn”.

On this episode of Culture & Flavor, Zella speaks with Chef Noni, a Chef, mother, healer, teacher, event coordinator, facilitator, a community activist and leader in Johannesburg, South Africa. The Great Mother at Noni’s Home Dish is the portal used to reconnect food and people, rekindling kinship between our people and the land through unorthodox (Forgotten) culinary food experiences, storytelling and food rituals. Noni, a South African indigenous Food specialist is building a bridge to remembering and healing using the grains of the First People. Noni’s Fire Food Experience has been activating indigenous knowledge systems with both local and global communities since 2021, Working with young minds and securing our food ways through the art of foraging and identifying lost foods and medicine in the urban setting, An advocate for sustainable ways of being through wellness practices and retreats. Founder of Emandulo Livity restoring balance between man and nature inspired by the ancients. Head Chef and partner at Sacred Table. One of the leading chefs co-creating alongside the FERL (Food Evolution Research Lab) research team at UJ on ready to eat indigenous food concepts.

On this episode of Culture and Flavor, Zella reflects on her visit to Tapi Tapi African Ice Cream in Capetown, South Africa. Tapiwa Guzha, born in Zimbabwe has a PhD in molecular biology with a focus on plant genetics. Tapiwa is the founder and owner of Tapi Tapi Ice Cream nestled next to a bookstore in Cape Town, South Africa, Tapi Tapi ice cream is made with and inspired by African indigenous flavors and ingredients. Since opening in 2020, Tapi Tapi has served flavors from across the African continent.

On this episode of Culture & Flavor, Zella reflects about her trip to South Africa and Zimbabwe with Chef Kudzai Bingepinge, a Chef, explorer, storyteller and co-founder of N/UM African Artisanal Salts. Kudzai is a key figure in the movement to elevate African gastronomy and culture through flavor, aiming to showcase the continent's rich culinary traditions and heritage. Kudzai is also the co-owner of King's Kraal, a culinary innovation lab and restaurant in Johannesburg, South Africa and Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

On this episode of Culture & Flavor, Zella talks with Leon Bates about Black Doctors during the late 19th century and early 20th century, including his research on her great grandfather Dr. Joseph Henry Ward. Bates' research focuses on U.S. history of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era (GAPE), the end of Reconstruction to the Great Depression (1877-1929). His research concentrates on the Urban Environment, with interests in Education, Housing, Infrastructure, Labor, Medicine, Policing, Violence, Police Violence, and the intersection of Race. Bates holds a Bachelor of Arts in Africana Studies and History from Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. A Master of Arts in Pan African Studies from the University of Louisville and a Master of Arts in History from Wayne State University with a Graduate Certificate in Archival Administration. Currently, he is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Pan African Studies at the University of Louisville.

On this episode of Culture & Flavor, Zella talks with Dr. Guido Marcelle, a world renowned pharmacognosist, farmer and Grenadian about his culture and passion for botany. Dr. Marcelle is retired and is now a practicing natural farmer/ environmentalist and instructor in farming and sustainable agriculture, science, and innovation, particularly to youths and women. He worked with the Government of Grenada for years as Chief Analytical Chemist and Head of the Grenada Produce Chemist Laboratory with analytical and managerial responsibilities in the areas of Foods, Food Technology, Forensic drugs, and Pesticides among others. He is a graduate of the University of the West Indies, Trinidad, with a BSc. (Botany, Chemistry), MSc. ( Chemistry) and from the University of Illinois, U S A, Ph.D. ( Pharmacognosy ) and has published papers in the areas of Chemistry, Pharmacognosy, and Botany as well as authored two books and co-authored Caribbean Spice Island Plants and has done a variety of presentations locally, regionally and internationally.

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 Central Africans in the coastal regions of South Carolina and Georgia known as the lowcountry, as well as parts of Florida and North Carolina. Dennis infuses the techniques of his ancestors, learned from four years of study in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, as well as the lessons of his grandparents about eating from the land, to create fresh interpretations of local dishes focusing on in-season, locally sourced vegetables and seafood. Recent trips to Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti, Barbados, Dominica, U.S. Virgin Islands, Angola, Bahamas, Benin, Togo, Senegal, Gambia, and Cameroon brought his work full circle. He has been featured on the Netflix award winning series "High on the Hog" and "Chefs Table," as well numerous newspaper and magazine publications. BJ connects the people and cultures of the African diaspora through food, bringing back a true taste of Gullah Geechee culture. Culture & Flavor is Powered by Simplecast.

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 Niselo and Synmba, which promote wholesome, evidence-based nutrition and are commercialized for the market in Botswana and South Africa. More recently these products have been licensed to BiaGo in Scotland for entry into the UK and Kenyan markets. David is also the Co-Editor of several books including the African Herbal Pharmacopoeia (AfHP), Ethnoveterinary Botanical Medicines (T&F) (2010), Systems Analysis Approach for Complex Global Challenges (Springer) (2018), and Traditional and Indigenous Knowledge for the Modern Era (T&F) (2019). Dr. Katerere teaches and researches across the pharmaceutical and biotech value chain, including product development from medicinal plants (for food, nutraceuticals and medicines) and clinical testing of botanicals, cannabis, medicine, and pharmaceuticals. Culture & Flavor is Powered by Simplecast.

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 interventions to address these socially constructed inequalities. Wey’s work has been featured in The New York Times, NPR, GQ, The Washington Post, VOGUE, Black Enterprise, Food and Wine, as well as Oxford American, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Roads & Kingdom, and a couple cookbooks/anthologies. His docuseries is a 2024 CANNESERIES Official Selection. He is a recipient of the Monroe Fellowship from Tulane University (2023) and the Ford Foundation Just Films Grant (2022). Culture & Flavor is Powered by Simplecast.

