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This week’s guest is Adégnimika (Adé) Carrena, owner of Dounou Cuisine. Born in Porto-Novo, Benin, Adé started her culinary journey here in the United States when she was adopted at the age of 10. Though then she cooked just with her family. She says her passion did not grow until a few years ago when her perception of food changed. “I saw that food is more than an edible but is instead a shared emotion and an ever evolving yet traditional canvas for our history as beings.”Adé’s objective is to bridge cultural gaps by providing authentic African dining experiences and sharing the land’s rich culture while also honoring her blended upbringing within a Puerto Rican home. For the last few years, she’s hosted Pop-up dinners in which her perception of West African food was showcased. She offers Personal Chef services, catering, Pop-ups and more.“Where I come from we say, Wa mi Dounou. Which means, come share a meal with me. I cherish this thought because there is nothing more special than gathering with fellow beings, nourishing our bodies, exchanging cultures and creating memories, all in the simple act of savoring a meal. I look forward to sharing a meal with you"!Find Adé on instagram: @dounou_cuisineInterested in hosting a private cooking class? Email Adé at dounoucuisine@gmail.comFollow Item 13 on social media: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @item13podcastDon’t forget to subscribe & leave us a review!Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Item 13 by becoming a member!Item 13: An African Food Podcast is Powered by Simplecast.

Abena Foli was born and raised in Ghana until 2006, when she immigrated to the US. Her passion for food comes from her farmer-father who taught her how to blend spices, and how to cook. Since high school, Abena has been passionate about combining her love for food, with her love for the sciences. This led her to pursue her Master’s degree in Food Science specializing in Food Safety Microbiology, after her Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry. She has over 8 years practical food industry experience, starting off as a product developer, and subsequently transitioning to food labeling compliance and regulatory affairs.Abena’s work experiences exposed her to the gap of authentic West African retail products, excellently packaged in formats relatable to the American home cook standards, and complaint with the US FDA labeling regulations. This led her to start POKS Spices in 2016 to help Americans Discover FlavorFULL Goodness of the bold flavors of West Africa via Spicy Authentic West African Seasonings. Leveraging her food science expertise and using her family recipes, the spicy seasonings are locally made in Texas using ingredients familiar to the American home cook, but blended to give that Authentic Spicy West African flavor profile.In 2017, POKS Spices was honored as one of the top 100 businesses in the FedEX Small Business Grant Program. Also, in 2017 and 2019, POKS Spices Seasonings won awards at the Zest Fest Fiery Food Challenge Competitions. The Institute of Food Technologists recognized Abena as part of its Emerging Leaders Network 2019 cohort class for dynamic, high potential, talented, and passionate food professionals. In January 2021, Abena started a consulting practice to help make the US FDA Food Labeling Regulations easy to understand, and to comply with, for small businesses with food products for retail.Follow Abena and her work online:Instagram: @poksspicesWebsites:Spices: www.poksspices.com Consulting / Food Labeling Course: www.folifoodconsult.com----Follow Item 13 on social media: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @item13podcastDon’t forget to subscribe & leave us a review!Photo Courtesy of Abena Foli.Item 13 is powered by Simplecast.

Take Two is our new mini-series, catching up with guests from previous seasons on what they’ve been up to since they were last on the show. This week, I chat with Carol Mathias O’chez, a psychologist passionate about helping people thrive in all areas of their life. We discuss the mental toll of the last year and how food entrepreneurs can thrive in uncertain times. For full details on her background and work tune in to Episode 22: Mental Health & Wellness with Dr. Carol Mathias-O’chez.Find Carol online:Website: www.thrivecaregh.comInstagram: @dr__carol----Follow Item 13 on social media: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @item13podcastDon’t forget to subscribe & leave us a review! Photo Courtesy of  Carol Mathias O'chez.Item 13 is powered by Simplecast.

Tina Munzu, a nurse and wellness blogger, helps busy people achieve optimal health through simple delicious healthy meals and an active lifestyle. Her passion centers around stripping myths and fads about diet, meeting her clients at their individual health levels and prioritizing simple real food.Follow Tina and her work online:Website: www. wellandtasty.com Tina's Youtube ChannelTina's Instagram :@wellandtasty----Follow Item 13 on social media: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @item13podcastDon’t forget to subscribe & leave us a review!Photo Courtesy of Tina Munzu.Item 13 is powered by Simplecast.

