Edible Activist

Farming Ninjas LeVan Anderson and Jeremy Carry are back to talk on why growing your own food is cool and necessary, especially for men of color. Using their years of experience in the entertainment industry and taste for the culture we break down what it's going to take to create a more sustainable community. We already have the hustlers mentality, so why can't we disrupt the urban farming industry for our good? Anything's possible when we create our own narratives that connect us back to the land.

Entrepreneurs Nana, Maame, and Nina are the force behind Dine Diaspora, an agency based in Washington, DC that amplifies the influence of African food culture around the world. As Ghanians, these women embrace their origins and have positioned themselves to create the linkages between those of the diaspora to African food cuisine. In this episode, Nana, Maame, and Nina share a bit of their Ghanian roots and what it was like coming to the states as a youth, their urge to launch Dine Diaspora to create authentic experiences that reflect African food culture, and uncover some of the things that decedents of Africa have gotten away from.

Starting a business isn't easy, even if this episodes guest makes it look that way. What started off as a classroom assignment during her undergrad time at FAMU, blossomed into a thriving holistic plant-based food brand here in DC. Kendra Hazel of Green Things Work focuses on creating colorful and nutrient-dense foods at various pop-ups and catering events across the city. It's not uncommon to see Kendra collaborating with edible activist alumni such as Chef Lauren Van Der Pool and the City Blossoms organization. Keep your eyes and ears on this one, she's making a splash here in the DC food space. This won't be the last time you hear of Kendra Hazel.

Chef Veronica Velasquez has gone from cooking corn tortillas in her mother's kitchen, to presenting award-winning oyster mushroom street tacos. She creates Latinx inspired dishes that remind people pursuing a vegan lifestyle doesn't mean giving up the culture you grew up with. When a dog adorably named "Hot Sauce" shifted Chef V's perspective on where our food comes from, her food became her activism. Now she creates plant-based masterpieces in pop-ups around the DC area, while never forgetting her Salvadorian roots.

Kimora Brock is a triple threat of healing, entrepreneurship and edible activism. But, what happens when a pre-med graduate gives up the corporate world to pursue a life of natural medicine and passion? From living in her car in California to growing her own raw/organic snack food business, Malibu Trail Mix, Kimora has beaten the odds. Now she teaches others to live a more electric and sustainable life, so that they too can achieve radical self-love.

Growing with dad is something we don't see too often, in the since of being out in the garden, but Ronnie Webb of The Green Scheme has made it a priority to engage his beloved son, Josh , into every aspect of his work. Ronnie founded this organization that works with D.C. youth to teach them basic gardening skills and the value of healthy food. And you can find his son by his side ready to put in the work, even calling himself the Junior Boss. In this special episode, that pays tribute to this past Father's Day, Melissa sits down with Ronnie and his son to discuss the fun in gardening together, how this space has impacted his son, and how he is building good soil so that Josh has strong principles (planted by dad) to fall on.

Frederick James is a southerner from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, born into a family with a deep knowledge of farming. His family taught him just about everything he knows, patience being the biggest lesson, and has been able to apply these farming techniques here in the DC area and beyond. In this episode, Fred shares a bit of his family history on the land, his perspective on emotional and metal healing as it relates to healthy food, and some of the crop challenges his faces out in the field.

This brilliant hipster philanthropist and garden grower, Brittney Drakeford, is a green thumb enthusiast, and a senior planner by profession. She is a sixth-generation native of Prince George's County and grew up in a household where embracing her black history was imperative. As a Robert Wood Foundation Culture of Health Leader, Brittney has always taking the initiative in creating and designing equitable spaces in the area of health and culture. Listen in as she shares her family lineage, her role at Cottage City Community Gardens, and how she makes her connections to the land through art and black history.

New Brooklyn Farms is a green haven located in the suburbs of Mt. Rainer, Maryland. Doug Adams, owner and founder, is the visionary behind this concept, and it holds a special place in his heart because he grew up in the home right next to it. He is a health and agriculture enthusiast at heart, having experienced a short stint in the juicing business, he always knew the benefits of a healthy lifestyle and local food production. In 2016 Doug was able to acquire 1/4 acre plot next to his parents home, and has started to build what he calls a green event space. In this episode, listen to Doug share how he wants folks to re-imagine their land and take a different approach to homesteading, why owning land is important to him, and his perspectives on growing food for B2B.

Freeing the land and returning to our ancestral ways is a large part of land liberation. During this special episode, powered by Fair Farms Maryland, audience members were part of this live broadcast as host, Melissa L. Jones engaged in conversation with former guest and farmer, Dom Hosack on what land liberation means and how to reclaim what was ours. Listen in as he shares why we must view the earth as part of our own system, the crucial need to care for the land to prevent further climate disaster and be able to grow food, and learn about his work with Earth Bound Building, a member cooperative based in Maryland.

