It’s high time people know about Chef James Hemings (1765-1801), the talented, enslaved chef owned by Thomas Jefferson. Hemings’ enduring impact on popular American eats and the development of high-end cookery and restaurant dining in this country has been all but eclipsed by Jefferson’s prominence.
Read MoreLike the carrot cake, this was inhaled and the bottle empty by the end of the night. Culinary historian Tonya Hopkins was at my house watching the enthusiasm for it; she suggests mixing the whiskey with grape juice or rosé to make a spirited version of PB&J.
Read MoreThe Kwanzaa Menu is hosted by Tonya Hopkins aka The Food Griot and features delicious “Afro-futuristic” recipes she created to share for celebrating the principles of the holiday…
Read MoreTonya Hopkins, aka “The Food Griot,” is a show host, legacy cook, drink designer, culinary history consultant and now host of new series, The Kwanzaa Menu, premiering Monday, Dec. 26 on FoodNetwork.com.
Read MoreFood Network is getting into the holiday spirit with its first Kwanzaa series, set to highlight the food and history of the annual seven-day celebration.
Read MoreBlack culinary innovators have brought us the likes of the ice cream scooper, fruit juicer, keg tapper and many more with the foundation of the American food and beverage industry coming from the “brawn and brilliance” of Black Americans, culinary historian and WURD Radio host Tonya Hopkins a.k.a The Food Griot, told The Plug.
Read MoreOn this week’s episode of Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Radio, they’re diving into the foods of summer.
Read MoreWe recently shared the fascinating story behind pepper pot soup on our Foodizen podcast. The soup was consumed by millions of Americans throughout the 20th century, but its history…
Read MoreWatch and enjoy James Hemings Society founder, Chef Ashbell Mcelveen's historical talk & old-fashioned ice cream making demo (at the Free Library of Philadelphia Culinary Literacy Center…
Read MoreFinally sharing this fab article written earlier this year by lifestyle journalist and author, Maria Hunt and featuring some of my "coolest" (get it?) culinary history work: "3 Black Pioneers Who Made…
Read MoreAs a “food history sleuth,” Hopkins contributes research and consultation to academic and consumer publications, discussion panels and has appeared on radio and television. She also helps to put together lavish, historic meals, as close to how they were prepared back then. With her help, diners, for instance, can get a taste of George Washington’s favorite soup.”
Read More“Ice cream is one of those supercalifragilistic, whitewashed things where they wrote Black people out of the history,” says Tonya Hopkins, aka The Food Griot, a food historian in New York. “Before there were mechanical ice cream makers, Black people were literally the ice cream makers.”
Read MoreI had a wonderful time and Tonya lives up to her "griot" name as a fantastic storyteller. Although Tonya has not yet written her own book, she has contributed to numerous scholarly publications. She is also co-founder of the James Hemings Foundation, named after Thomas Jefferson's enslaved, French-trained chef de cuisine, and consultant on the upcoming exhibit at MOFAD, "African/American: Making the Nation's Table.
Read MoreJuly through August are official Ice Cream Months with all kinds of designated ice cream days sprinkled throughout featuring flavors, sundaes, sandwiches, cones and such into early September in fact.
Read More
