Bryant Terry
Chef, author, educator and activist Bryant Terry promotes a healthy, just, sustainable food system through his writing, recipes and community engagement. He is currently the Chef-in-Residence at the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) in San Francisco where he creates programming that celebrates the intersection of food, farming, health, activism, art, culture, and the African Diaspora. His cookbooks include Afro-Vegan and Vegan Soul Kitchen. Learn more about Terry here.
Chef Edna Lewis
Edna Lewis was an early champion of Southern cooking. She was born in 1916 in the small farming settlement of Freetown, Virginia the granddaughter of an emancipated slave who helped start the community. She is one of the few black female women professional chefs during the 1940’s and 50’s. Her cookbooks build reverence for traditional southern cooking including The Edna Lewis Cookbook and The Taste of Country Cooking. Learn more about Lewis here.
Michael Twitty
Food historian and writer Michael Twitty teaches about African American foodways from Africa to the American South and explores identity cooking. To honor the food past and provide for the food future is what Michael calls “culinary justice.” Learn more about his work here.
Michelle Obama
Known for her championing of children and nutrition, Michelle Obama launched the Let’s Move! Initiative to combat childhood obesity in the United States. Additionally, she promoted gardening, cooking at home and staying active and helped to lift the My Plate nutrition model used by Second Harvest Food Bank. Learn more about My Plate here.
Geogia Gilmore
Georgia Gilmore was a mother, midwife and cook in Montgomery, Alabama who turned into an activist during the Montgomery Bus Boycotts. After losing her job as a cook due to her participation in local protests, Gilmore formed the Club from Nowhere to cook for and raise money for the Civil Rights activists, using food to bring communities together and nourish a movement. Learn more about Gilmore here.
