"Office Hours" #10: 4 Black Chefs Changing America

Happy Juneteenth, all!

JBC is off to properly commemorate the federal holiday, but we still wanted to bring our unique celebration to your inboxes for you to review at your leisure. Ideally, you’re also taking a few moments today to consider what the day stands for and how it’s role in American history has impacted your own lived experience.

A portmanteau of “June” and “nineteenth,” Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 when the last group of enslaved people in Galveston, Texas learned they were free from the institution of slavery, thus commemorating the end of slavery in the U.S. Recognition of the day has grown in recent years, and for good reason: Juneteenth is an occasion everyone should acknowledge, regardless of whether you’ve memorialized Juneteenth your entire life or you’re just learning about it now.

Here at JBC, we’ve set out to acknowledge Black contributions to the nation’s culture, including in the culinary world. After all, much of the national diet we in the U.S. consider patently “American” — from indigenous African foods like coffee to dishes like macaroni and cheese — has roots in Black American food practices. That’s why, in honor of Juneteenth, we’re highlighting a new class of Black chefs, each of whom have immeasurably contributed to the country’s culinary culture (and beyond) in their own unique ways.

Any additional recommendations of folks we should have on our radar? As always, please share your picks with us on Instagram.

—Jenny & Melissa

Mashama Bailey

Born in the Bronx and raised in Queens, Mashama Bailey spent a portion of her elementary-school years in Savannah, Georgia, 100 miles from her grandmother’s hometown. While she learned to cook from the women in her family, she cut her teeth at the prestigious Institute of Culinary Education before returning to New York City to cook her way through Manhattan’s top restaurants. In 2014, Mashama came home to Savannah and became executive chef of acclaimed restaurant The Grey, where she serves up Southern-inspired fare with contemporary twists; in 2019, Mashama was named Best Chef Southeast by the James Beard Foundation, being featured on Netflix’s “Chef’s Table” that same year. Mashama also serves as Vice Chairman on the board of the Edna Lewis Foundation, which works to preserve and celebrate the legacy of the renowned American chef, teacher, and author.

For more on Mashama, check out the below:

• “Mashama Bailey is the most important chef in America” ( Financial Times )

• “Mashama Bailey, from Savannah to Jamaica” ( Departures )

• “Chef Mashama Bailey honors Zora Neale Hurston with a Southern feast” ( Bon Appetit )

Shawn McKenzie

Executive pastry chef of Café Cerés and Rustica Bakery, Shawn McKenzie got her start running the pastry programs at a family of restaurants in the Twin Cities before moving to Penny’s Coffee, a mini-chain of coffee shops and cafés, where she garnered national food-world attention. When Penny’s closed during the pandemic, Shawn opened Café Cerés, where she’s been known to experiment with the restaurant’s Turkish flavors with confections like her acclaimed chocolate zephyr cookies, made with rye flour, as well as her pistachio croissants. This March, the James Beard Foundation named Shawn a 2023 finalist in the Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker category, becoming the only nominee from Minnesota.

For more on Shawn, check out the below:

• “Pastry chef Shawn McKenzie is Minnesota’s only 2023 James Beard finalist” ( Eater )

• “Shawn McKenzie’s pastries will transport you somewhere sweet” ( Mpls.St.Paul Magazine )

• “Shawn McKenzie, James Beard-nomined pastry chef, tells us what’s for lunch” (MPR News)

Damarr Brown

Growing up due south of Chicago, Damarr Brown spent his childhood eating his grandmother’s fried chicken livers and collard greens — recipes that originated from her own Mississippi hometown — until he became old enough to do the cooking himself. After graduating from Chicago’s Cooking and Hospitality Institute, Damarr spent two years at The Alinea Group’s acclaimed restaurant Roister, after which he opened Virtue, a Southern American restaurant in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. Damarr believes Virtue to be “an important part of Chicago’s dining scene, as it was founded to provide inclusivity, and a culture of equity.” In 2022, Food & Wine named Damarr one of its Best New Chefs from around the country.

For more on Damarr, check out the below:

• “Food & Wine Best New Chefs 2022: Damarr Brown” ( Food& Wine)

• “Chef Damarr Brown’s Southern roots at the heart and soul of his cooking success” ( Chicago Sun-Times )

• “Chicago ‘Top Chef’ contestant Damarr Brown would pit his collard greens against a cassoulet any day” ( Eater )

Tanya Holland

Recognized for her inventive take on contemporary soul food and comfort classics, Tanya Holland is the former executive chef and owner of the internationally recognized Brown Sugar Kitchen restaurant in Oakland, California, which received multiple Michelin Bib Gourmand awards before permanently closing in January 2022. Tanya has since moved onto other pursuits: Also the author of “The Brown Sugar Kitchen Cookbook” and “New Soul Cooking,” Tanya has become a staple on television, from competing on the 15th season of “Top Chef” to hosting “Tanya’s Kitchen Table” on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. Elsewhere, Tanya serves as a member of the Board of Trustees at the James Beard Foundation, as well as in-demand public speaker and lecturer who frequently leads the conversation on inclusion and equity in the hospitality industry.

For more on Tanya, check out the below:

• “The chef Tanya Holland chronicles the journey of ‘California Soul’” ( The New York Times )

• “Tanya Holland’s ‘California Soul’ celebrates the food and stories of the Great Migration” (KQED)

• “Chef Tanya Holland looks ahead to her next chapter” (WBUR)

Looking for more ways to support diverse communities? Check out our roundup of Hispanic- and Latine-owned brands.