Item 13: An African Food Podcast

This week’s guest is Beatrice Ajaero, the third of six siblings, was raised on Roosevelt Island, a sliver in the East River between Manhattan (of which it’s a part) and Queens. Her mother’s family has roots in New Jersey, a neighboring state that, like New York, is home to many Nigerian Americans, and her mother’s memories of “how her aunties cooked” are re-enacted in the family kitchen to this day. “My mom still guides the menu” at Nneji, Beatrice adds. From the age of 12, when she was the...

Happy New Year! Learn what's coming up in Season 5 of the podcast. ---- Follow Item 13 on social media: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @item13podcast Don’t forget to subscribe & leave us a review! Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Item 13 by becoming a member! Item 13: An African Food Podcast is Powered by Simplecast.

This week we want you to hear the trailer for Say Their Name, an incredible podcast that focuses on the assault and killing of unarmed Black people by police and in ‘Stand Your Ground’ states, highlighting incidents throughout the United States. Serving as a memorialization for these individuals, you will learn about who these people were through the words of the people that knew them best, while also helping to understand what these situations do to their families and communities not only...

My thoughts on the season and this year so far. I also share with you, in a pseudo rapid-fire segment, what I'm listening to, reading, eating, watching for the rest of the year. Vonnie William's article: https://www.foodandwine.com/news/yorm-ackuaku-podcast-african-food-stories Zoe Adjonyo's BlackBook Initiative: https://www.instagram.com/blackbook_2020 Thank you for your support, have a great holiday season and talk to you again in the new year! ---- Follow Item 13 on social media:...

Ginjan Brothers was founded by Mohammed Diallo & Ibrahima Diallo. The brothers immigrated to the States in their early teens, 13 & 14, respectively. Mohammed has a formal training in business management and spent the bulk of his professional career in the financial services industry. Ibrahima is an engineer by training, but spent most of his career in the hospitality industry. Their mission with Ginjan is to make African food, drink, and aesthetics and integral part of global mainstream...

Ginjan Brothers was founded by Mohammed Diallo & Ibrahima Diallo. The brothers immigrated to the States in their early teens, 13 & 14, respectively. Mohammed has a formal training in business management and spent the bulk of his professional career in the financial services industry. Ibrahima is an engineer by training, but spent most of his career in the hospitality industry. Their mission with Ginjan is to make African food, drink, and aesthetics and integral part of global mainstream...

Fozia Ismail is founder and researcher at Arawelo Eats, a supper club which explores East African food and what it can mean for our understanding of belonging in a post-Brexit world. She has designed and delivered workshops/presentations for organizations such as Keep It Complex Serpentine Gallery, Jerwood Project Space, Tate Modern, Museum of London, National Trust -Colonial Countryside Project, Oxford Cultural Collective and The Courtauld Institute of Art. She was Bristol City Fellow for...

Kodjo Adovor is a Certified Italian Wine Professional and the first person of African descent to qualify as an Italian Wine Ambassador. Kodjo is the founder and sommelier at Africa Wine Club, which seeks to bring club members together to explore wine, food, culture, and business across the continent of Africa. Kodjo has also led travel groups to explore the joys of Italian food and wine on guided tours in places like Milan, Bologna, Umbria, Venice, Verona, and the Valpollicela. Find Kodjo...

Part 2 of my conversation with Dr. Tapiwa Guzha. Founder of Tapi Tapi, producing handcrafted ice cream, inspired by the unique flavors of African ingredients. Based in Cape Town, Tapiwa's work is focused on rehabilitation of the collective African esteem around cultural identity, within and beyond food. “In part, Tapi Tapi is focused on rehabilitating the self-esteem of people from the continent about our food practices, as well as our culture and beliefs. I use food because it’s...

This week’s guest is Zimbabwean-born Dr. Tapiwa Guzha. Founder of Tapi Tapi, producing handcrafted ice cream, inspired by the unique flavors of African ingredients. Based in Cape Town, Tapiwa's work is focused on rehabilitation of the collective African esteem around cultural identity, within and beyond food. “In part, Tapi Tapi is focused on rehabilitating the self-esteem of people from the continent about our food practices, as well as our culture and beliefs. I use food because it’s...

