A Collection of Podcasts On Race and Food

by Lily Zaballos

In need of some new inspiration as we move into spring? This week the NYC Food Policy Center has compiled a round up of podcasts exploring the historical and contemporary impacts of race and culture on our food system. These ten podcasts feature the stories and experience of some of the many Black, Brown, and Indigenous people helping to shape our food landscape. Hosted by and featuring individuals from across the food industry, these podcasts delve into the intersection of race and food, culture, farming, activism, health and wellness, and more.

A Hungry Society

Podcaster: Korsha Wilson, the Heritage Radio Network 

Category: Food Culture, Food Media

Year Started: 2017

Episodes-to-Date: 80 episodes

What It’s About: “Food media is blowing up, yet entire communities are left out of the conversation. Food is the best way to get to know each other and cultures outside of our own, and it’s important that everyone has a seat at the table to tell their story. Food writer and photographer Korsha Wilson created A Hungry Society to foster more diverse and inclusive conversations about the culinary world. Each week, Korsha looks critically at the current state of the food world and welcomes guests to discuss the role of food in their lives.”

Where to Find It: Heritage Radio Network, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher

Afros and Knives 

Podcaster: Tiffani Rozier

Category: Restaurant Industry, Food Culture

Year Started: 2019

Episodes-to-Date: 38 episodes

What It’s About: “A podcast show interviewing Black women who are leading, innovating, and disrupting the food, wine, and hospitality industries. We discuss their accomplishments, passion, and issues unique to black women working in the industry.”

Where to Find It: Apple Podcast, Spotify, Stitcher

Black in the Garden

Podcaster: Colah B Tawkin

Category: Agriculture, Gardening

Year Started: 2019

Episodes-to-Date: 49 episodes 

What It’s About: “The podcast that resides at the intersection of Black Culture and horticulture in a world where all the garden fairies and most of the gnomes are white. Hosted by millennial black plant enthusiast and self proclaimed Plantrepreneur, Colah B Tawkin. ‘Conversations WILL be had’ on a range of topics that directly influence and impact black plant keepers as we blackily impact and influence the world.” 

Where to Find It: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify

Brown Vegan

Podcaster: Monique Koch 

Category: Diet and Lifestyle

Year Started: 2014

Episodes-to-Date: 133 episodes

What It’s About: “Brown Vegan podcast offers practical tips to start & keep going with a vegan journey, wellness, and vegan entrepreneurship.”

Where to Find It: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher

Edible Activist Podcast 

Podcaster: Melissa L. Jones

Category: Agriculture, Food Culture, Wellness, Food Activism

Year Started: 2018

Episodes-to-Date: 105 episodes

What It’s About: “Edible Activist is a podcast where dynamic people of color in the food and agriculture space share personal food journeys, stories and perspectives that stem from the land. Hosted by Melissa L. Jones, she interviews a diverse group of everyday growers, farmers, artists, healers, and other extraordinary individuals, who exemplify activism in their own edible way.”

Where to Find It: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Simplecast

The Food Truck Scholar

Podcaster: Ariel D. Smith

Category: Food Culture, Food Business, Food Activism

Year Started: 2019

Episodes-to-Date: 63 episodes

What It’s About: “The Food Truck Scholar Podcast is where food, business, and stories collide. Each episode host and academic scholar Ariel D. Smith peels back the cultural, social, economic, and political layers of the food truck industry. From Food Network contestants and former bank executives to self-trained and formally trained chefs- The Food Truck Scholar Podcast introduces you to entrepreneurs from all walks life that are ready to feed your mind with tips to start your own food truck, stories that fill your heart, and tempting meal options to fill your stomach.”

“Join your host, Ariel D. Smith M.Ed, a Ph.D. student studying the food truck movement in the United States as she discusses food truck civic engagement and activism, ordinances and restrictions, as well as cultural and economic implications of the food truck industry with food truck owners, public policy officials and academic scholars.”

Where to Find It: Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio

Gravy

Podcasters: Organized by the Southern Foodway Alliance

Category: Food Culture, Agriculture, Food Systems, Food Activism, Health and Wellness

Year Started: 2014

Episodes-to-Date: 106 episodes

What It’s About:  “Gravy shares stories of the changing American South through the foods we eat. Gravy showcases a South that is constantly evolving, accommodating new immigrants, adopting new traditions, and lovingly maintaining old ones. It uses food as a means to explore all of that, to dig into lesser-known corners of the region, complicate stereotypes, document new dynamics, and give voice to the unsung folk who grow, cook, and serve our daily meals.”

Where to Find It: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcast, Stitcher 

Item 13: An African Food Podcast

Podcaster: Yorm Ackuaku, hosted on the Heritage Radio Network 

Location: Seattle

Category: Food Culture, African Cuisine

Year Started: 2018

Episodes-to-Date: 67 episodes

What It’s About:A podcast on all things African food! Every other week, we delve into the world of African food chefs, curators and bloggers. Interviews with African food entrepreneurs cover new African cuisine, customer experiences, the role of social media in promoting African food and much, much more. ‘Item 13‘ in Ghanaian slang, refers to food/snacks usually following a meeting or program of events. Back in the day, food refreshments were typically the 13th item on a meeting agenda.”

Where to Find It: Heritage Radio Network, Apple Podcasts, Spotify

Point of Origin

Podcaster: Stephen Satterfield

Category: Food Culture, Food Systems, Global Cuisine

Year Started: 2019

Episodes-to-Date: 33 episodes

What It’s About: “Point of Origin is about the world of food, worldwide. Each week we travel to different countries exploring culture through food, examining its past and present, and what it teaches us about who we are and how we came to be. Join Whetstone Magazine co-founder host Stephen Satterfield as he connects with those most immersed in defining and preserving global foodways. Along the way we’re drinking natural wine in Australia, sipping tea — Taiwanese Oolong and Sri Lankan Ceylon — and eating frejon, a Nigerian staple with Brazilian origins. The power of food is that it has a story to tell. Point of Origin is a podcast that enthusiastically uplifts the voices of women and people of color. We believe that this diversity isn’t just noteworthy but part of what makes our work essential and distinguished. When the gatekeepers are diverse, so too are the stories, its tellers and their experiences.”

Where to Find It: Apple Podcast, Spotify, iHeartRadio

The Racist Sandwich

Podcasters: Soleil Ho and Zahir Janmohamed

Category: Food Culture, Food Systems, Restaurant Industry 

Year Started: 2016

Episodes-to-Date: 79 episodes (currently on a hiatus but there are plenty of back episodes to listen to)

From the Podcaster: “Food and the ways we consume, create, and interpret food can be political. From discussions about racism in food photography to interviews with chefs of color, podcast hosts Stephanie Kuo and Juan Diego Ramirez hash out a diverse range of with humar, grace, and little pretension.”

Where to Find It: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher

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