Why subscribe?

Food is an important cultural asset. It can sometimes be the one thing that allows a family or an individual to survive. True food knowledge runs many generations deep. It cannot begin or end on a menu or in a stylish room with a sign on the front door. But too often, we seek “authenticity” of our restaurants, even when authenticity more often than not cannot be found inside of the swinging doors of a cafe or bistro. American restaurants are places where food culture usually has to devolve into a common denominator—something that can be sold to the many—usually meaning a Westernized, white gaze.

The stories I want to tell about food, and the people who make it, would more likely than not be passed up by a mainstream media outlet. They would consider these stories to be too small, too quiet, too personal. Not enough for the general public to extract.

It is my deeply held belief that true culinary wisdom is likely not only found in the hands of a chef, but instead his mother, grandmother, auntie, or all of the other women, people of color, immigrant communities, and elders who taught the chef. More often than not, these people don’t have restaurants. But they certainly do have a story to tell—about themselves, their communities, bloodlines, histories, traumas, joys, traditions, and so, so far beyond. Food is an emissary for it all, and I want these stories to be preserved, uplifted, and shared.

In this newly launching newsletter, you will get not only the full stories of our BIPOC Foodways Alliance Tables, including links to videos and photography, but this will also be a general place for me to tell stories of all kinds—about food, and food people, and about other things, too. 

Bonus content will include:

• Food and travel recommendations 

• Local eating and restaurant recommendations 

• Excerpts from an upcoming BIPOC Foodways Alliance book manuscript 

• Tips and tricks from our kitchen 

• The occasional recipe

• Sean's record recs and playlists 

• More!

Subscribe to get full access to the newsletter and publication archives.