January 20, 2025
Click here for Ebony Magazine’s Timeline of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life and legacy.
Author: Bonnie Newman Davis
Kitchen Talk 5
African American Holiday Cooking Traditions event is fun and filling
Creating a family cookbook in 1988, facing challenges in capturing oral recipes, including the need to sit with elders to accurately record them.
Sharing the significance of documenting not just recipes, but also the stories behind them.
Discovering a mother’s baked tomato recipe after seeing it listed as “tomato pudding” in a restaurant.
Hearing a personal story about making spoonbread for a family member with a health condition.
The above reflect just a few of the takeaways that nearly two dozen guests consumed on Nov. 1, 2024 during “Kitchen Talk 5: African American Holiday Cooking Traditions.” This fun-filled and enlightening event took place in Richmond, Va.’s historic Jackson Ward Community at the home of Zarina Fazaldin!
Thank you, Zarina!!
Sponsored by the BND Institute of Media and Culture Inc., this fifth iteration of Kitchen Talk provided some awe-inspiring tidbits from our featured speaker Bessida Cauthorne White, an attorney, genealogist, historian and cookbook author. In addition to paying homage to the beloved 1978 cookbook “Spoonbread and Strawberry Wine” by Carole and Norma Jean Darden, Bessida offered a wealth of information about the importance of maintaining our family cooking traditions and our family histories.
Interviewing Bessida was Imani Esparza Pitman, founder and CEO of I Kale Life, a company that creates fresh and flavorful plant-based food for vibrant living. info@ikalelife.com, www.ikalelife.com
We invite you to enjoy this short video that captures highlights of Kitchen Talk 5! And please feel free to post your comments and thoughts about your holiday cooking traditions as we enter the 2024 holiday
season.
To our friends and sponsors, thank you for your loyal interest and support!
Happy Holidays!
Bonnie
Bonnie Newman Davis
Executive Director
The BND Institute of Media and Culture Inc.
View the conversation between Bessida and Imani here.
A PRESCRIPTION FOR CHANGE
How Black voices shaped healthcare in Virginia
History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia. Photos by Bonnie Newman Davis.
A landmark exhibition that chronicles Virginia’s Black hospitals, medical educators, physicians, pharmacists and professional organizations opened Sept. 18, 2024 at the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia.
“A Prescription for Change: How Black Voices Shaped Healthcare in Virginia,” was created and curated by Elvatrice Parker Belsches, B.A., B.S. Pharm, M.A., and features powerful vintage photographs, with accompanying text, of 1919 graduates of the Dixie Hospital Training School for Nurses at Hampton Institute (now Hampton University). Also part of the exhibit is a 1915 group photograph that includes members of the Tri-State Dental Society Conference and founding members of Chi Eta Phi Sorority, a national nursing organization, which had a chapter in Richmond.
The exhibition also showcases rare photos of hospitals created by Black professionals and individuals in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Of notable significance are rare artifacts such as the scales and weights used by Dr. David A. Ferguson, D.D.S., the founding father of the National Dental Association and two dental instruments that reportedly belonged to Dr. Peter B. Ramsey, who began practicing dentistry in the 1880s. There are medical instruments and cabinets from The Claytor Clinic in Roanoke, Virginia. This clinic is believed to be the first multi-specialty clinic in Southwest Virginia that was founded and staffed by Black medical practitioners when it opened in 1948.
The exhibition is divided into eight sections:
*The Early Years
*Education
*Physicians, Optometrists and Chiropractors
*Dentists
*Pharmacy
*Nurses, Midwifery and Doulas
*The Black Hospital Movement
*Organizations
Included in the exhibit are works by 14 artists, exploring physical, emotional, psychological, and historical aspects of healthcare disparities faced by Black patients. Participating artists include P. Muzi Branch, S. Ross Browne, Unicia Buster, Kyle Epps, A. Yhayha Hargrove, Barbara Hobson, William E. Johnson, Jowarnise, David Marion, Amiri Richardson Keys, Jay Sharp, Jeff Taylor, Sir James Thornhill, Dennis Winston, and Vashti Woods. Each artist brings a unique perspective to this critical dialogue, creating a multifaceted narrative that challenges viewers to confront uncomfortable truths and envision a more equitable future in healthcare.
