We come from a history of ‘artisanal’ food producers; we lived off the fruit of the land, canned our own vegetables, cured our meats, and made our own jams and breads — but then there was a shift. With the Great Migration, we left our farms for the big cities and our rapport with food changed; with progress, we lost some of our great traditions. Thankfully, current concerns for well-being and a desire to bring healthier, more wholesome products into our communities have fueled a growth in the artisanal food market.
TheGrio spoke with several African-American culinary entrepreneurs and discovered that the “back to basics” philosophy is alive and well. Artisinal foods — which by definition are handmade using traditional techniques — are helping blacks reconnect with some of the best aspects of our past. As you plan your remaining holiday feasts, you may want to keep one of these African-American artisanal food producers in mind.
Take for instance, Slow Jams. The socially-conscious artisanal jam company in Oakland, California, is the brain-child of Shakirah Simley. The young food activist was born in the South Bronx and raised in Harlem, neighborhoods with little access to fresh produce, not to mention access to organic or locally-grown options. This deficit helped spark her commitment to making sure healthy foods are available to everyone. Her jams help her realize this vision.
“Canning and preserving are a sometimes forgotten thread in the fabric that makes up African-American food culture. However, farming, gardening and ‘putting food by’ is very much a part of our history, [coming from the] need for self-reliance and [a means of] staving off hunger,” Simley told theGrio. “When I’m selecting heirloom varieties of apricots or patiently boiling down grapes for jelly, I’m following the tradition of our not-so-far-away ancestors who did the same to feed their families with very little resources and preserve the harvest. Making jam isn’t some trend; [it’s] a real way to connect folks to our heritage, the land and to each other.”
Shakirah taught herself to can and preserve “through many hours of practice, voracious reading and research,” and was awarded a prestigious one-year Fulbright fellowship to attend the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, Italy. Her Slow Jams flavors consist of unique delicacies such Urban Meyer Lemon Curd, Brown Sugar Pear Butter, Summer Berry Jam, and Vanilla Blenheim Apricot Preserve.
And Shakirah really walks the walk and talks the talk. “My work as an artisanal food producer is directly influenced by my work as a food justice advocate,” she said. “My strong belief that good food is for everyone guides my activities around healthy food access and recreational equity. I’m grateful that I get to continue this work as Bi-Rite Market’s Community Coordinator, as a volunteer instructor for cooking classes for pregnant teens and teen moms in San Francisco, as well as by supporting youth of color in their campaigns to change their school food systems through Funders Collaborative for Youth Organizing.
“My goal for my food career is to work toward a just food system and to extend culturally-appropriate, delicious and value-added products to all communities,” Simley shared.
Slow Jams can be purchased through Bi-Rite Market, the San Francisco gourmet grocer, located at 3639 18th Street. The phone number is (415) 241-9760.
For more on Shakirah, check out her blog post on the Bi-Rite site or follow her on Twitter — then read on for more black artisanal food producers breaking boundaries by clicking below.
Brooklyn Bell Foods & Co. was founded in 2011 by Ron and Kati Cunningham, a husband and wife team from the Kensington neighborhood of Brooklyn. Firm believers in honest and healthy products, all their foods are minimally processed. Many of the primary ingredients they use are from their own handcrafted goods, such as nut butters and their Madagascar vanilla bean extract.
Their offerings? Gourmet ice cream sold under a line named “The Local,” with adult takes on childhood classics in enticing flavors such as Brown Sugar Whiskey Vanilla and Chocolate Love. The pair also offers Good Bars, which they refer to as “a tasty alternative to the cardboard granola bars found in big box stores.” These small batch oat bars are chock full of simple, natural ingredients, like almonds, raisins and cranberries — with no fillers, ever.
The couple, who each work full time (Ron in software development and Kati in law), share a vision of a company that can and does make a difference. “As a black-owned business, it is our charge to raise the visibility of other minority-owned businesses and support entrepreneurship in our community. Ron and I look forward to growing our company, and using it as a platform to teach minority youth the ins and outs of owning your own business,” Kati told theGrio. “We also believe in the ability and responsibility of small businesses to regrow the economy. For this reason, we make every effort to buy American, from large purchases such as our batch freezer to items such as containers and ice cream scoops. In the same vein, and with the environment in mind, we use ingredients that are locally made, and source our foods from local growers and providers as often as possible.”
