Food Without Borders

As a queer Jamaican-American, DeVonn Francis thinks a lot about home—as a place he grew up, a destination he returns to, and a body he inhabits. After moving from his hometown in Virginia to study performance art at Cooper Union in New York City, where he says he “became a person,” his wanted to infuse art and performance with his family’s own rich tradition of cooking and sharing meals that celebrate Caribbean culture. His vision was brought to life through Yardy, an experiential events company founded last year that uses the dinner table as a site for artistic intervention and social engagement. Francis is the chef and founder who describes Yardy as “an island for queer Caribbean dreams.” Thoughtful words, colorful, vibrant foods, and joyful music shared with a mix of friends and strangers compose Yardy dinners where themes embrace, rather than shy away, from the complex relationship between identity, place, and belonging.

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On today's show we speak with Mayada Anjari, the author of the cookbook, The Bread And Salt Between Us. Mayada is from Syria and she came to the United States in 2016 with her husband and four children under the Refugee Admissions Program of the U.S. Government. Her book was created collaboratively with photographer Liz Clayman, food stylist Mira Evnine ( both in studio) and co-author Jennifer Sit. Each person involved with the book volunteered their time and talents so that all proceeds will benefit Mayada's family and other refugees and asylum seekers.

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Caracas-born culinary artist and self-taught chef Mercedes Golip remembers being a picky eater as a child. Now, her life revolves around experimenting with food. Years after she and her husband immigrated to Miami, they moved to NYC where her evolving curiosity for food was met with an abundance of CSA vegetables. Longing for food from home inspired her to recreate traditional Venezuelan dishes using ingredients grown in New York, but she wondered, is this still Venezuelan food?—a weighty question amidst the political turmoil & dire food shortages back home, and an anti-immigrant administration leading the US. Food has been the question and the answer, prompting Mercedes to share her food culture through pop-up dinners, culinary classes and cooking demos that explore questions of authenticity and creativity.

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After moving from her hometown of Boston to New York City for college, Cleopatra Zuli saw that something was missing from the local dining experiences where thoughtful conversations were accidental and safe space often in short supply. Having used food to educate and empower queer communities of color and their allies for years, Cleo founded BLK Palate, a culinary art collective based in Best-Stuy curating purpose-driven dining experiences that honor the African diaspora, decolonize ideas around Black food, promote healing and wellness, and (typically) end with a dance party.

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Raised in Ghana, Essie Bartels came to the United States when she was 18 with a dream of working her way up the ranks in corporate America. Disheartened by the food she encountered in the U.S, she switched gears and created Essie Spice, a small-batch spice and sauce company inspired by the flavors of West Africa and history and knowledge passed down from three generations.

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Nik Sharma is the writer, photographer, and recipe developer behind A Brown Table, an award-winning blog. His weekly column, A Brown Kitchen, appears in the San Francisco Chronicle His newly released cookbook, Season, is based on his blog and tells the story of his upbringing in Mumbai and his journey to the United States in order to live as openly gay man. Through cooking, Nik was able to discover an outlet for his creativity and unite the flavors of his childhood in India and his current life in California.

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When Jerusalem-born Reem Kassis left home at age 17 for university in the United States, she vowed she'd never never end up in the kitchen. After a 10-year career in business, she found herself nostalgic for her country's rich food traditions and decided to write a cookbook, despite not having any professional culinary or writing experience. Tune in to hear Reem Kassis tell the story of The Palestinian Table--a book she created that chronicles her Palestinian upbringing and celebrates the cuisine of her heritage.

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Surbhi Sahni is a veteran NYC chef and the creative director at Saar Indian Bistro. Surbhi landed her first restaurant job over 20 years ago in an all-female professional kitchen in Delhi before she moved to the US where she juggled graduate work in food studies at New York University with long hours in restaurant kitchens. Now in New York City's dining scene—an industry still dominated by male chefs—Surbhi is known for her creative concepts that blend contemporary and traditional flavors. Her work reflects a deep appreciation for regional Indian home cookery and the generations of women who have contributed to it.

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Naz Deravian is the award-winning writer of the blog and cookbook, Bottom Of The Pot. Naz's family fled Iran in 1980 amidst the Iranian Revolution and hostage crisis. Her new cookbook tells the story of her journey from Iran to the United States via Italy and Canada, and is a vibrant collection of Persian recipes and food memories.

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Chef Lucas Sin of Junzi Kitchen opened his first restaurant at the age of 16 in an abandoned newspaper factory in his hometown of Hong Kong and then ran a pop-up restaurant out of dorm at Yale University. With Junzi Kitchen, he aims to update the narrative on the modern Chinese everyday food experience in the United States.

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