Where: The Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia, 122 W. Leigh St., Richmond, Virginia 23219. The exhibit continues through March 15, 2025.
Meet the exhibit creator, curator and historian
Walk A Mile In Their Shoes Heritage Walk-a-Thon
SAVE THE DATE: Nov. 2, 9:30 am to 3:30 pm., Cumberland, Va.
The AMMD Pine Grove Project will celebrate the completion of the NPS African American Civil Rights grant-funded stabilization construction work at the historic Tuskegee Rosenwald Pine Grove School, 267 Pinegrove Rd, Cumberland, Va 23040 with a Walk A Mile In Their Shoes Heritage Walk-a-Thon and Schoolyard Jamboree. The celebration will take place at the historic site on Saturday, November 2, 2024, from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm.
Attendees will relive history by walking the same route as many of the students who attended Pine Grove, through storytelling by Pine Grove alumni, and reenactments of schoolyard games, and of a typical day at Pine Grove School. Over 100 years ago, philanthropist Julius Rosenwald and founding president of Tuskegee Institute, Dr. Booker T. Washington met to address the lack of schools to educate Black children in the segregated South.
From this collaboration, the Rosenwald Fund and the Rural Community Schools building program were formed, and over 5000 schools were built in Black communities from 1913-1934. Pine Grove School, built in 1917, afforded generations of Black students living in the Pine Grove community a quality education from 1917 to 1964.
The AMMD (Agee, Miller, Mayo, Dungy) Pine Grove Project is collaborating with community members and partners to preserve this significant historic resource in Cumberland County. The AMMD Pine Grove Project is a 501c3 tax exempt grassroots organization that continues to support the educational legacy of its founders and preserves the cultural heritage of the school and community. For information, contact: Sonja Branch-Wilson and Cheryl Belt-Jackson.
For more details, please visit: http://www.ammdpinegroveproject.com/
Kitchen Talk 5 salutes ‘Spoonbread & Strawberry Wine’
Welcome to Wine Down with Kitchen Talk 5! Get ready for a night of delicious food, great wine and engaging conversations as we pay homage to the classic 1978 cookbook “Spoonbread & Strawberry Wine,” by Norma Jean and Carol Darden. Genealogist, historian and cookbook collector Bessida Cauthorne White will join us! A professional photographer will capture the evening and, as a special holiday gift, guests will receive a commemorative photo album! Register here!
Marita Golden Presents Black Women Writing Memoir
| Cherise Fisher Over the course of her twenty-five year career, Cherise worked as an acquiring editor at Simon & Schuster and the Editor-in-Chief of Plume. She advocates for memoirs that uncover the diversity of human experience, and take on non-fiction writers who are experts on a variety of topics such as personal development, health and sexuality, racial identity, Christianity and spirituality, diet and fitness, African American history, and pop culture. |
| You’ll get: Professional guidance to write your story with power and skillA supportive community of Black women writers on the same journeyA reading list of classic memoirs by Black women writers from Audre Lorde to Natasha Tretheway. We’ll read these books together and study them for themes and writing styleRegular writing assignmentsRegular discussion of your writing in the workshopsWe’ll meet twice monthly for writing workshops and group discussions of your narrative submissionYou will have an individual coaching session with meYou will get my regular written evaluation of your writingWorkshop discussion of your writing will enhance and broaden your understanding of your storyI will provide a written evaluation of your final writing project: A submission of up to forty pages from your memoirThis six-month Memoir Intensive from October to March |
NABJ 2024
Trump’s stump failed to dim our light
By Bonnie Newman Davis
The appearance of Republican presidential candidate Donald J. Trump at this year’s NABJ convention in Chicago proved as controversial as many members in the nearly 50-year-old organization had anticipated.
Crowds lined up inside the Chicago Hilton on Michigan Avenue hours in advance of Trump’s arrival on Wednesday, July 31. When the former president did arrive, further delays ensued, reportedly because Trump did not want fact-checking of his remarks, a crucial element of journalism, to take place. Scheduled to begin at noon, the Trump session began after 1 p.m. Eastern Time.
of Black Journalists convention in Chicago.