Lotte Wouters has been building food movements and campaigning for a just and sustainable food system since 2009 in the Netherlands, Lebanon and now Ghana.In 2012, she founded The Food Line-up, now one of the largest sustainable catering companies in the Netherlands.Beginning 2018 she moved to Ghana and founded the Ghana Food Movement together with a group of movers and shakers in Ghana's food scene to celebrate, preserve and redefine Ghana's food culture. She also founded PR and marketing agency Food Tribe (www.foodtribe.org) that promotes African Food Culture outside the continent.Find the Ghana Food Movement online:YouTube channel: https://tinyurl.com/y48zzhzhInstagram: instagram.com/ghanafoodmovement/Website: www.ghanafoodmovement.comFollow Lotte and her work online:Instagram: @lotte.woutersWebsite: www.foodtribe.orgPhoto Courtesy of Lotte WoutersFollow Item 13 on social media: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @item13podcastDon’t forget to subscribe & leave us a review!Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Item 13 by becoming a member!Item 13: An African Food Podcast is Powered by Simplecast.

Take Two is our new mini-series, catching up with guests from previous seasons on what they’ve been up to since they were last on the show. This week, I chat with Naa Oyoo Kumodzi, lifestyle blogger, social media consultant, food blogger and entrepreneur. For full details on her background and work in food, tune in to Episode 4: Telling the Ghanaian Food Story with Naa Oyoo Kumodzi.Find Naa Oyoo online:Naa Oyoo on Instagram.Essi’s Eatery on Instagram.----Follow Item 13 on social media: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @item13podcastDon’t forget to subscribe & leave us a review!Photo Courtesy of Naa Oyoo Kumodzi.Item 13 is powered by Simplecast.

Ruth Nakaar is the founder and owner of Fudena, a food concept currently based in Philadelphia that aims to be America’s first West African fast-casual restaurant chain. Think Chipotle but with the bold flavors of West Africa. Initially an idea she started working on while pursuing her MBA at Wharton, Ruth went from hosting recipe tastings for friends and classmates in her tiny studio apartment to cooking out of a commercial kitchen and serving all of Philadelphia. The love for the food she grew up with as a first-generation Ghanaian American drives Ruth’s passion to push West African cuisine into the U.S. culinary mainstream. She has an MBA from Wharton and a BA in Political Science from Yale University.Find Fudena online:Website: www.eatfudena.comInstagram: @eatfudena----Follow Item 13 on social media: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @item13podcastDon’t forget to subscribe & leave us a review! Photo Courtesy of Ruth  Nakaar.Item 13 is powered by Simplecast.Item 13, Yorm Ackuacku, podcast, talk, radio, Africa, African cuisine, Ruth Nakaar, West African, Ghanian, Ghana

Take Two is our new mini-series, catching up with guests from previous seasons on what they’ve been up to since they were last on the show. This week, I chat with Freda Muyambo, a food blogger and writer with expertise in African cuisine and a passion for sharing African culture through food. For full details on her background and work in food, tune in to Episodes 7 & 8: African Food Flavors with Freda Muyambo.Find Freda online:Red Red videoReddit subredditWebsite: www.myburntorange.com ----Follow Item 13 on social media: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @item13podcastDon’t forget to subscribe & leave us a review!Photo Courtesy of Freda Muyambo.Item 13 is powered by Simplecast.

Rachel Laryea is the founder and CEO of Kelewele, a food service and cultural lifestyle brand reimagining plantains in its mission to connect the African diaspora through food, culture and innovation. She is also a dual Ph.D. candidate at Yale University studying Black capitalists in the transAtlantic financial industry.Find Kelewele online:Website: Kelewelenyc.comLinktree sites: https://linktr.ee/kelewelenycCookbook (A Plantain Love Story - available on Amazon)----Follow Item 13 on social media: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @item13podcastDon’t forget to subscribe & leave us a review!Photo Courtesy of Rachel Laryea.Item 13 is powered by Simplecast.

Take Two is our new mini-series, catching up with guests from previous seasons on what they’ve been up to since they were last on the show. This week, I chat with Chef Cynthia Péan, a professionally trained plant-based chef and nutritional consultant. For full details on her background and work in food, tune in to Episode 13: Eating Vegan the African Way.What Cynthia is currently working on:The Spices: afcavefoods.com Culinary & Conversation: monarchmagazine.com Facebook Watch: The Reclamation Project's "Reclaiming Your Health", every Tuesday 8 p.m. ESTComing Soon: "Uprooted - A Plant-Based Journey Through The African Diaspora"----Follow Item 13 on social media: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @item13podcastDon’t forget to subscribe & leave us a review!Photo Courtesy of Cynthia Péan.Item 13 is powered by Simplecast.

