If there is anything we remember from our childhood, it is food and the hands that prepared it.

For Carl Vann, it is his grandmother who he would sit and watch in the kitchen as she prepared some of the family favorites that he as an adult would later recreate. This time spent together before losing her when he was 12 would be the inspiration behind his business and app called Pass the Peaz.

The South Carolina native is on a mission to help families save their cherished recipes for the next generations while supporting food insecure individuals through its food rescue initiative.

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Diaspora Food Stories is produced by The Global Food and Drink Initiative, a 501c3 nonprofit. Together with your generous donation we can continue to preserve the oral history and culture of Black food and drink stories both in English and other languages spoken throughout the African diaspora. To donate, visit globalforgood.org.

Website: Diaspora Food Stories

Episode Sponsor

Hayti

Lenzy Ruffin is a photographer based in the Washington, DC area who began working with other small business owners looking to do videos to promote their services.

As someone who grew up in a family of amazing cooks, it was a cooking show that caught his attention one day on PBS and after watching, he set out to create one as a personal project, eventually finding a chef and producing more than 100 episodes.

With many lessons learned, he is now helping other aspiring cooking show hosts create their own magic in the kitchen for YouTube audiences around the world through his company as a cooking show advisor.

In this episode, we're talking about taking steps to get in front of the camera, one's commitment and key ingredients you'll need as a host to be successful.

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Diaspora Food Stories is produced by The Global Food and Drink Initiative, a 501c3 nonprofit. Together with your generous donation we can continue to preserve the oral history and culture of Black food and drink stories both in English and other languages spoken throughout the African diaspora. To learn more and donate, visit globalforgood.org.

Website: Diaspora Food Stories

Episode Sponsors

Hayti

San Francisco private chef turned artisan baker, Azikiwee "Z"Anderson, turned to sourdough bread baking during the COVID-19 pandemic as a creative outlet and a way to cope with the social unrest following the murder of George Floyd in 2020. After many tries and the determination to get it right, he slowly built a following among friends and family, which today includes the Bay Area and beyond as the owner of Rize Up Bakery.

Azikiwee's story starts in Louisiana with a move to California following a life-changing event for his family. What follows is a journey of creativity, self-discovery and an unexpected passion making him one of few Black artisan bakers in the field, a story he plans to tell in his upcoming book to be released in 2026.

The self-taught baker is known for creating sourdough bread that is deliciously unique with bold flavors such as Garlic confit, Sweet Purple Yam and Jalapeno Bacon and Cheddar, often selling out before the day is over.

Listen and Connect

Website

Instagram

Watch the episode on YouTube

Episode Sponsor

Hayti

Diaspora Food Stories is produced by The Global Food and Drink Initiative, a 501c3 nonprofit. Together with your generous donation we can continue to preserve the oral history and culture of Black food and drink stories both in English and other languages spoken throughout the African diaspora. To donate, visit globalforgood.org.

Website: Diaspora Food Stories