NABJ President Ken Lemon recounted the scenario involving Trump on the convention’s first full day in the NABJ Monitor, a student-driven convention newspaper. In addition to Lemon’s remarks appearing in the Monitor, his comments also appeared in the Aug. 2 issue of Richard Prince’s Journal-isms, an online publication that tracks news and issues relevant to Black journalists. The article, “NABJ Stood Its Ground, says Leader Ken Lemon,” reads:
Donald Trump and his team refused to take the stage Wednesday at the National Association of Black Journalists convention if NABJ conducted live fact-checking, NABJ President Ken Lemon told the NABJ Monitor, the student convention newspaper, Damenica Ellis reported Friday for the Monitor.
“ ‘Behind the scenes, there was a fight on,’ Lemon said. ‘There was a fight on to not have us fact-check him in real-time. I went backstage, and we stood our ground. I went back and I talked to the women who were going to be on that stage, and I said, ‘I’m going to protect you.’“Lemon (pictured, by Joe Thompson/NABJ Monitor) said the audio issues were part of the delay, but it wasn’t the whole reason, as Trump claimed on stage. ‘[Trump’s team] said, “He won’t take the stage if you’re going to fact check.” I said, ‘Well, then he won’t take the stage.’ ”
“Lemon added that it is important to NABJ to hold people accountable.
“ I said no to this team over and over and over again about the conditions for which he would take that stage, and we control a narrative because the people listening to what he says in that moment, they’re counting on us to set this thing up so that we present the truth’,’ he said. ‘That matters.’ “
During an Aug. 3 business meeting for members Lemon also address Trump’s visits and members’ concerns.
Long story short, Trump indeed needed to be fact-checked, often for spouting lines that most Americans know are lies. Most appalling was the former president’s statement that his running mate, Vice President Kamala Harris, just recently began identifying herself as Black rather than Indian and that she failed the California Bar Exam.
Blatant lies.
Despite Trump’s untruths, a sense of normalcy returned to NABJ a day after his visit. And, while many in the organization remained angry, befuddled and/or rattled by Trump’s appearance, no one could deny the litany of newscasts and newspapers that featured lead stories focused on NABJ’s loud-mouth guest speaker.
Key takeaways from this year’s National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) convention in Chicago:
—Our largest convention ever with approximately 4,300 attendees.
—Thousands of young journalists who have been trained by the best and the brightest in our business and in America’s journalism programs. These young people are taking over the industry and I could not be prouder.
— Seeing so many former colleagues and longtime friends who have been in this business more than 40 or 50 years. They are still going strong. They are still committed to the cause. They are my tribe (to quote newly installed NABJ Hall of Famers Vanessa Williams and Paula Madison) and I love them.
— Witnessing rooms filled to capacity on Saturday morning and afternoon with journalists eager to master their crafts when investigating housing discrimination, health disparities, the decline of black males in newsrooms, getting our share of the sports spotlight, and how to become entrepreneurs while staying on top of new tools and technology.
——Getting a close-up view of how the book publishing world works. My book is self published, but it’s time to take it to another level.
—Spending time with my daughter, who not only is a great psychotherapist, but also an expert at selecting amazing restaurants and navigating rideshares (skills mastered when she was a student in the University of Chicago’s graduate social work program).
—Shout out to the Hilton Chicago for being so accommodating.
Until next time. Love you, Chicago. Thanks for everything. And thank you, NABJ!❤️🙏🏾
Photo opps
NABJ, we’re on our way!
NABJ 2024 Convention & Career Fair
July 31-Aug. 4, 2024
Hilton Chicago
720 S Michigan Ave. Chicago, IL 60605
Courtesy: NABJ.org
Join us in Chi-Town for the #NABJ24 Convention & Career Fair!
#NABJ24 is the premier multi-day conference for journalism education, career development, networking, and innovation.
In 2023, more than 3,600 NABJ members and colleagues from across the industry connected at our annual convention.
