We're back with my gal Danielle, Owner of Octimber (@octimber via Instagram) and my personal fave, her food blog @followmygut  

Danielle is a Jamaican-American from California with a keen eye for restaurant discovery both locally and internationally. She's reviewed various restaurants, raves about her faves and does food photography as well as builds food photography backgrounds through her woodworks business, Octimber.  Octimber not only offers beautiful wood backgrounds for photography, it also offers jars of joy - teeny bits of joy that she shares to brighten even the most solemn of hearts.  Outside of work, you can find her exercising daily, reading, eating her heart out or meditating. 

In this episode, we dive deep into the realm of "cocooning", something I was unfamiliar with until Danielle and I crossed paths. We disect what it means to actively cocoon and meditate, both of which Danielle does. Cocooning has helped Danielle to improve her mental health, reactions to negative situations and her overall outlook on life. We explore how cocooning helped her to find joy and how it can help you, too.

You can find Danielle via the following channels:

Follow My Gut Website | @followmygut | @octimber

Welcome Back to Season 2 of the For Your Table podcast, where we have candidly nourishing conversations. A lot’s changed in a year, and the conversations have too, with a broader scope of digestible conversations that dive into all aspects of life. From motherhood to sex, to navigating adulting and our world post pandemic, we’ve got you covered. 

In this episode, we dive into why prioritizing rest is important in our grind culture. Navigating life is far from easy and they don't really tell us how hard it is as children (at least not in our opinion). But navigating life as a new mother, post COVID AND with a full family, career and businesses, it can seem damn near impossible to prioritize rest. Jas gives a different take on it as she discusses how she stays "well-rested".

Jas is a Mother of 3, History Buff and a 5k Runner & Yogi. She lives by the idea that "Life is Calling" (as quoted by her daughter, Jada) but in order to live it, rest must be a priority. You can find Jas via the links below:

Website | Facebook | Youtube | Instagram

Guys! We made it to episode 10! Our season finale!!

Our season finale features my Girl Gigi, the Houseshoe Hostess and she’s helping us plan the perfect post covid summer dinner party! Obviously we’ve all been ready to get back out into the world after a year of being indoors! Gigi helps us figure out how to navigate hosting parties post covid to keep your family and friends safe.

You can find GiGi via her website or Instagram & she's always eager to help you plan your next function with style and finesse!

Thanks so much for making this season amazing! Feel free to keep in touch with Krissy via her Instagram and be sure to like and subscribe so you'll get all the details for season 2 this Fall!

We are winding down this season with episode 9 and I’ve got a nice twist to this episode! This episode focuses on the 5 love languages by Dr. Gary Chapman. It’s an intimate and hilarious conversation between my homegirl, Dr. Alicia Cheek & her Husband, Mr. Antoine Cheek and co-stars my fiancé, Mr. Breland Clark.

According to Dr. Chapman, there are 5 primary love languages that people speak. These languages include words of affirmation, quality time, physical touch, acts of service and receiving gifts. I loved the idea of hosting this discussion with Alicia and her husband because they have longevity within their relationship that required real work. Having grown up in two totally different dynamics, both Alicia and Antoine have completely different love languages, as many relationships often do. A little background on the two, Alicia & Antoine are HS sweethearts who met in Silver Spring, MD & have been married since July 2014. Both graduates of Kennedy High School, the two traveled to NY together for college. They both have an adorable young son named Desmond and just recently moved into their brand new home in Northern Maryland. They say the key to the longevity of their relationship is that they intentionally choose each other even when it seems impossible to do so. 

Dr. Alicia Cheek can be found via her website aliciacheekphd.com, her IG @aliciacheekphd and as 1/3 of the podcast Science for the Culture

This episode dives into the brand of Britney Chamberlain with Britney Breaks Bread. Britney is a Clinical researcher by day and a homegrown baker and chef at night! She’s built her brand, Britney Breaks Bread, into an enterprise phenom in just a little over a years time and we’re here to find out just how she did it and what motivates her. So get ready to laugh because there’s lots of chuckles in this episode as we drop gems on being part time bloggers and still living your best life.

You can find Britney across all social media channels as Britney Breaks Bread and via her website www.britneybreaksbread.com

This episode is also sponsored by Krissy’s Vinaigrettes! We’re halfway through April and revving up for reopen in May. May 1 will mark one year of running Krissy’s Vinaigrettes and there’s plenty more in store for this black woman-owned business. So stay tuned and be sure you’re subscribed to the website and following the Instagram page for great updates!

Music provided by Sidney Thomas of Glasscity Productions. You can find him on IG @_glasscity_ and also at glscty.bandcamp.com

This episode is so near and dear to my heart because it is a deep dive into all things Krissy! I chose my BFF Julia to interview me and she asked all the right questions to have me open up about my past, present...and what's going on in my future! I loved every minute of this episode and, although it's kinda long, I'm sure you'll love it too! So, grab some food or a good cocktail and catch up on all the tea on this episode.

