Award-Winning Somali Author and Entrepreneur Hawa Hassan
Diaspora Food Stories
Hawa Hassan was born in Somalia and left before the age of six due to conflict in the country. As a refugee in Kenya with her mother and siblings, Hawa would later receive an opportunity to leave the country at the age of seven and relocate to Seatle, Washington where she would complete her schooling before moving to New York to pursue a career in modeling. After a years of modeling, successfully, she began to look at her life differently and time visiting her family in Norway where they now lived, set her on the course of using food as a way to connect with loved ones and create a space to...
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Ustawi Afrika Founder Doreen Irungu
Diaspora Food Stories
Doreen Irungu is the founder of Ustawi Afrika, an amazing organization that trains women farmers around food sovereignty and sustainability. To date, her organization has worked with thousands of women and continues to champion women's contributions to agriculture in Kenya. Her work has transformed the livelihoods of over 10,000 women farmers, significantly improving food security, economic independence, and resilience to climate change across Kenya’s semi-arid regions. Born in rural Kenya to parents who are coffee farmers, Doreen saw first-hand the hard work and also the impact...
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Championing Nigerian Food Culture with Gbolabo Gibbs Adebakin and Nkesi Enyioha
Diaspora Food Stories
Nigerian chef Gbolabo Gibbs Adebakin, known simply as Chef Gibbs, founded the Nigeria Food Summit to host the largest gathering of chefs, restauranteurs, farmers, producers and more for an amazing day of speakers, panel discussions, master classes and networking. Set to take place again on Friday, March 21 on Victoria Island in Lagos, Nigeria, Chef Gibbs joins us along with restauranteur and chef Nkesi Enyioha to discuss the conversations taking place as well as the work being done to amplify the rich traditions and heritage of Nigerian food culture as Nigerian cuisine continues to take its...
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Zuleeats Founder Zule Ankamah
Diaspora Food Stories
Zule Ankamah is the chef and owner of Zuleeats in Windsor, Ontario, known for her savory Ghanaian meat, veggie and vegan pies. Once a hobby to take up time during the pandemic, the mother of 4 left her 26-year career at Caesars Windsor to start her entrepreneurial journey and hasn't looked back. Passionate about connecting others to her culture through food, foodies can enjoy Zuleeats at its location on Howard Avenue, at local retailers and at events. Listen and Connect Diaspora Food Stories is produced by The Global Food and Drink Initiative, a 501c3 nonprofit. Together with...
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Pass the Peaz Founder Carl Vann
Diaspora Food Stories
If there is anything we remember from our childhood, it is food and the hands that prepared it. For Carl Vann, it is his grandmother who he would sit and watch in the kitchen as she prepared some of the family favorites that he as an adult would later recreate. This time spent together before losing her when he was 12 would be the inspiration behind his business and app called Pass the Peaz. The South Carolina native is on a mission to help families save their cherished recipes for the next generations while supporting food insecure individuals through its food rescue initiative. ...
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Cooking Show Advisor Lenzy Ruffin
Diaspora Food Stories
Lenzy Ruffin is a photographer based in the Washington, DC area who began working with other small business owners looking to do videos to promote their services. As someone who grew up in a family of amazing cooks, it was a cooking show that caught his attention one day on PBS and after watching, he set out to create one as a personal project, eventually finding a chef and producing more than 100 episodes. With many lessons learned, he is now helping other aspiring cooking show hosts create their own magic in the kitchen for YouTube audiences around the world through his company as a cooking...
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Artisan Baker Azikiwee Anderson of Rize Up Bakery
Diaspora Food Stories
San Francisco private chef turned artisan baker, Azikiwee "Z"Anderson, turned to sourdough bread baking during the COVID-19 pandemic as a creative outlet and a way to cope with the social unrest following the murder of George Floyd in 2020. After many tries and the determination to get it right, he slowly built a following among friends and family, which today includes the Bay Area and beyond as the owner of Rize Up Bakery. Azikiwee's story starts in Louisiana with a move to California following a life-changing event for his family. What follows is a journey of creativity,...
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2024 Diaspora Food Stories Year-End Thank you
Diaspora Food Stories
We did it! Another great year of conversations with amazing trendsetters in food, drink and travel. We're wrapping up for the year and will return on Wednesday, January 1 with a new episode featuring Az Anderson of in San Francisco. Be sure to catch up on past episode and you can watch all episodes on our for The Global Food and Drink Initiative, the producer of Diaspora Food Stories. To support our work with a tax-deductible donation, go to to Thank you and see you in 2025!
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Senegalese Chef Oumar Diouf
Diaspora Food Stories
Senegalese chef Oumar Diouf's culinary journey has taken him from his home country in West Africa, to Argentina, Brazil to the United States. Currently living in the Bay Area, Oumar is sharing how food became a way to connect with people and different food cultures. He has owned restaurants in both Argentina and the U.S. and continues to stay connected to his Senegalese roots no matter where he is, blending flavors and ingredients. He plans to share more about his journey in his upcoming book due out in 2025. Listen and Connect Website Instagram Related Article from Cuisine Noir ...
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Soul of America Founder Thomas Dorsey - 30 Years and Counting
Diaspora Food Stories
We're reconnecting with Soul of America founder Thomas Dorsey for a special update since the company launched its Black travel guides 30 years ago. Thomas is back to gives share what the last 30 years have been like and most importantly, what's next. Listen and Connect Diaspora Food Stories is produced by The Global Food and Drink Initiative, a 501c3 nonprofit. Together with your generous donation we can continue to preserve the oral history and culture of Black food and drink stories both in English and other languages spoken throughout the African diaspora. To donate, visit ...
info_outlineCharla L. Draper is a nationally recognized food influencer and culinary communications professional providing marketing services for food and food related products through her consultancy company It’s Food Biz!
She is also the founder of National Soul Food Month launched in June of 2001 to celebrates the heritage and history of foods and foodways of people from the African diaspora.
With a menu of guests lined up to celebrate its 23rd year, we’re talking about what makes a true soul food meal and all the helpings in this episode.
To learn more about National Soul Food Month, visit online.
Listen and Connect
Diaspora Food Stories is produced by The Global Food and Drink Initiative, a 501c3 nonprofit. Together with your generous donation we can continue to preserve the oral history and culture of Black food and drink stories both in English and other languages spoken throughout the African diaspora. To donate, visit globalforgood.org.