To All My Chefs & Mixologists (novice and professional) out there, this is for you!
Who doesn’t love a mouth-watering, soulful meal or a delightful spirit to cap off the night?!! Well I wanted to add to your “must-see and must-try” lists by highlighting the spirit and culinary world with a few cookbooks, wineries, breweries, creators and organizations that are making Black History!!
Not surprisingly, Black Americans have contributed significantly (and still do) to the culinary world and cocktail/wine/brewery culture. We have been tastemakers and drink-makers since the beginning of time :-). Cooking and feeding the soul is in the DNA of African Americans (check out Netflix’s High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America if you don’t believe me)!
As it relates to the spirit world, I recently learned that there was a Black Mixology Club that was founded in 1898 by R. R. Bowie and J. Burke Edelin that was a “marquee professional association,” and a gathering place for African Americans who were trying to move up the ladder of social mobility within professional bartending [Check out these pioneers as well: Cato Alexander, John Dabney, Tom Bullock, and Dick “Uncle Dick” Francis].
Now let me say this…. the following below is by no means the only folks that have been and are in the game just a few to wet your palette (literally and figuratively), because I know there are tons of Black folks making history!!
So get ready to pop some bottles, plan your next couple or friends getaway, pull out those pots and pans, turn on your ovens, and make some magical memories!!
Black Winemakers, Wines, and Sommeliers
- Lindsey Williams, Owner of Davidson Wine Co. & Charleston Wine Co.
- Kindra Dionne, Owner of the Fifty Leven wine label
- Phil Long, Founder of Longevity Wines
- Carissa & Kenneth Stephens, Owners of Pur Noire (Houston, TX)
- Ingrid Best, CEO/Founder of iBest Wines
- Nicole Kearney, Founder of Sip & Share Wines
- Kimberly T. Johnson, Owner of Philosophy Winery & Vineyard
- Ntsiki Biyela, Founder of Aslina Wines
- Artie Johnson II, Winemaker for Le Artishasic Wines
- Aaliyah Nitoto, Founder/CEO of Free Range Flower Winery
- Erica Davis, Co-Founder of The Sip
- Dexter & Marilyn Meadows, Owners of Meadows Estate Vineyard
- Desiree Noisette, Founder of Mermosa Wines
- Whitney Pope, Natural Wine Educator & Sommelier
- Ray Sholes, Head Sommelier at Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink
- Lamar Covert, Partner of BlacOak Wine Club & Tasting Room & Certified Sommelier
- Some additional Black-owned wine organizations, associations, and directories: Soul of Sonoma, The Hue Society, Black Vines, Sip Consciously, and the Association of African American Vintners
Black Breweries & Cideries
- Atlantucky Brewing, Owned by Fish Scales, Skinny DeVille, B. Stille, and Ron Clutch aka ‘Nappy Roots’
- Moor’s Brewing [Founders/Owners-Jamhal Johnson and Damon Patton], Funkytown Brewery [Founders/Owners-Richard Bloomfield, Zachary Day and Gregory Williams], Turner Haus Brewery [Founders/Owners-Steven Turner, Blair Turner-Aikens and Nathaniel Aikens], Black Horizon Brewery [Co-owner Charles St. Clair] (All based out of Chicago, IL)
- Oak Park Brewing Co. (Sacramento, CA)
- Hunters Point Brewing Co. (San Francisco, CA)
- Full Circle Brewing Co. (Fresno, CA)
- Hella Coastal Brewing Co. (Oakland, CA)
Recipe, Cocktails, and other Cookbooks
- Black Mixcellence: A Comprehensive Guide to Black Mixology ~Tamika Hall
- Tiki: Modern Tropical Cocktails ~Shannon Mustipher
- The Ideal Bartender* ~Tom Bullock [First cocktail book by an African American]
- Holy Spirits! Charleston Culture Through Cocktails ~Taneka Reaves & Johnny Caldwell
- After Hours Cocktail Book ~Martina Jackson
- My America: Recipes from a Young Black Chef ~Kwame Onwuachi
- Black Food: Stories, Art, and Recipes from Across the African Diaspora ~Bryant Terry
- The Art of Fufu: A Guide to the Culture and Flavors of a West African Tradition ~Kavachi Ukegbu
- Black Girl Baking: Wholesome Recipes Inspired by a Soulful Upbringing ~Jerrelle Guy
- The Church Ladies’ Divine Desserts ~Brenda Rhodes Miller
- Soul Food Love: Healthy Recipes Inspired by One Hundred Years of Cooking in a Black Family ~Alice Randall & Caroline Randall Williams
- In Pursuit of Flavor ~Edna Lewis
- Between Harlem and Heaven: Afro-Asian-American Cooking for Big Nights, Weeknights, and Every Day ~Alexander Smalls and JJ Johnson
- Son of a Southern Chef: Cook with Soul ~Lazarus Lynch
- The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South ~Michael W. Twitty
Cheers and Bon Appetit!!
Black Future Feminist 