The Cunninghams recently obtained a permit to sell their Good Bars, and a license is expected soon enabling them to market their ice creams. The plan is to have their products available in specialty stores and cafes throughout Brooklyn, eventually extending their reach to other locales. Be on the lookout for their brands at local markets and fairs.
“We love what we’re doing because we’re doing it together. Food connects all people, but that is especially true for our family,” Ron and Kati said. Yes, this is a family affair, as their two daughters, ages two and twenty-two, are official taste testers. “Brooklyn Bell is a natural extension of our family,” Kati confirmed.
“Through it, we have found expression for our values, ethics, and passion. Ultimately, we hope it will make the world a better place. As we say on our website, Ice Cream Saves Country!”
For more information, go to www.brooklynbell.com and follow them on Facebook and Twitter. Who else is trailblazing in black artisanal foods? You’ll be surprised at the creativity and savvy of one African-American Connecticut mom.
Jerri Graham, creator of the Westport, Connecticut-based premium snack bar company Nothin’ But comes from a publishing background. She never intended to bake for a living. However, the notion of finding the perfect granola bar motivated her. “I wanted to create something that I wanted,” Graham told theGrio.
What she wanted was something that was not only delicious, but also healthy, full of nuts, seeds, and dried fruits. “I also set out to establish a brand that could be international, with multiple products all based around organic oats. Right now I’ve developed 72 different recipes for bars, 20 specifically for granola, and another 30 products all in the same arena. I love it and get a creative rush whenever I think of something new.” Ginger Lemon Cashew, Chocolate Coconut Almond, Cherry Cranberry Almond, and Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate are some of her delicious concoctions.
Jerri may have pursued her passion by entering the artisanal food business, but found that it took more than a love of good food to master this sector. “There are so many new products on the market that the competition is very fierce,” she said.
However, this did not dissuade her. By deciding to look honestly at what she was doing, “focusing on creating a quality product and knowing their market,” she and her partner were able to find their “keys to success.” She considers herself lucky because she has a business cohort who works hard to get the products out there so she can focus on creating new things.
“Seeing someone taste the bars or granola for the first time can’t be beat. These recipes were at one time in my head and now they are being enjoyed by people all over the area. Sure, there are times when it would be a lot easier and less stressful to have a regular job, but nothing I’ve done in the past compares to this level of excitement.”
For an extensive list of where to purchase Nothin’ But foods, go to their web site. Plus, you can follow the firm on Facebook and Twitter. But if you think this artisanal food trend has skipped over the southern region, think again. You are about to meet two siblings that are creating a force for change in Atlanta, on a mission to bring quality foods to black communities.
At first glance, Alison and Alphonso Cross, the brother and sister team behind The Boxcar Grocer, based in Atlanta, seem like unlikely candidates for the food business. Alphonso has a background in fashion; Alison studied architecture and worked as a video editor. “The funny thing is that we are not foodies at all,” Alison told theGrio. “If you had walked up to anyone in our family three years ago and told them that we would end up opening any sort of business revolving around food, they would have laughed. Our grandmothers are most likely laughing in their graves. This work was born more out of a passion around food justice that built upon our individual experiences as having worked in philanthropy, design, advertising, and retail. We really wanted to take these assets we had and apply them to our community in a way that people with our backgrounds don’t normally do.”
While The Boxcar Grocer does not create artisanal foods, the grocery store is a mecca for food purity supporting the mission of the creators to make organic, high-quality foods available for everyone. To facilitate this, the Crosses have set up six vendor booths inside their store, which they call Pop Food; these stands serve as combination pop-up restaurants/farmers’ markets. In addition to the quality edibles stocked on store shelves, the Pop Food stands give neighboring blacks access to fresh, creative eating alternatives.
“It helps encourage our customers to know who makes their food and allows them to get a wider variety of healthy options into the neighborhood without having to do all the work of sourcing and cooking up meals,” Alison said.
Of the products on their shelves, Alison added, “We sell Chuice, Cu’i Watermelon Drink, Beauty H2O, Just Add Honey, and Eden Easy Beds to name a few African-American owned brands. All of these products have healthy properties. Chuice is one of our fastest-selling products. It is a non-pasteurized nutritional meal supplement that contains 45 essential enzymes and nutrients to balance out the system and provide energy for the body. It’s called Chuice because it’s kind of a juice you have to chew.”
