FORBES: A Food Network First ~ A Cooking Show Celebrating Kwanzaa

By Toni Fitzgerald , Senior Contributor

Many people know Tonya Hopkins (“The Food Griot”) for what she has done throughout her career to uplift and recognize Black culinary talents and traditions, whether through the nonprofit she co-founded (the James Henning Society) or the work she’s done as a food historian or her position as a wine educator at Brooklyn’s premier Black-owned wine shop.

So it seems only natural that Food Network chose Hopkins, who wrote the Kwanzaa entry in the Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America, to host its first show focused on Kwanzaa, the annual celebration held Dec. 26 to Jan. 1 that recognizes African-American traditions and cultural heritage.

The new digital-only program, The Kwanzaa Menu, bows the day after Christmas on FoodNetwork.com. The seven-episode series features a special guest on each episode who helps Hopkins prepare a recipe connected to one of the seven principles of Kwanzaa (Nguzu Saba).