This week’s guest is Beatrice Ajaero, the third of six siblings, was raised on Roosevelt Island, a sliver in the East River between Manhattan (of which it’s a part) and Queens. Her mother’s family has roots in New Jersey, a neighboring state that, like New York, is home to many Nigerian Americans, and her mother’s memories of “how her aunties cooked” are re-enacted in the family kitchen to this day. “My mom still guides the menu” at Nneji, Beatrice adds. From the age of 12, when she was the youngest student in a cake-decorating class, Beatrice had wanted to be a food entrepreneur. Rather than pursue culinary school, however, she went off to Bard College, about 100 miles up the Hudson River, then to the University of Buffalo School of Law, near the Canadian border, where she lived with her godparents. Her godfather served as a cook in the National Guard for many years, and Beatrice took to heart his work ethic, which tempered culinary talent with diligence.During this time she traveled to Africa, where she had the opportunity to study food traditions firsthand. Notably, in the summer before her third year of law school, Beatrice ran bakeries and restaurants in the Gambia, where she took up the challenge of minimizing imported supplies by sourcing domestically. Eventually, with both a B.A. and J.D. in hand, she returned to Bard for its M.B.A. in Sustainability program. After launching an African Art gallery on Roosevelt Island with her mother, IBARI became annual vendors at the Saturday Farmers Market and in September of 2019, an international fine food and gift shop in Astoria. Last June, Beatrice opened Nneji as a way to share traditional West African dishes complete with grains such as garri (cassava) and fonio (millet). ----Bio provided by Beatrice Ajaero, culled from Culinary Backstreets.Find Nneji and Ibari on Instagram: @nneji_astoria and @ibari.nyc----Follow Item 13 on social media: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @item13podcastDon’t forget to subscribe & leave us a review! Photo Courtesy of Brandon Romagnoli.Item 13 is powered by Simplecast. 

Happy New Year! Learn what's coming up in Season 5 of the podcast.----Follow Item 13 on social media: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @item13podcastDon’t forget to subscribe & leave us a review!Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Item 13 by becoming a member!Item 13: An African Food Podcast is Powered by Simplecast.

This week we want you to hear the trailer for Say Their Name, an incredible podcast that focuses on the assault and killing of unarmed Black people by police and in ‘Stand Your Ground’ states, highlighting incidents throughout the United States.Serving as a memorialization for these individuals, you will learn about who these people were through the words of the people that knew them best, while also helping to understand what these situations do to their families and communities not only in the immediate aftermath, but also what happens when the news-cycle moves on and the social media attention shifts focus.Say Their Name  offers solutions, spreads awareness and supports these families & communities, including a crowdfunding campaign throughout the series to directly benefit the families impacted by these incidents (they receive 100% of those proceeds).Please find out more and subscribe at  https://www.dcpofficial.com/saytheirname

My thoughts on the season and this year so far. I also share with you, in a pseudo rapid-fire segment, what I'm listening to, reading, eating, watching for the rest of the year.Vonnie William's article: https://www.foodandwine.com/news/yorm-ackuaku-podcast-african-food-storiesZoe Adjonyo's BlackBook Initiative: https://www.instagram.com/blackbook_2020Thank you for your support, have a great holiday season and talk to you again in the new year!----Follow Item 13 on social media: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @item13podcastDon’t forget to subscribe & leave us a review!Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Item 13 by becoming a member!Item 13: An African Food Podcast is Powered by Simplecast. 

Ginjan Brothers was founded by Mohammed Diallo & Ibrahima Diallo. The brothers immigrated to the States in their early teens, 13 & 14, respectively. Mohammed has a formal training in business management and spent the bulk of his professional career in the financial services industry. Ibrahima is an engineer by training, but spent most of his career in the hospitality industry. Their mission with Ginjan is to make African food, drink, and aesthetics and integral part of global mainstream culture.*CPG = consumer packaged goodsFind Ginjan Brothers online: www.drinkginjan.comGinjan Bros. Social: @ginjanbros + @ginjancafePhoto Courtesy of Ginjan Brothers----Follow Item 13 on social media: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @item13podcastDon’t forget to subscribe & leave us a review!Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Item 13 by becoming a member!Item 13: An African Food Podcast is Powered by Simplecast.