Voted best big city in the U.S. seven years in a row (Condé Nast Traveler), the NABJ Family will gather in Chicago, July 31-Aug. 4, 2024, for our Annual Convention & Career Fair.
This year’s convention in the Windy City will attract industry leaders, innovators, and influencers in journalism, media, technology, business, government, community service, health, arts, entertainment, academia, and more.
Join us as thousands of the nation’s best and brightest journalists, media executives, journalism educators, communications and marketing professionals, and students unite in a vibrant city where the Black community has had a lasting impact on culture and history worldwide, including a legacy of thriving Black-owned businesses and cultural institutions.
Our #NABJ24 Career Fair is a can’t-miss opportunity that draws hundreds of recruiters from top media companies, businesses, and journalism schools from across the country and around the world.
Special guests and speakers have included then-Sen. (President) Barack Obama, President George W. Bush, President Bill Clinton, Former Vice President (President) Joseph R. Biden, Vice President Kamala D. Harris, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro, U.S. Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, Former RNC Chairs Michael Steele and Reince Priebus, Former United States Ambassador to the United Nations Andrew Young, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rev. Al Sharpton, Attorney Ben Crump, Ava Duvernay, Tyler Perry, Chance the Rapper, Doug E. Fresh, Hill Harper, Ruth E. Carter, and Michael B. Jordan.
We invite you to experience innovative programs, expert presenters and networking opportunities as NABJ members, partners, colleagues, and supporters come together to uplift, empower and inspire one another.
All sessions, workshops, plenaries, forums, networking activities, meal events, and our high-demand career fair will be held on-site.
Follow NABJ on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook for updates! Use #NABJ24 to join the conversation!
ABOUT CHICAGO
The City of Chicago covers an area of 60,000 hectares and sits 176 meters (578 feet) above sea level on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. At 190 km wide and 495 km long, it is the 5th largest body of fresh water in the world. The city is traversed by the Chicago and Calumet rivers. Chicago’s extensive parklands, including 3,000 hectares of city parks, attract an estimated 86 million visitors annually.
As a multicultural city that thrives on the harmony and diversity of its neighborhoods, Chicago today embodies the values of America’s Heartland-integrity, hard work and community, and reflects the ideals in the social fabric of its 77 distinct neighborhoods.
— Chicago.gov
FUN FACTS
- Eight major league sports teams.
- More than 200 theaters, 250 live music venues, and 200 professional dance companies.
- More than 7,300 restaurants and over 160 breweries in the Chicagoland area.
- 59 historic districts and hundreds of historic landmarks.
- More than 70 music festivals, 36 parades, and over 40 film festivals annually.
— ChooseChicago.com
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Dōgon by Kwame Onwuachi Partners with Derek Brown to create Craft Cocktail Program
Courtesy: Salamander Collections Communications Team
WASHINGTON, DC (July 25, 2024) – Dōgon by Kwame Onwuachi has partnered with nationally acclaimed mixologist Derek Brown to create its craft cocktail program. Brown is developing a series of signature drinks for the highly anticipated restaurant, which is scheduled to open late summer at Salamander Washington DC.
The announcement marks a double homecoming with Onwuachi returning to the nation’s capital for a culinary experience inspired by DC Surveyor Benjamin Banneker and his heritage to the West African Dogon tribe, while DC native Brown showcases his skills in the District for the first time since closing his famed Columbia Room bar in 2017. Pronounced “Doh-gon,” the restaurant will serve vibrant cuisine through an Afro-Caribbean lens and draw from Onwuachi’s unique Nigerian, Jamaican, Trinidadian and Creole background.
In addition to complementing the cuisine, DC’s heritage and Banneker’s inspiration, Brown and Onwuachi have collaborated to create a cocktail program that highlights Black- owned spirits and drinks. “I am so excited to finally collaborate with the great Derek Brown and tap him to create Dōgon’s cocktail program,” said Onwuachi. “Derek is celebrated for his ability to create drinks that combine seasonal ingredients, classic mixes and attention to craftsmanship. I can’t wait for people to pair his creations with Dōgon’s cuisine and celebrate all the cultures within DC’s four quadrants.”