This week’s guest is Tayo Oredola, the food photographer, recipe developer, and writer at lowcarbafrica.com. Originally from Nigeria, Tayo lives in Austin, TX with her husband and two kids. Her background is in software engineering but she is passionate about food and developing new recipes. Her blog, Low Carb Africa, was born out of the desire to keep eating her traditional African dishes while maintaining her weight. African food by nature is loaded with carbs so Tayo had to get really...

This week’s guest is Lola Adeyemi, Founder of It’s Souper. After working for over a decade in the corporate IT world, Lola Adeyemi decided to quit her job to focus on 'It's Souper', an Afro-fusion soup line she launched in November 2018. She felt that there was a need to fill a void that currently exists in the Canadian Retail space for African inspired/ethnic recipes made “By Us for All". It’s Souper is the first African & Black Owned Soup line in Canada. These recipes are shaking up the...

This week’s guest is Adégnimika (Adé) Carrena, owner of Dounou Cuisine. Born in Porto-Novo, Benin, Adé started her culinary journey here in the United States when she was adopted at the age of 10. Though then she cooked just with her family. She says her passion did not grow until a few years ago when her perception of food changed. “I saw that food is more than an edible but is instead a shared emotion and an ever evolving yet traditional canvas for our history as beings.” Adé’s objective...

This week’s guest is award-winning Chef Alain Lemaire, Co-owner and Executive Chef of Sensory Delights, LLC and Arome Catering, both full service catering companies based out of South Florida and Haiti respectively. He is a native of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, where he first discovered his interest in cooking. Later on, he developed an increasing passion for food and foodservice which led him to attend the Culinary program at the acclaimed Johnson & Wales University. Thanks to his heritage and...

This week’s guest is Sophia Musoki, a Ugandan food blogger, writer and photographer whose work through A Kitchen in Uganda has been instrumental in bringing Ugandan cuisine to the world. She has been featured on Cuisine Noir, CNN, City Press and many other publications. Sophie has self published 3 e-books one of which won the Gourmand World Cookbook Award in 2015. Her blog has been nominated for the prestigious Saveur Magazine blog award in the food culture category. She is a strong...

This week’s guest is Dominique Tolbert, entrepreneur and owner of TLBRT Hospitality & Mesean Spices. Dominique grew up in Maryland in a Liberian household, being introduced to the flavors of West African and Caribbean cuisine early on. Since then, her travels have taken her throughout the US and around the world, allowing her to explore and experience the cuisines of many cultures. The art of bringing food and people together started when hosting Sunday Dinner parties for friends in New...

Season 4 is finally here. Find out what to expect, including some major news! Follow Item 13 on social media: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @item13podcast Don't forget to subscribe & leave us a review!

Part 2 of our conversation with Chef Akudo wraps up Season 3! -- Nigerian-born, Akudo Agokei was self-taught for the first 2 years of his chef career, then went on to train at the Leith's Culinary School of Food and Wine. He went on to train and work at French and Moroccan fusion restaurant, Bistro Vadouvan, Putney, before venturing on to various other restaurants. He is currently the head chef and owner of Kedu Cookery School, a cookery school and chef training centre based in Walsall,...

Nigerian-born, Akudo Agokei was self-taught for the first 2 years of his chef career, then went on to train at the Leith's Culinary School of Food and Wine. He went on to train and work at French and Moroccan fusion restaurant, Bistro Vadouvan, Putney, before venturing on to various other restaurants. He is currently the head chef and owner of Kedu Cookery School, a cookery school and chef training centre based in Walsall, West Midlands, UK, providing affordable training to aspiring chefs,...

Eden Hagos is a celebrated host, food writer, and founder of the media and events company, Black Foodie. She's an Ethiopian Canadian with a passion for African and Caribbean cuisine and hosts unique food events throughout Toronto. Her work and notable mentions have been featured in Chatelaine, Essence, Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, and CBC to name a few. Find Eden...