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 joyously extended her love of performance to the world of entertainment through television, film, print, and theater. Efé is grateful for opportunities extended to continue her deep commitment to a life of enlightenment, illumination and the beauty that lies in telling stories through all media outlets. Grandmother to an actor and musician, she thanks her beautiful and talented daughter Mei-Ling for opening this fascinating world to her. Culture & Flavor is Powered by Simplecast.

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 from the eighteenth century to the present, written for a general audience. Her first book, Lumbee Indians in the Jim Crow South: Race, Identity, and the Making of a Nation (UNC Press, 2010) won several awards, including Best First Book of 2010 in Native American and Indigenous Studies. Titles she has produced include the Peabody Award-winning "A Chef’s Life" (PBS, 2013-2018), "Somewhere South" (PBS, 2020), "Road to Race Day" (Crackle, 2020), the Emmy-nominated "Private Violence" (HBO, 2014), "In the Light of Reverence" (PBS, 2001), and two short films, "Real Indian" (1996), and "Sounds of Faith" (1997), both of which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Her current projects include essays on the shared history of Black and Indigenous Americans and a media experience on humor and racial stereotypes with the Smithsonian Institution. Her latest film, Lumbeeland, received an award for best production from the American Indian Heritage Celebration Award. She has written over twenty book chapters or articles, on topics including American Indian migration and identity, school desegregation, federal recognition, religious music, and foodways, and has published essays for popular audiences in places like the New York Times, Oxford American, and Daily Yonder. She has won fellowships and grants from the Mellon Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Sundance Institute, the Ford Foundation, and others. Hannah Goins is a member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. She received her J.D. with certification in Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy and M.P.S. in Indigenous Governance from the University of Arizona in 2022. She also holds a B.A. in American Indian Studies from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. She maintains a commitment to advocating for Indigenous Peoples and communities and fighting for the recognition and application of their rights. Culture & Flavor is Powered by Simplecast.

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 leadership, Dipping Spoon envisions a global landscape where Indigenous youth confidently embrace their heritage, transcending institutional boundaries to excel as creative entrepreneurial culinary pioneers, blending Food, Science, Media, Design, and Public Policy into a harmonious force for change. A passionate advocate for preserving Native American food culture, Charity fervently emphasizes its significance in reflecting history, values, and stewardship of natural resources. Her speaking engagements resonate with audiences, shedding light on the profound impact of food culture on Native American communities. Culture & Flavor is Powered by Simplecast.

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. Culture & Flavor is Powered by Simplecast.

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 magazine’s 25 New Faces of Independent Film. Photo courtesy of Nechama Leitner. Culture & Flavor is Powered by Simplecast.

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 beauty of the African American experience. Culture & Flavor is Powered by Simplecast.

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 nonfiction inspiration for Self Made, the fictional Netflix series starring Octavia Spencer. "Joy Goddess: A’Lelia Walker and the Harlem Renaissance," the first major biography of her great-grandmother, will be published in 2025 by Scribner. She is the founder of the Madam Walker Family Archives and serves on several nonprofit boards, including the Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America at Harvard’s Radcliffe Institute, the March on Washington Film Festival, Biographer’s International (BIO), Indiana Landmarks, the March on Washington Film Festival, the Women’s Suffrage National Monument Foundation, and the Smithsonian’s American Women’s History Initiative. A former network television executive and Emmy Award winning producer at ABC News and NBC News, she is a former chair of the National Archives Foundation and a former vice chair of Columbia University’s board of trustees. Photo courtesy of Anja Chibis. Culture & Flavor is Powered by Simplecast.

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 the kitchen and teaching people how to take a piece of New Orleans back home with them. Culture & Flavor is Powered by Simplecast.

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 this year. More info on how to support: ghanafoodmovement.com. Aimée is always ready to connect with foodies and food practitioners around the world. Culture & Flavor is Powered by Simplecast.

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 the "Coisas Daqui" program on Globo Minas, expanding the dialogue on the importance of food in the construction of Brazilian identity. As a former TEDx Speaker, Durães shared her ideas in the talk "Let's Peel more and Unpack Less." Durães is the author of the course "Beyond the Mouth," a transatlantic journey through Afro-diasporic food in Brazil. Currently, Durães serves as the pedagogical coordinator at the Peripheral Gastronomy school and works as a literary project intermediary for the Companhia das Letras publishing house. Durães' passion lies in connecting Brazil's cultural and ethnic diversity to its cuisine, expanding the understanding of the intersection between food and identity. Tune in for a great conversation about Brazilian cuisine and culture! Photo courtesy of Vitória Leona. Culture & Flavor is Powered by Simplecast.

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 27, Dr. Conyers earned a Doctorate in Mechanical Engineering from Duke University while being 1 of less than 20 African American in the country to earn this degree. He completed his undergraduate study in Bio-environmental Engineering in 2004 from North Carolina A&T State University. Outside of work, Dr. Conyers has equally impressive attributes that makes him sought out nationally. Conyers is a noted traditional South Carolina whole hog barbecue pitmaster. Dr. Conyers hosted Nourish, a digital show for PBS, which discussed food, culture, and science across the American South. The impact for the first three episodes, includes approximately 1.2M views and nearly 15,000 combined followers, across two platforms. Howard has appeared on the Cooking Channel original show Man, Fire, Food. He has been featured in publications including Southern Living Daily South, the New Orleans Magazine, the Advocate, and the New Orleans Time Picayune, to name a few. He is the founder of the Black Barbecue Hall of Fame and the Co-Founder of Backyard Distillery. Culture & Flavor is Powered by Simplecast.