Tonya Hopkins aka @TheFoodGriot Hosts:

“From Savory to Sweet: Food History & Culture

Hosted by Culinary Historian Tonya Hopkins, the show’s described as: “A flavorful exploration of food marinated in the Black experience, seared with history and braised in culture!” Each week Tonya folds in conversations with special guests, mixes in food-focused discussions about society, culture, politics, business, health & wellbeing, music, the media, film & television, literature, the arts — the list goes on — all the while separating the facts from fiction on the origins of the food & drinks we love most!

SHOW SEGMENTS: Food in the News | Food in Literature | Food and The Arts | Food Family Tree | Food and Beverage | Food & Health | Food for the Culture | Food & the Seasons | Food Traditions and Rituals …


Watch A Sample Episode Here:

THIS was a special kooky, spooky, semi-scary “Savory & Sweet…” SHOW that originally aired on October 30th 2022. Here's what we covered:

  1. In the first hour: After Tonya’s intro and set up we segue to a Savory & Sweet HalloWINE segment filmed on location at Good Wine: “A Food Lover’s Wine Shop” in Park Slope Brooklyn. Special guests: “A.K” Akinsheye Brunson showcases the spookiest of wines perfect to tote to grown-up Halloween Parties. Tonya gives us a mini tour of the happily haunted, delightfully (yet decrepitly!) decorated wine shop. Then Dennis Lin stopped by with some super scary looking sipping rum from Colombia’s Parce Distillery with the appropriate tagline: “He/She Who Drinks Alone, Dies Alone…”  In Colombia “Parce” is a casual word that means “Good Friend”....

2. In the second hour: Tonya talks with  Mr. Anthony Werhun,  Producer/Director of the award-winning documentary “James Hemings: Ghost In America’s Kitchen”, who shares his #behindthescenes scoop on this long awaited well-done docu film that came out on Amazon Prime Friday November 4th 2022 — one that Tonya proudly cameos in by the way! They also discuss the real life #GHOSTStory that initiates Chef Ashbell McElveen’s mission to make sure that America’s (enslaved and later emancipated) FIRST classically trained Chef de Cuisine is not only remembered but written BACK into the narrative of Early American History as it’s Culinary Founding Father…

Become Part of Tonya’s PATREON PLATFORM: https://www.patreon.com/thefoodgriot to help keep dynamic content like this available with or without station affiliation!


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In this episode for, I talk with a special Black-family owned sandwich shop’s founder & proprietor extraordinaire (of The Mt. Airy Deli), Mr. Abdul Thomas along with his daughter Nicole plus TWO other generations of their beautifully biz minded fam all working together with a shared passion for serving up quality food for their customers!

It was “Eat a Hoagie Day!” – That famous (and a favorite!) among American sandwiches known as subs, grinders, heroes, and such were FIRST called HOAGIES right here in Philadelphia & its surrounding region – the only area where that unique name endures…

+ I give the 411 on a few NEW Black-authored BOOKS JUST released and/or ABOUT ta be any day now. With cameo spotlights on books from a few of my talented culinary colleagues who have graced us here at "Savory & Sweet" as guests! :

  • “Koshersoul: The Faith and Food Journey of an African American Jew” (Hardcover – August 2022) — Michael will be in Philadelphia THURSDAY 9/22/2 doing a book talk and signing, for tix & more info go to: https://theweitzman.org/events/koshersoul/

  • “Homage: Recipes and stories from an Amish Soul Food Kitchen by Chef Chris Scott” -- OUT SEPT 20TH” –THIS WEEK!

  • “California Soul: a Culinary Journey West “by Chef Tanya Holland – comes out on October 25th!

You won’t want to miss this episode of Savory & Sweet: Food History & Culture show on WURD: Progressive Black Talk Media!


This Weekend’s Show Topics included (but were not limited to!):

#Watermelon (#Part2) on #MelonDay! August is also #PeachMonth! and there's some ‘interesting" American history trivia i share re: the Georgia "peach state". It’s been so hot & humid so let’s make some refreshing #SimpleSummerCocktails! AND last but not least #RoséSeason Continues through August! … And for that very reason today we’re featuring that fab convo from the SPRING time with Mr. Charles SPRINGfield (@TheWineStylings), Author of “Maneuvering Rosé Wine With Style”…