The Contemporary African Kitchen Brunch + Book Celebration
Love That I Knead and BEM | books & more are joining forces to celebrate the publication of The Contemporary African Kitchen with author and James Beard Award-winning chef Alexander Smalls and Dine Diaspora CEO Nina Oduro. Love That I Knead Chef Nana Araba Wilmot, who’s featured in the book, will create a one-time-only intimate meal inspired by The Contemporary African Kitchen. Guests will enjoy a multi-course brunch plus a discussion about the making of the book and Africa's food movement today, moderated by James Beard Award-winning writer, editor, and producer Osayi Endolyn.
Take the experience home with a signed copy of this beautiful book, perfect for holiday gifting.
How to attend
Click here to reserve your seat and pre-order your book on Tock. All reservations must be made on Tock; RSVPs made on this page will not be honored. We look forward to seeing you!
More about the book
Meet the culinarians who are setting the new African table. James Beard Award-winning author Alexander Smalls presents a vibrant library of home cooking recipes and texts contributed by 33 chefs, restaurateurs, caterers, cooks, and writers at the heart of Africa’s food movement. Organized geographically into five regions, The Contemporary African Kitchen presents 120 warm and delicious dishes, each beautifully photographed and brought to life through historical notes, personal anecdotes, and serving suggestions. Home cooks will discover a bounty of diverse, delicious dishes ranging from beloved classics to newer creations, all rooted in a shared language of ingredients, spices, and cooking traditions.
More about the participants
Alexander Smalls is a James Beard Award-winning chef, author, and restaurateur. He was the co-owner of Harlem restaurants The Cecil and Minton’s, and the founder of the world’s first African food hall, Alkebulan in Dubai, which showcases the food and culture of Africa. He is also a world-renowned opera singer and the winner of both a Grammy and Tony Award. He lives in New York City.
Nina Oduro is an entrepreneur, writer, and inclusion strategist. As co-founder and CEO of Dine Diaspora, she connects people and brands to African diaspora food culture. She was named a 2020 Change-maker in Washington, D.C.’s Food System by Washington City Paper, and ‘Top 30 under 30’ honoree by Future of Ghana.
Nana Araba Wilmot is the Chef/ Owner of Georgina’s Private Chef and Catering Co. and Curator of Love That I Knead, a West African focused dinner series. Holding degrees in Culinary Arts and Culinary Management from the Art Institute of Philadelphia, Chef Nana has worked for numerous Culinary Luminaries, including Wolfgang Puck, Iron Chef Jose Garces, Stephen Starr and Chef Daniel Rose at Le CouCou in NYC. Which won a James Beard Best New Restaurant 2017 and a Michelin Star in 2018.
Chef Nana’s Culinary focus is on celebrating foodways across the African Diaspora, using her dishes to explore her identity and help others “find their way back”. Spanning locations in Philadelphia, NYC and Accra Ghana, her work has been featured in numerous publications including Bon Appetit, Forbes, New York Times, Eater and Eater NY.
Most recently Chef Nana has been seen on Food Network’s CHOPPED and featured recipes in the highly anticipated Cookbook “The Contemporary African Kitchen” by Alexander Smalls released in October 2024.
Osayi Endolyn is a James Beard award–winning writer, editor, and producer who creates culturally informed narrative, visual, and experiential storytelling. Her work is widely featured across media and entertainment platforms. She has authored famed cookbooks The Rise, Black Power Kitchen, and the forthcoming Nina Compton project, Kwéyòl/Creole.
More about BEM
BEM | books & more is a literary destination at the intersection of food and Blackness. Established by two sisters in January 2021 as an online bookstore, BEM is proud to serve as a home for readers, writers, cooks, and eaters passionate about Black cultures in all their diversity. Taking an expansive approach to the nexus of food, literature, and culture, BEM celebrates Black food by bringing works of fiction, nonfiction and poetry for readers of all ages into conversation with cookbooks and culinary studies to explore how what feeds us defines us.
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