Dffrntwrld, co-founded by DC native Brennan Gerald, is a creative agency that designs solutions to help brands reach their business goals. Their tribe is made up of strategists, healers, designers, alchemists, herbalists, indigenous cultural enthusiasts, and plant-based, ethical, eco-friendly businesses. In this episode, Brennan talks about growing up in a health conscious environment, why he chooses to focus solely on helping healthy and sustainable brands through his consultancy, and his take on the future of food and agriculture.

In honor of Mother's Day, Edible Activist Podcast host Melissa L. Jones interviews her mother about her food journey. Malinda is a southerner with deep roots in Butler, Alabama and Jackson, Mississippi. She grew up eating everything on the land, from yard meat to fresh pecans, and is still a country girl at heart. In this episode, mom shares her fondest food memories in the south, growing up as a kid in a rural area, and her bouts with food allergies that forced her to change her diet completely, turning towards a more holistic approach. Tune into: A Mother's Food Journey.

Meet Farming Ninjas, Jeremy Carry and LaVan Anderson, who are using their gardening tools as weapons for good. On a mission to grow organic and delicious food for everyone and everywhere, Jeremy is a self-taught gardener who witnessed a food dessert in Richmond, VA and began growing food by just throwing seeds in a pot! And inspiring master gardener LaVan believes that growing food for survival is more than just resiliency, it also means eating right so that we can live longer. In this episode, we talk through food perspectives and also acknowledge the great Nipsey Hussle and the seeds he planted in the black community.

Living well is a mindset. Colombian native Lina Salazar believes that in order for any type of transformation and healing to occur, there needs to be a shift in the mind. Traveling the world and achieving every goal imaginable, Lina still struggled with her physical image, becoming obsessed with diet and exercise, and even had her bouts with bulimia and binge eating. Having overcome these challenges, Lina now provides support to women as a health coach through her platform, Live Well. In this episode, learn about her food roots in Colombia, how to achieve food sanity and the importance of feeling good about yourself.

Acupuncturist and herbalist, Geoff Edwards brings his wisdom back to the show talking all-things ancestry and herbal healing. He has deepened his work, navigating this ancestral journey even further through the exploration of medical herbs, traveling to Costa Rica and Jamaica connecting with indigenous roots and farmers, and applying this to his Nu Healing Arts practice. In this episode, listen to Geoff speak on the importance of knowing what our grandparents grew, and what their parents grew, as a way to connect with our ancestors and to incorporate a diet that reflects our ancestral DNA.

Rebecca Lemos-Otero has dedicated her career to making safe green spaces where children and youth are the main stewards and cultivators. As co-founder and Executive Director of City Blossoms, Rebecca gets to combine her interests in community development, entrepreneurship, horticulture, the arts, and working with youth. In this episode we dig into her D.C. roots, growing up in the Columbia Heights neighborhood, learn how green spaces create explorative and experimental spaces for youth, and how entrepreneurship is an important part of City Blossom's model. Tune in!

Food On The Stove is a dynamic organization, founded by EMT and firefighter, Jonathan Tate of Engine 11 Truck 6 in D.C., as a way to address the #1 cause of firefighter deaths which is heart disease. In this episode we explore Jonathan's personal relationship to food prior to becoming a first responder, learn about FOTS's initiative, Local Food for Local Heroes, and how they are bringing fresh food from the field to the firehouse to promote healthy lifestyle changes for firefighters in the city!

It's a Vegan Fiesta and Dominique Evans is the dynamic woman behind it all! In this episode, learn how one documentary changed the trajectory of her diet lifestyle and why she advocates for the safety of animals who endure harsh treatment at factory farms. Dominique's online platform, The Vegan Fiesta, showcases her colorful and well-crafted vegan creations (even animal print donuts), pulling inspiration from her own artistic capabilities and curiosity. Tune in!

From rooftop gardens to elementary school vegetable beds, Niraj Ray is on a mission to "cultivate the city" with green spaces. He is the founder of Cultivate the City, an organization based in Washington, D.C. that was created to inspire healthy and sustainable living by empowering communities with tools and training for urban agriculture. In this episode learn about Niraj's environmental science background, how his Indian family inspired his green thumb, the advantages of vertical farming, and how he created 25 urban farms (yes, 25)!

Where's WANDA? Tambra Raye Stevenson is taking her all over the world to inspire little girls to become food sheroes. She founded Women Advancing Nutrition Dietetics and Nutrition to empower women & girls to lead and create healthy communities in Africa and the Diaspora. She is a world traveler, international speaker, mom and amazing cook. Listen in as she defines divine feminine power, speaks on how Western food has failed us, and finding her fulani roots in Nigeria.

