We all love a good plate of food, and whether you're a vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, or still deciding, you can't deny the heavenly feeling of sitting down to eat a well-prepared meal. As black women, we have always been innovators in the kitchen, whether it's making leftovers seem like they're brand new, creating fabulous meals out of bare-bones groceries, turning cooking savvy into successful businesses, or changing the food game altogether. Here are 9 black female chefs who have done just that, using their culinary prowess to win in business and in the kitchen:
Sunny Anderson
A military vet, she's got more than 15 years under her belt serving as a professional chef, and she's hosted several hit shows including Food Network's Cooking for Real, and The Kitchen. She's also a New York Times best-selling cookbook author and creator of Infadium, a fun snack holder sold at Party City and on Amazon. Her dishes combine everyday food with the diverse tastes and flavors of her international travels.
Kelis
We all know her as the Grammy-winning, gloriously curly-haired singer who had Neptunes-produced hits, but Kelis has done a total career change as a fab farmer and chef. She hosted Netflix's Cooked with Cannabis, launched her own line of food products called Bounty & Full, wrote a best-selling cookbook, and has expanded the brand to include Gold Mine boxes that literally sell out in minutes after being announced via her IG page. Kelis favors unique ingredients that reflect her Puerto Rican and African-American background.
Kardea Brown
Kardea Brown is the host of Food Network's Delicious Miss Brown, where she shares southern cuisine from her South Carolina kitchen. Of Gullah/Geechee descent, Brown infuses the culture of African-Americans of the coastal region like beef and okra stew, Gullah red rice, and "Charleston-style" shrimp and grits.
Nyesha Arrington
Nyesha Arrington brings her Afro-Korean heritage to the dishes she creates and was introduced to foods like bulgogi, octopus, and kimchi at an early age, helping to diversify her palate. She's appeared on Top Chef, opened two restaurants, LA: Leone and Native, and has done successful international pop-ups. She now runs her own full-service chef consulting and catering service.
Mashama Bailey
A James Beard award-winning chef, Mashama Bailey brings Bronx swag and grit to the South with her dishes that incorporate history and culture. She's the executive chef and partner at The Grey, a restaurant in downtown Savannah, GA that is built inside a 1938 art deco Greyhound Bus terminal. The dishes include traditional Sunday dinner classics with a refined twist that might inspire you to take your own fried chicken meal up a notch.
Nina Compton
Nina Compton is another alumnus of Top Chef, and her roots go back to the shores of Saint Lucia. Compton, also a James Beard award-winner, served as a chef in some of the best restaurants in New York and Miami before opening her own restaurant in New Orleans called Compere Lapin, offering flavors of the Caribbean, Italy and France on the menu. She then went on to co-found Bywater American Bistro in New Orleans. She also serves as the Culinary Ambassador of Saint Lucia.
Kia Damon
Kia Damon came on the scene as a young self-taught phenom who made headlines at 24 when she became head chef at the chic New York eatery Lalito. She's also dominated Chopped this year and became the first culinary director at Cherry Bombe magazine. She also hosts an IG-based show called "On the Line" where she highlights leaders in the culinary space as well as culture's link to cuisine, activism, identity, and lifestyle issues. On top of that, Kia has launched Auxilio Space, a New York-based community platform that provides services, support, and jobs for queer, trans, Black and indigenous communities, in collaboration with nightlife and hospitality leaders Zacarías González and Mohammed Fayaz.
Kiki Bokungu Louya
Born and raised in Detroit with Congolese roots, Kiki Louya is the founder of two award-winning food concepts called Folk, and The Farmer's Hand that supported fair treatment of food and farm workers. She also founded Nest Egg Detroit, America's first all women-owned hospitality group.
Mariya Russell
As lead chef at Chicago's Kikko, Mariya Russell made history in 2019 as the first black female chef to head a Michelin-starred kitchen. The restaurant is special in that it's an omakase, a Japanese concept where the sushi chef decides what you will eat and provides multiple courses of delectable goodies, making for a unique dining experience. She's known for using ingredients such as shiokoji, a fermented liquid used in sake, and creative dishes like pickled green almonds, house-made tofu, and dashi.
Are you a member of our insiders squad? Join us in the xoTribe Members Community today!
Featured image by Shutterstock
- Black Female Chefs Find a Sweet Spot in OWN's First-Ever Food ... ›
- This restaurant is paying homage to Baltimore's iconic lake trout ... ›
- 11 black women chefs to follow on Instagram - 21Ninety ›
- 12 Local Black Female Chefs, Restaurant Owners, and Food ... ›
- Southern Comfort: Black Female Chefs, Mixologists Featured at ... ›
- 16 Black Chefs Changing Food in America - The New York Times ›
- 7 Black Female Chefs You Oughta Know - Essence ›
RELATED
'He Said, She Said': Love Stories Put To The Test At A Weekend For Love
At the A Weekend For Love retreat, we sat down with four couples to explore their love stories in a playful but revealing way with #HeSaidSheSaid. From first encounters to life-changing moments, we tested their memories to see if their versions of events aligned—because, as they say, every story has three sides: his, hers, and the truth.
Do these couples remember their love stories the same way? Press play to find out.
Episode 1: Indira & Desmond – Love Across the Miles
They say distance makes the heart grow fonder, but for Indira & Desmond, love made it stronger. Every mile apart deepened their bond, reinforcing the unshakable foundation of their relationship. From their first "I love you" to the moment they knew they had found home in each other, their journey is a beautiful testament to the endurance of true love.
