Toya Boudy is a culinarian, author, and multidisciplinary artist from New Orleans who has turned her life, culture, and grind into food, storytelling, and TV. We sit down with Toya to talk about growing up on the West Bank in a creative, food-loving family, cooking for the neighborhood at 15, navigating teen pregnancy and struggle, and eventually finding her voice through poetry, acting, culinary school, and television. We get into how she built her career on her own terms, kept her Blackness and integrity front and center, and why competition and comparison are illusions when you’re actually walking in your purpose.
We also dig into the soul of New Orleans food and culture and how different cuisines across the world are more connected than people think. Toya shares the story behind her cookbook Cooking for the Culture (and her next one), plus the deeply personal origin of her vegan ice cream brand, Poetic Just•Ice Cream. We talk about fear, faith, imagination as “God’s playground,” leaving “safe” jobs, betting on yourself, and why living in alignment with who you really are has a way of bringing the right people, opportunities, and flavors straight to your table.
Say More with Carla Pesono is a bold, unfiltered podcast where food personality Carla Pesono sits down with the most interesting chefs, musicians, artists, and community figures—from New Orleans and beyond. A former TV news anchor turned food creator and media personality, Carla brings her newsroom curiosity and kitchen-table honesty into every conversation. It’s not about small talk. It’s about the full story—the messy, inspiring, real stuff people rarely get asked. Let’s pour a glass & Say More.
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