AFRO Beets embodies soul and culture. Chris Riddick is a vegetable gardener and plant-based soul food cook who specialzes in growing foods that are, what he calls, building blocks of soul food. Listen in as he shares the importance of food and identity and how he creates small edible spaces without a backyard or porch!

Soilful: the feeling when mind, body, and spirit connect with the earth. In this episode, Xavier Brown shares defining moments and perspectives in agriculture. His belief is that everyone should embody a "soilful" lifestyle and highlights the importance of black people defining their place in agriculture. We also honor the legacy of Horace Pippin, a black veteran, artist and seedkeeper, and talk through how Xavier has created a system to support black farmers through the production of fish peppers to create his infamous Pippin Sauce.

The WaterHole is a gem in the Mt. Rainer community where residents, artists, and moms of toddlers come to nourish their minds, bodies and souls with organic, cold-pressed juices. Lisa Harris, an artist and resident herself, is the owner and operator who started the juice bar after the passing of her dad back in 2013. TWH is the first and only juice bar in Mt. Rainer, a quaint and hippie town nestled in between northeast D.C. and Hyattsville, which is also home to many creatives. Lisa is not only making history as an African-American entrepreneur in her town, but she is truly passionate about health and wants her neighbors to "live organically."

Dreaming Out Loud is what everyone should be doing, right? Founder and executive director Chris Bradshaw thinks so and believes that everyone should feel empowered to "dream out loud." Chris' organization has been working to fix a broken food system for the last decade, realizing that the systematic structures at-large are no accident. He wants marginalized communities to be in a space where they can dream into reality and have access to better jobs, food, education, and more. Listen in as you hear Chris share why our food and economic system is so jacked up, the work that DOL is doing in wards 7 & 8, along with him recounting a story from his lineage-- one of death and escape from Rosewood, Florida.

A juice bar that is turning DC communities natural! Jerri Evans is a DC native and the owner of Turning Natural, a collection of five juice bars that serve up delicious smoothies and fun vibes in and outside of DC. Growing up in Southeast, corner stores filled with sugar and processed foods were at proximity to Jerri and her peers; she has witnessed firsthand the health disparities around her, including her late mother who was diagnosed with stage II breast cancer. Jerri is continuing the legacy that her mother started, Turning Natural, and is on a mission to create an entire health movement!

Growing rice in the DC region + healing people?!? Dr. Nazirahk Amen is on a mission and we're here for it all! In this episode, you'll learn how Dr. Amen, a licensed naturopathic doctor, Chinese Medicine practitioner, and acupuncturist is connecting to the land, defining health and what he calls, dis-ease, along with how he helps people to heal and live authentic healthy lifestyles.

D.C. native, Myeasha Taylor, has been pushing locally grown produce over the last ten years! She's a farmer, food systems advocate, project manager, and a go-go + Bmore club enthusiast. In this episode you'll hear how the passing of her grandmother led to creating a path in the health and agriculture space, her experience growing food in Baltimore city, and the narrative that she's hoping to change for her D.C. community.

In the City of Brotherly Love, community residents are building green spaces in the hood, fighting for land access, demanding answers from the city, and banding together to honor what our ancestors built on the land. In this episode, you'll hear about Melissa and Leta's journey to Philadelphia to capture the bravehearts of this city.

Chef Brazil thought he was going to the Arts Institute of Philadelphia for fashion design, until he ended up graduating with a culinary degree! For the last 15 years, Brazil has been throwing the "spyce" in his dishes and is the owner of Spyceco, a personal chef company. He creates intimate dining experiences for clients like NBA players, couples, and friends, while having to cater to the dietary needs of his clientele due to health challenges and sporting conditions. Heart healthy dishes are an important aspect of his business, along with cooking with local ingredients. Tune in!

Three black dynamic women entrepreneurs who are spicin' it up in their businesses: Milan Jordan-Durham, founder, The Cultured Kombucha; Rabia Kamara, pastry chef and owner, Ruby Scoops, and Kehmari Norman, founder, Ksquared Flowers. These three Spicin' Womenpreneurs share how they have created their own lanes: from crafting a delicious kombucha line, to whipping up sorbets and ice cream with locally sourced ingredients, and creating an array of floral wellness products. Each of them bring an aspect of health-wellness, self-care and joy within the products they have beautifully mastered. All three women also make up part of the The Spice Girl collective, a group of 21 black women business-owners, at The Spice Suite in Washington, DC. Listen in!

