Brown Enough

When Chef Miguel Trinidad was introduced to cannabis, it was all about getting high. But as he got older and learned about the medicinal benefits of marijuana, he began to think about it differently. Now, he is taking cannabis to the next level. He’s infusing cannabis with food at private dinner parties. These dinners are invite only. Luckily, Chris got his invitation. Today, Chris chats with Chef Miguel about the art of cooking with cannabis, how Chef Miguel got started in the industry and how he is using these dinners to de-stigmatize the stereotype of cannabis.

If you open your Instagram account and search for the name Sarah Bahbah, you’ll find yourself looking at beautiful images inspired by romance and films. These images -- of loving couples, luxurious bathtubs and platters of food -- are just a glimpse of the world the Palestinian/Jordanian artist Sarah Bahbah has created with her photographs. And today, Chris and her chat about her visual art and identity.

You can purchase of book of her copy Dear Love here.

How does masculinity show up in relationships, everyday life and in culture? For this week's episode, Chris gets deep into the topic with Mark Pagan, creator of the Other Men Need Help podcast. And then he welcomes another special guest --  his pops William Rivas. Together they chat about the stereotypes of masculinity that exist in Latin American culture and how William has gone through his own evolution.

Classical music is pretty much a space where Black and Brown folks are missing. But there’s someone close to the Brown Enough team who’s shaking things up to make the world of classical music more diverse. She’s Jazmín Morales, chief of staff at the prestigious Juilliard School and partner of executive producer Carlos E. Hernandez. Chris and Jazmín take us on a deep dive into the world of classical music, discuss what it was like playing mariachi growing up and how educational institutions should support the arts.

Chris has a little secret! He’s an actor but he surprisingly doesn’t watch much TV. He’s a busy man. He’s either auditioning for roles, writing and/or hosting this podcast. So for this week’s episode, he chats with television aficionado Ashley Ray. Ashley is the host of TV I Say, an Earwolf podcast that celebrates all things television. Both Chris and Ashley discuss their favorite shows, how Black and Brown representation on TV has evolved, and the insidious role advertising plays in all of this.

We need your help. We are looking for YOUR STORIES about meditation. Do you meditate ⁠— or feel that meditation is accessible to you? Have you ever been the only Brown person in a meditation class or space? Have you tried to introduce this practice to your community in an interesting way? Tell us everything. Send your stories in an email or as a voice memo to [email protected]. You could wind up on a future episode! 

There've been a slew of terms used to identify people of Latin American heritage over the years: Hispanic, Latino, Latina, and Latinx. That last one -- Latinx -- has sparked controversy, headlines and even political fights recently. So this week, Chris dives deeper into the conversation of assimilation, self identity, census checkboxes and who gets to police language. He's joined by fellow writer Julissa Arce, author of You Sound Like a White Girl: The Case For Rejecting Assimilation, who has her own thoughts on the term Latinx.

Kweli Caldereon has been a makeup artist for more than 20 years. She's often called when films, tv shows or music videos need someone to take care of hair and makeup for Black creatives. She even did host Chris' makeup once, on the set of Call Me Kat. Today, Chris chats with Kweli about how she got started working in Hollywood, what changes she’s seen in the industry, why segregation in the beauty industry persists, and the changes she wants to see.

When Chris interviewed his dad for the Rubirosa podcast, he found out a secret about his dad's real name. That story inspired today's episode, which is all about names. And the special guest is YOU! Tune in for stories about beautiful, Brown names: what you were named after, whether people can pronounce your name and how some of y’all are reclaiming your names.

Chris speaks very little Spanish. A fact he's been ashamed of for quite some time since his parents and sister are fluent. But a little while back, he enrolled in a program called "Spanish Sin Pena" that aims to empower folks with Latin American heritage to speak Spanish confidently. Today, he chats with the founders of Spanish Sin Pena about how it started, the impact they are making and why so many people feel shame and embarrassment about not knowing their parents' first language.

Before moving to LA, Chris was born and raised in Queens, New York. He remembers visiting his abuela in Jackson Heights, where more than 150 languages are spoken. Today, he talks to the New York State Senator who reps Jackson Heights, Jessica Ramos, about her career serving one of the most diverse communities in the world.