Black chefs are creating dishes worldwide that bring long-overdue recognition to the Black diaspora’s culinary arts. Some were the sommeliers who honed their skills for years, waiting for an opportunity to prove their talent. Others took a novel road through hardships, rejections, and even incarceration.
From Ashleigh Shanti giving okonomiyaki a cabbage pancake spin at the Benne on Eagle to Anthony Caldwell, who first cooked food in a prison – top black chefs tell debut stories that are a testimony to perseverance.
Here are 3 chefs with their heartening stories.
Anthony Caldwell, Chef, and Owner at 50Kitchen
Chef Anthony’s path to the restaurant is an ode to sheer grit and tenacity. He overcame addiction and incarceration, and resolved to attend culinary school. In 2020, he opened 50K, a South American-Asian fusion-style restaurant in Fields Corner, Dorchester. The menu brims with quirky dishes like Bang Bang Shrimp and The Po Boy.
The black chef first clinked tongs in prison, and after release, was given a chance to work at Legal Sea Foods in Chestnut Hill as a prep and line cook. In the future, he would work in kitchens at MIT and Harvard as a sous chef and personal caterer before opening 50K with a motto of serving “beautiful food for beautiful people”.
Mariya Russell, First Michelin-Starred Female Black Chef
In 2019, Mariya Russell made headlines for becoming the first female black chef to command a Michelin-starred restaurant. She prepared and served every single one of the dishes from the seven-course tasting menu at Chicago’s Kikkō and Kumiko. The guests not only got to witness her culinary arts and use of Japanese technique but also interact with her, underlining her being a great host too.
According to Russell, family is paramount to her success and a major influence in her work.
Once a student in one of Chicago’s culinary schools, Russell is now in Hawaii taking a well-earned break and working on a site that will help children and adults to learn how to cook.
“I always dream of complete happiness,” she said in her recent Net-A-Porter interview, “That’s number one for me because, really, what do you have if you’re not happy?”
Timon Balloo, Miami Chef with a Menu as Diverse as Himself
Born to an Asian mother and African-American father, Timon Balloo is Chinese, African-American, Indian, Venezuelan, and Trinidadian. He began his journey by watching PBS Yan Can Cook as a pastime and soon found himself working at Hotel Metropole under Chef Dominique Michou. His career has been glitzy ever since, filled with rows of nominations and accolades.
Today he runs his recently-opened restaurant, Balloo, where his multi-racial background reflects in the menu. Once, being different made him want to forget how to speak Cantonese. Today he embraces this rich heritage and serves it on a plate in a restaurant named after his last name, his legacy.
“I’m cooking my food,” he says in an interview with Miami Herald. “It’s 100 percent me on that plate. I’m putting out there everything I learned and everything I know about myself.”
Some Hotspot Places to Try
If you want to indulge in the culinary arts of Black cuisine, here are five must-try restaurants to start with.
- The Grey for dishes by chef Mashama Bailey
- Lure Fishbar for dishes by chef Preston Clark
- Sweet Home Café in the National Museum of African American History and Culture for dishes by chef Jerome Grant
- Plum Bistro Seattle for dishes by chef Makini Howellt
- Virtue Restaurant for dishes by chef Erick Williams
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