Culture & Flavor Heritage Radio Network

On this episode of Culture & Flavor, Zella talks with A'Lelia Bundles about the legacy of Madam C.J. Walker, Zella's great grandfather Dr. Joseph Henry Ward (who was Madam Walker's doctor and friend), and A'Lelia's soon to be released book, "The Joy Goddess: A'Lelia Walker and the Harlem Renaissance."

A’Lelia Bundles is the author of "On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker," a New York Times Notable Book about her entrepreneurial great-great-grandmother and the nonfiction inspiration for Self Made, the fictional Netflix series starring Octavia Spencer. "Joy Goddess: A’Lelia Walker and the Harlem Renaissance," the first major biography of her great-grandmother, will be published in 2025 by Scribner. She is the founder of the Madam Walker Family Archives and serves on several nonprofit boards, including the Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America at Harvard’s Radcliffe Institute, the March on Washington Film Festival, Biographer’s International (BIO), Indiana Landmarks, the March on Washington Film Festival, the Women’s Suffrage National Monument Foundation, and the Smithsonian’s American Women’s History Initiative. A former network television executive and Emmy Award winning producer at ABC News and NBC News, she is a former chair of the National Archives Foundation and a former vice chair of Columbia University’s board of trustees.

Photo courtesy of Anja Chibis.

On this episode of Culture & Flavor, Zella talks with Chef Toya Boudy about growing up in New Orleans and her journey to be authentically herself in food media. Chef Toya specializes in putting a unique twist on New Orleans-style dishes and cooks with a Southern flare. As a native New Orleanian, she started honing her culinary skills at a young age and used her talent to kickstart a successful career. As a culinary authority on Cajun and Creole cuisine, she enjoys bringing creativity to the kitchen and teaching people how to take a piece of New Orleans back home with them.

On this episode of Culture & Flavor, Zella talks with Aimée Wallin, a political foodie that advocates for local eating, sustainable production methods and preservation of Black food cultures. Wallin is Swedish/ Malian and works with the Non-profit Ghana Food Movement (GFM), a network for food actors in Ghana. GFM's vision is a resilient local food system that provides jobs and nutritious food for all Ghanaians. GFM's is currently a food education hub in Accra, Ghana opening in September this year. More info on how to support: ghanafoodmovement.com. Aimée is always ready to connect with foodies and food practitioners around the world.

On this episode of Culture & Flavor, Zella talks with Patty Durães, a food scholar with expertise in Afro-diasporic heritage in Brazilian cuisine based in São Paulo, Brazil. They discuss Patty's journey as an Afro-Brazilian food scholar and activist.

Durães' research includes bibliographic and field research, articles, and speaking engagements at various institutions such as MASP, Itaú Cultural, Preta Hub, and SESC SP. Additionally, she has contributed to the São Paulo Book Bienal and the "Coisas Daqui" program on Globo Minas, expanding the dialogue on the importance of food in the construction of Brazilian identity. As a former TEDx Speaker, Durães shared her ideas in the talk "Let's Peel more and Unpack Less." Durães is the author of the course "Beyond the Mouth," a transatlantic journey through Afro-diasporic food in Brazil. Currently, Durães serves as the pedagogical coordinator at the Peripheral Gastronomy school and works as a literary project intermediary for the Companhia das Letras publishing house. Durães' passion lies in connecting Brazil's cultural and ethnic diversity to its cuisine, expanding the understanding of the intersection between food and identity. Tune in for a great conversation about Brazilian cuisine and culture!

Photo courtesy of Vitória Leona.

On this episode of Culture & Flavor, Zella talks with Dr. Howard Conyers about the legacy of whole hog barbecue and moonsine. Dr. Conyers serves as the A1 Mechanical Design Lead, and is responsible for facilitating design efforts for systems used in testing and supporting RS-25 testing. Dr. Conyers, a NASA Stennis Space Center engineer, most recently served as the Principal Investigator & Project Manager for the High Dynamic Range Stereo-X (HiDyRS-X) project. In 2009, at the age of 27, Dr. Conyers earned a Doctorate in Mechanical Engineering from Duke University while being 1 of less than 20 African American in the country to earn this degree. He completed his undergraduate study in Bio-environmental Engineering in 2004 from North Carolina A&T State University.

Outside of work, Dr. Conyers has equally impressive attributes that makes him sought out nationally. Conyers is a noted traditional South Carolina whole hog barbecue pitmaster. Dr. Conyers hosted Nourish, a digital show for PBS, which discussed food, culture, and science across the American South. The impact for the first three episodes, includes approximately 1.2M views and nearly 15,000 combined followers, across two platforms. Howard has appeared on the Cooking Channel original show Man, Fire, Food. He has been featured in publications including Southern Living Daily South, the New Orleans Magazine, the Advocate, and the New Orleans Time Picayune, to name a few. He is the founder of the Black Barbecue Hall of Fame and the Co-Founder of Backyard Distillery.

On this episode of Culture & Flavor, Zella talks with Klancy Miller, author of For the Culture: Phenomenal Black Women and Femmes in Food. She also wrote Cooking Solo: The Fun of Cooking For Yourself and is the founder of For the Culture: A Magazine Celebrating Black Women and Femmes in Food and Wine.

After graduating from Columbia University, and working in international development in French Polynesia, she earned a diplôme de pâtisserie from Le Cordon Bleu Paris and apprenticed in the pastry kitchen at the Michelin-starred restaurant Taillevent. She later joined Le Cordon Bleu’s recipe development team, during which time she was featured on the Food Network. Now based in New York, she continues to write about food and has contributed to The New York Times, Vogue, The Washington Post, Food and Wine, Cherry Bombe, Bon Appétit, and Food 52. She has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Cut, The New York Times Food section, and on the Today Show, Food Network’s Recipe for Success and the Cooking Channel’s Unique Sweets. She was honored as a 2022 IACP Trailblazer Awards Winner. For the Culture was named one of the best cookbooks of 2023 by The New York Times and the L.A. Times. Klancy lives in Brooklyn.

Photo courtesy of Davis Thompson Moss.