Episode 2: Jay & Tia – A Love Story Straight Out of a Rom-Com
If Hollywood is looking for its next Black love story, they need to take notes from Jay & Tia. Their journey—from an awkward first date to navigating careers, parenthood, and personal growth—proves that love is not just about romance but also resilience. Their story is full of laughter, challenges, and, most importantly, a love that stands the test of time.
Episode 3: Larencia & Mykel – Through the Highs and Lows
A date night with police helicopters overhead? Now that’s a story! Larencia & Mykel have faced unexpected surprises, major life changes, and 14 years of choosing each other every single day. But after all this time, do they actually remember things the same way? Their episode is sure to bring some eye-opening revelations and a lot of laughs.
Episode 4: Soy & Osei – A Love Aligned in Purpose
From a chance meeting at the front door to 15 years of unwavering love, faith, and growth, Soy & Osei prove that when two souls are aligned in love and purpose, nothing can shake their foundation. Their journey is a powerful reminder that true love is built on mutual support, shared values, and a deep connection that only strengthens with time.
Each of these couples has a unique and inspiring story to tell, but do their memories match up? Watch #HeSaidSheSaid to find out!
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Feature image screenshot/ xoNecole YouTube
Are You & Your Partner Financially Compatible? Here’s How To Tell.
With nearly half of all marriages that end in divorce citing finances as the nail in the coffin to deading their relationship, financial compatibility is one aspect of long-term compatibility that doesn't get talked about enough. Beyond the circular 50/50 discourse and whatever hot-button issues regarding providers and the like, at its core, financial compatibility is about how well your financial behaviors, values, and long-term goals align with those of your partner.
More than it is about how much money a person makes or doesn't make, financial compatibility focuses on how you think about money, how you spend your money, and most importantly, how you plan for the future with your money. Think, questions about money mindsets, spending habits, debt, budget, etc. Are you a saver and he's a spender? Do you see money as a tool for freedom? Does he see it as something to hold on tightly to as a means of survival? Can you talk about your financial goals and plans openly?
Knowing if you and your partner are financially compatible can save a lot of heartache, a lot of headaches, and a lot of money in the end. Keep reading for a few key indicators to pay attention to and learn whether or not you and your partner are truly aligned financially.
Signs You’re Financially Compatible
1. You can talk about money without judgment.
Conversations about money aren't something you dread. You're able to talk to your partner freely and openly about money matters, like debts, bills, the budget, etc., even when it is uncomfortable. There is an understanding that talking about money doesn't have to be something you're on the defense about, instead it's an opportunity for transparency, clarity, and solutions.
2. You respect each other's money personalities.
What is a money personality? According to Ken Honda, author of Happy Money, a money personality is our "approach and emotional responses to money" and there are seven money personalities we can fall under. These personalities can help us understand our own relationship with money, as well as our partner's. For example, maybe you're someone who likes to treat yourself to a fancy dinner once a month and your partner is someone who believes ordering takeout and not cooking meals at home is a cardinal sin.
When you can respect each other's money personalities, neither approach is subjected to judgment and shifts can be made in each other's spending habits as needed and from a place of love versus guilt or shame.
3. You agree on what it means to have "financial security."
Whether it’s building a stacked emergency fund, paying off debt before putting a downpayment on a home or being able to splurge on a baecation without checking your account balance before the bill arrives, your definitions of what it means to be financially secure are in sync, or at least compatible enough to reach a compromise.
4. You are not each other's "financial parent."
You’re not constantly teaching, fixing, or stressing out over what the other person is doing with their money. Although I fast-forwarded through a lot of the most recent season of Love Is Blind, I did pay attention to Virginia and Devin and money seemed to be a recurring theme in their conversations. It was clear Virginia had her ish together when it came to money and her financial plans for the future and Devin was not quite on her level.
Though she said no at the altar for additional reasons, I could also see how sis could eventually get very tired of being her partner's second mama, so to speak. And that's the thing about being your partner's "financial parent," eventually, you could end up feeling like you are one-half of a "parenting" or "teaching" dynamic with your partner instead of feeling like you're equals in a partnership.
5. You make financial decisions with each other in mind, not for each other.
Whether it’s booking a trip, deciding which debt to tackle first, saving up for a big purchase, or planning out your next move, there’s a mutual respect for each other’s input. Those shared goals might look like wealth, freedom, stability, or just a debt-free life that feels soft and secure.
You don’t have to be chasing the same bag in the same exact way, but you do need to be aligned on the vision. What you're building should feel like a joint venture with shared effort and purpose, not one of y’all making major money moves like you're still single. Making financial decisions is not just about where the money goes, it's about where you’re going together.
6. You're aligned when it comes to the big stuff.
Financial compatibility extends to the long-term of money management. The legacy, structure, and shared responsibility that comes with decisions like shared accounts, estate planning, having babies, or even blending families. Will you split bills or combine income? Who’s taking time off if you have a child? How do y’all feel about generational wealth or investing for your family’s future? You and your partner have had the real conversations.
These conversations can’t wait until after the wedding or until after a baby’s here. They’re the foundation for how you function as a unit, and if you're not aligned, or at least willing to get on the same page, that incompatibility can cause friction in the end that love alone can't fix.
Love is cute and all, but building an empire together? That’s the real flex. Tap into our new series Making Cents to see what financial compatibility really looks like when love and legacy go hand in hand.
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Featured image by pixdeluxe/Getty Images