These local vendors are all supported by the siblings’ company, who have been equally supported by the community in return. From the beginning, The Boxcar Grocer has formed partnerships with area black-owned farms like Truly Living Well, HABESHA, Good Shepherd Community Church, and Metro Atlanta Urban Farm. This served to expand their customer base quickly. “They have strong reputations for high quality farming. When people [learn that] we carry their produce and make our sandwiches with as much as their food as we can, they smile at how we all support each other.”
The Crosses say the response to the store has been overwhelmingly positive. “People don’t usually put stores like this in communities that are predominately African-American. Everyone has been excited about our presence, but also excited by the quality of the food we offer,” Alison confirmed.
Their long-term goal? To have at least five locations in every major city. “This time last year, no one in Atlanta knew who we were except our family. Now, there are mutterings all over town about our innovative model and how cool our store is. And this is just the beginning!” Alison said.
“Alphonzo and I really enjoy challenging people’s preconceived notions,” she added. “Whether it’s food or clothing or through different media, we enjoy dichotomies. People think they can make judgments about who eats what and who is most likely to frequent our store based on what people look like. Our store is living proof that, given the right opportunity, more people than you think will eat organic. The option has just not been offered to our community in a way that is specific to us.
“Boxcar is the link,” Alison concluded. “We love thinking up solutions to issues. I guess this all points to how much we like working as a team. We’ve always been this way. We just never had the chance to wrap our minds around something we were both passionate about and made it happen.”
The Boxcar Grocer is located at 249 Peters Street, SW in Atlanta, Georgia. The phone number is (404) 883-3608.
For more information, find Boxcar Grocer on Facebook or Twitter, and check out their website. Then take a few more moments to learn about two Brooklyn women making good with a hand-crafted drink that is healthy and delicious.
City ‘Lasses is the Brooklyn-based beverage start-up of Dynishal Gross and Laura Carroll. It was born from their shared love of blackstrap molasses. Before City ‘Lasses was conceived, the two women had been friends for over a decade and had worked together at education-related non-profits. They both had entrepreneurial ambitions and dreamed up their business together in early 2010.
“A friend had returned from the southwest extolling the virtues of blackstrap molasses,” Gross, a self-described “country girl” who grew up gardening, crabbing and fishing in Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay region, told theGrio. Molasses, a byproduct of creating white sugar, is full of iron and nutritious minerals. “We became obsessed and began dreaming up ways to help folks get this amazing ingredient into their diets. Our research led us to a historic drink called ‘switchel’ and after months of recipe testing and focus groups, Switzel was born.”
All drinks from City ‘Lasses — based on their basic Switzel concept — are made with organic, unsulphured, fair trade blackstrap molasses made from sugarcane from Paraguay. They come in several variations, such as Switzel Energy with black tea and ginger, and Switzel Fizz, a handmade soda. For now, distribution is limited to their home region. Yet, Gross and Carroll get a huge sense of satisfaction from close interactions with their clientele.
“Introducing our drinks to new customers at outdoor markets around New York City is such a thrill,” Gross said. “We love watching the expressions on their faces as they taste something bold and new, yet familiar. And seeing fans return for refills week after week is just amazing.”
While they love what they do, both women acknowledge the challenges of the artisanal food business. “Having a great recipe is just the beginning,” Gross concluded. “The administrative and regulatory barriers to entering this field are considerable, and scaling up profitably is even harder.”
Interested in getting into the artisanal foods biz?
“Our best advice is to talk to other food entrepreneurs. They are your most reliable source for industry specific, local information,” Gross recommends.
For more information on City ‘Lasses, check out their website. If you are intrigued by their refreshing blends, follow City ‘Lasses on Facebook and Twitter.
For more information on these black artisanal food producers, please contact:
Slow Jams: Shakirah Simley shakirah@biritemarket.com
Brooklyn Bell: Kati Duncan katiduncan@yahoo.com
Nothin’ But: Jerri Graham jcg@nothinbutfoods.com
Boxcar Grocer: Alison Cross alison@boxcargrocer.com
City ‘Lasses: Dynishal Gross dynishal@gmail.com
Suzanne Rust is a writer, lifestyle expert, on-air talent, and a native New Yorker. Follow her on Twitter at @SuzanneRust.