Ginjan Brothers was founded by Mohammed Diallo & Ibrahima Diallo. The brothers immigrated to the States in their early teens, 13 & 14, respectively. Mohammed has a formal training in business management and spent the bulk of his professional career in the financial services industry. Ibrahima is an engineer by training, but spent most of his career in the hospitality industry. Their mission with Ginjan is to make African food, drink, and aesthetics and integral part of global mainstream culture.*CPG = consumer packaged goodsFind Ginjan Brothers online: www.drinkginjan.comGinjan Bros. Social: @ginjanbros + @ginjancafe-----Photo Courtesy of Ginjan BrothersFollow Item 13 on social media: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @item13podcastDon’t forget to subscribe & leave us a review!Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Item 13 by becoming a member!Item 13: An African Food Podcast is Powered by Simplecast.

Fozia Ismail is founder and researcher at Arawelo Eats, a supper club which explores East African food and what it can mean for our understanding of belonging in a post-Brexit world.She has designed and delivered workshops/presentations for organizations such as Keep It Complex Serpentine Gallery, Jerwood Project Space, Tate Modern, Museum of London, National Trust -Colonial Countryside Project, Oxford Cultural Collective and The Courtauld Institute of Art. She was Bristol City Fellow for Arnolfini, Bristol's contemporary art centre in 2019.Her work has been published and featured in a range of media including Observer Food Magazine, Oxford Symposium on Food & Cookery and BBC Radio 4 Food Programme.Photo Courtesy of Fozia IsmailFollow Item 13 on social media: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @item13podcastDon’t forget to subscribe & leave us a review!Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Item 13 by becoming a member!Item 13: An African Food Podcast is Powered by Simplecast.

Kodjo Adovor is a Certified Italian Wine Professional and the first person of African descent to qualify as an Italian Wine Ambassador.Kodjo is the founder and sommelier at Africa Wine Club, which seeks to bring club members together to explore wine, food, culture, and business across the continent of Africa.Kodjo has also led travel groups to explore the joys of Italian food and wine on guided tours in places like Milan, Bologna, Umbria, Venice, Verona, and the Valpollicela.Find Kodjo on Instagram: @winekodjo----Photo Courtesy of Kuks Studios / Kodjo AdovoFollow Item 13 on social media: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @item13podcastDon’t forget to subscribe & leave us a review!Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Item 13 by becoming a member!Item 13: An African Food Podcast is Powered by Simplecast.

Part 2 of my conversation with Dr. Tapiwa Guzha. Founder of Tapi Tapi, producing handcrafted ice cream, inspired by the unique flavors of African ingredients. Based in Cape Town, Tapiwa's work is focused on rehabilitation of the collective African esteem around cultural identity, within and beyond food.“In part, Tapi Tapi is focused on rehabilitating the self-esteem of people from the continent about our food practices, as well as our culture and beliefs. I use food because it’s universal, people need to eat. So it’s a nice tool to get people to listen.”Find Tapi Tapi online: https://www.tapitapi.co.zaTapi Tapi on Instagram @_tapi_tapiPhoto Courtesy of Tapiwa Guzha----Follow Item 13 on social media: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @item13podcastDon’t forget to subscribe & leave us a review!Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Item 13 by becoming a member!Item 13: An African Food Podcast is Powered by Simplecast.

This week’s guest is Zimbabwean-born Dr. Tapiwa Guzha. Founder of Tapi Tapi, producing handcrafted ice cream, inspired by the unique flavors of African ingredients. Based in Cape Town, Tapiwa's work is focused on rehabilitation of the collective African esteem around cultural identity, within and beyond food.“In part, Tapi Tapi is focused on rehabilitating the self-esteem of people from the continent about our food practices, as well as our culture and beliefs. I use food because it’s universal, people need to eat. So it’s a nice tool to get people to listen.”Find Tapi Tapi online: https://www.tapitapi.co.zaTapi Tapi on Instagram @_tapi_tapiPhoto Courtesy of Tapiwa Guzha----Follow Item 13 on social media: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @item13podcastDon’t forget to subscribe & leave us a review!Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Item 13 by becoming a member!Item 13: An African Food Podcast is Powered by Simplecast.