My interviewer, Julia, has a few businesses of her own: @phoenixhorizon2017 & @aevinyl on IG and Facebook and you can make purchases for shirts and signs via phoenixhorizon2017.com

Music provided by Sidney Thomas of Glasscity Productions. You can find him on IG @_glasscity_ and also at glscty.bandcamp.com

We're Back with Episode 6 of the For Your Table podcast. This episode features an intimate conversation with health and nutrition coach, Breland Clark. Breland, a native of Mississippi, got into the health and wellness field after recognizing the lack of proper health and food practices and availability within his own community. Native to MS, he works hard to debunk dieting myths, help his customers choose beneficial wellness options and coaches around proper eating habits that can yield tangible results. Join us as we demystify diet culture and dive into some of his pet peeves when it comes to dieting, exercise and proper health practices.

You can find Breland via the following handles on IG: @818alphafitness @818alphanutrition @bakingwithmuscles His bio also contains the link to his Herbalife wellness page where he can help you pick the best products to suit your dietary needs.

This episode is also sponsored by Krissy’s Vinaigrettes! Krissy's Vinaigrettes is going on vacation in April 2021! Place your orders by 3/31/21 to get in on all the fun! We're making some major updates to the site, labels, shipping methods and inventory while on vacation! We'll be back in May with great offerings that you're sure to love!

I am so excited about the April 1st episode because it is our Easter episode and it’s an exclusive interview featuring me, interviewed by my best friend. I’m diving deep into me and you’re going to love hearing some of my self discoveries. I also have a special announcement at the end of the episode that you’re sure to love so be sure to tune in in April.

Music provided by Sidney Thomas of Glasscity Productions. You can find him on IG @_glasscity_ and also at glscty.bandcamp.com

Episode 5 of the For Your Table Podcast stars Uppi from District Delicious. This episode dives into the realm of how food directly correlates to politics and its impacts and disparities in BIPOC communities. Uppi & Kristen started District Delicious in 2016 as a hobby that quickly turned into passion. Now primarily ran by Uppi, District Delicious is a perfect blend of fun food innuendos while also shedding light on issues that intersect with food, politics and issues surrounding the DC area. While democratizing traditional food media, Uppi works to create a space of influencer authenticity and justice. She loves to bridge her passion for food and politics, advocating for progressive and just politics, and engaging the community. Join us as we dive deeper into her story.

Affiliated episode links:

DC Greens

ROC DC 

District Delicious can be found @districtdelicious on IG and Uppi can be found via IG & Twitter @largeaparna

Music provided by Sidney Thomas of Glasscity Productions. You can find him on IG @_glasscity_ and also at glscty.bandcamp.com

This episode is so powerful as it's filled with intention, revelation and awareness of being a person of color in the millennial food space and the overall food experience. Talicia is a Black Foodie with a love for all things food and helping people. Her passions led her to create a space that makes experiencing food and the preparation of it pain-free, easy and accessible for her community. In this episode, we dive into the message and verbiage around food, food products and experiences and how oftentimes there is a lack of connection in the black community. Talicia works to create a connection between food and comprehensive representation and in this episode we dive deep into what that looks like (and soooo much more!) Join us in the conversation!

You can find Talicia @foodiewithafro on Instagram, Youtube, Pinterest and Twitter. Her website is under construction but you can currently sign up for her email distribution list. 

This episode is also sponsored by Krissy’s Vinaigrettes! Throughout the month of February, take $2 off your purchase of the 8 oz Maryland’s Finest Vinaigrette using code LOVE in all caps. Enjoy our signature sauce with our Shrimp & Sausage Pasta recipe.

Music provided by Sidney Thomas of Glasscity Productions. You can find him on IG @_glasscity_ and also at glscty.bandcamp.com

Pitmaster Roger Sherman is a native of Washington, DC, and grew up eating his mother’s Kentucky-style southern cooking. Born on Christmas day, Roger fondly recounts how his mother’s labor made her unable to finish cooking the Christmas turkey– and left his father and older sister without Christmas dinner that year. A long-running family joke for his entire childhood was that when he got old enough, he owed the family a Christmas turkey. He made good on that promise when he bought his first smoker. From that long-running joke grew his passion for barbecue and in 2016, The District Pit was born.

A specific wood is used for each type of meat. The meat must be brined for a specific number of hours. His hand-crafted rubs are a perfect blend of exotic herbs and spices. Roger knows his methods take additional time and effort but maintains the reward is a moister, tastier product for his customers. You can tell barbecue is his passion by the way Roger describes the smallest details of smoking poultry, ribs, pork and beef and his smoker is prepared to maintain the perfect temperature.

Stay tuned to the end for a behind the scenes dialogue between Krissy & Roger.

You can find roger @districtpit on Instagram, via his Youtube Channel Roger Sherman Pit Perspective and via his website thedistrictpit.com

This episode is also sponsored by Krissy’s Vinaigrettes! Throughout the month of February, take $2 off your purchase of the 8 oz Maryland’s Finest Vinaigrette using code LOVE in all caps. Enjoy our signature sauce with our Shrimp & Sausage Pasta recipe.

Music provided by Sidney Thomas of Glasscity Productions. You can find him on IG @_glasscity_ and also at glscty.bandcamp.com