Sabrina Nelson is a professional artist, vegan, dope mom, and Detroiter. During her travels to D.C. she graced the show and shared her story of making the decision to go plant-based to stop family illness. But beyond her veganism, Sabrina is a 24/7 creator who is FEEDING the mind, body and soul of individuals who encounter her murals in Detroit, her sketch books, online and everywhere else. "My art is my weapon," says Sabrina. And as a creator, she believes that using her artistic capabilities as a voice for justice issues and activism, such as food, water, poverty, women, and much more, is a responsibility.

Meet Farmer Dom Hosak! In this episode, you'll learn about his educational journey in the public health field that ultimately led to him ditching his PhD program to farm full-time at the THEARC in SE, Washington, DC. Dom is a builder and believes in acquiring skill sets that sustain us, especially as black people. And as a new dad to a beautiful baby girl, he shares how important is to him to build a safe homestead lifestyle for his family.

FoodTalksDC's creator, Melissa Jones and visual artist/photographer, Leta Harrison continue conversations about their travels to Detroit back in September 2018. Listen in on Part II as they talk about this amazing photo-series which documented people color in the food and farming space for FTDC's Edible Activist campaign!

FoodTalksDC's creator, Melissa Jones, is chatting up her favorite city, DETROIT, in this episode! Back in September 2018, Melissa and photographer, Leta Harrison, traveled to Detroit to kick off FTDC's Edible Activist campaign where they met with people of color in the food and farming space to document their narratives and perspectives. The two have began sharing Part I of their photo-series on social media this week. Listen in as they rave about their love for the 'D' and what this experience was like for them.

Meet Kaylah, Melan and Saskia, the three beautiful soul sisters behind Eat For Beauty DC, a platform for sharing how they redefine beauty through intentional food and meditative experiences. In this episode, you will learn how the trio's paths divinely crossed in Washington, D.C. and in Hawaii (yes, Hawaii) that ultimately led to the birth of EFBDC. These ladies are on a journey to developing what they call higher-self lifestyle systems for optimal healing and inner/external beauty!

Geoff "Geo" Edwards is a licensed acupuncturist, herbalist and arts educator. And on any given day, you will find him in the garden, clinic or classroom. In this episode, Geoff paints a vivid story of, what he calls, a "rites to wellness" experience with one of his clients and how he integrates the three healing spaces into his practice, Nu Healing Arts.

Shanna and Francois Tiayan are living the homestead life! In this episode, hear how the couple are bringing a new face to the homesteading space as an African American family, living a nontraditional lifestyle in one of DC Metro’s suburbs.

The conversations were so full that we had to continue another round with Chef Khepra! In this episode, he takes us to Paradise Health as we discuss his book on fasting and cleansing the body. He also shares what his food journey has revealed to him and how being a leader in the community is a responsibility. Be prepared for transparent dialogue about how our bodies should fully-function so we can all move towards optimal health.

From a small town in Upstate New York to Washington, D.C., Chef Khepra has been on his raw food journey for almost 20 years. Chef takes us back to the 80s, where artists like KRS-One raised his consciousness about food, challenging him to take a different approach to what he was feeding himself. And as the owner and operator of Khepra's Raw Food and Juice Bar located on H Street in D.C., his mission is to feed customers raw live foods that are healing and healthy for the body. Khepra also shares the secret behind coconut water and why this is the only water source he consumes!

In this episode, you will hear the story of Trina Cobbler who is a doula, yogi and farmer with West Indian roots. Influenced by her Jamaican mother, who was a great cook, Trina had to get back to her roots for the healing she needed for her own body. She took to medicinal methods and yoga to alleviate painful cycles and sluggishness. Trina created People's Medicine as a way to help heal individuals by using organic teas, herbs and vegetables. When Trina cooks meals, she honors her late mother by bringing her into the kitchen so she can prepare food with love.

Chef Lauren Von Der Pool is taking us back to the jungle on this episode. A renowned raw + vegan chef who has worked closely with Serena & Venus Williams, Stevie Wonder, Michelle Obama, Common, and many more, this Guyanese Island gal wants you to connect with your higher self through nutrient-rich foods and pure energy. Lauren walks us through her challenging journey growing up in Washington, D.C, one that led her to starting a business at the age of 16 to selling food outside of Howard University. She's now serving up the best-of-the-best in LA, and globally, operating her food truck and still finds time to come back to D.C., her hometown, for her summer youth food program.

From brewing up trouble in the streets of North Philadelphia, working as a law librarian in D.C., to gardening in the suburbs of Capitol Heights, MD, Kevin Alsop is on a mission to feed 5,000 families annually within the next five years. In this episode, Kevin talks about the importance of land ownership and the legacy he wants to leave for his family. He also firmly believes that everyone should grow their own food, as his mission focuses on educating community members about cultivating fresh fruits and vegetables. "Whoever controls your food source, controls you," Kevin says.