Let me introduce you to Carolyn Hosannah

Black Culinary History has been a small project with specialized support from experts like the brilliant Vonnie Williams and Kwasi Amankona who revamped the site last year and Melissa Danielle who helps moderate our Facebook group. This year we’re growing in areas like this blog and a more active Instagram feed and I want to introduce you to a huge part of this growth, Carolyn Hosannah.

I met Carolyn last year working with Dr. Jessica B. Harris developing a culinary African diaspora curriculum for the CIA (get into that as well, it was pretty darn dope). Carolyn was on our advisory committee asking amazing questions on behalf of the students and advocating for the areas of interest she knew her peers would be most curious about. Her questions, leadership, and insight through the planning process and over the course of the series were impressive, to say the least.

Her ambitions are focused on food policy. Being prepared, across disciplines, to understand and advocate for policy change that will make a better, more equitable food system. She has degrees in culinary arts, food studies and has her eye on law school to work in the footsteps of legends like Shirley Sherrod (which she’ll tell you more about in her first blog post), but in the meantime, she is stretching her writing and research muscles in service of this blog.

I hope you’re as charmed and inspired by Carolyn as you get to know her through her writing as I am. Please go on over to her Instagram page and give her a follow, keep checking our Instagram feed and this blog for all the wonderful stories coming your way, and please comment, share, and generally engage with the ideas we’re about to share.