Brown’s name is synonymous with exquisite cocktails and great drinking establishments in the nation’s capital. In addition to the Columbia Room, he also co-owned The Passenger, Mockingbird Hill, Eat the Rich, and Southern Efficiency, and was named Bartender of the Year by Imbibe magazine. Well-respected across the nation, he worked to help pass a proclamation with DC City Council to name the Rickey as the official cocktail of Washington, DC.
Brown is the founder of Positive Damage, Inc., a company dedicated to creating a culture of mindful drinking and making room for everyone at the bar, and was the Chief Spirits Advisor for the National Archives Foundation from 2015-2020. In 2019, (with Robert Yule) Brown published Spirits Sugar Water Bitters, and in 2022, he published Mindful Mixology: A Comprehensive Guide to No- and Low-Alcohol Cocktails with 60 Recipes, an outgrowth of his work advocating for mindful drinking by both workers and patrons in bars.
“I’ve been a huge fan of Kwame’s since his very first restaurant, which was located close to me in the Shaw neighborhood of DC,” said Brown. “For Dōgon, I took a backseat and listened to his vision so I could create a seamless experience. The quality of his food has driven my direction and I tried to utilize aspects of his culinary style alongside our shared love of Washington, DC.”
In addition to traditional bar seating, Dōgon will also feature a relaxing lounge in which guests can enjoy a drink and a full dining menu. Brown’s program will feature selections that are one-third high alcohol, one-third low alcohol and one-third no alcohol.
While the rest of the selections will be unveiled when the restaurant opens, a few notable creations include:
● Flower Pot Punch
According to Brown, this under-recognized classic cocktail was invented at the famed pre-Prohibition Hancock’s in DC by Black bartenders who historian Charles Wheeler noted practiced a “lost art.” While there is no known recipe from which to work, Brown features ingredients thought to be used including Ten-to-One Rum, fresh lemon and lime, Cane Collective Caribbean Spiced Pineapple Syrup and El Guapo Cajun Grenadine.
● Astronomer
Named in honor of Benjamin Banneker, whose brilliance in astronomy and mathematics led to his surveying the territory which became the District of Columbia, this non-alcoholic drink features Calabash Jasmine Jones Tea from the Black-owned tea house Calabash Tea & Tonic, also formerly in Shaw.
Additionally, it includes fresh lemon, El Guapo Creole Orgeat, Aquafaba and All the Bitter Lavender Bitters. Dōgon will be Onwuachi’s second restaurant opening in two years, following his highly acclaimed Tatiana in New York City. For the second year in a row, Tatiana was named the city’s best restaurant by the New York Times and rated one of the best new restaurants of the year by Esquire.
Forbes called it more than a restaurant and the “future of fine dining.” Onwuachi has also been a contestant and a judge on Bravo’s Top Chef. In 2019, he was acclaimed by Esquire as its Chef of the Year, recognized by FOOD & WINE as one of its Best New Chefs, and named by the James Beard Foundation as “Rising Star Chef of the Year.”
Dōgon’s opening brings Onwuachi together again with Sheila Johnson, founder and CEO of Salamander Collection, with whom he has built a special relationship. The pair created The Family Reunion, which has quickly become the premier gathering of culinary professionals of color in the country and takes place each August at Johnson’s Five-Star Salamander Middleburg resort in Virginia. Salamander Collection was voted Best Luxury Hotel Brand by readers of USA TODAY and is the largest Black-owned luxury hotel company in the United States. The launch of Dōgon is part of an overall property redesign at Salamander Washington DC, creating a warm and welcoming environment for which the company is renowned.
The enhancement project will showcase a brighter and more residential design, and include striking indoor and outdoor gathering spaces, an expanded two-story spa and modernly refreshed guest suites designed by Thomas Pheasant.
An exact opening date for Dōgon will be announced in the coming weeks. In the meantime, diners and those interested in exploring employment opportunities can sign up to receive updates at www.DogonDC.com and also follow on Instagram at @DogonDC.
HIRING EVENT
Dōgon is now hiring numerous positions ranging from hosts to line cooks, servers and executive positions. It will hold a hiring event on Saturday, July 27, the details of which are below.
● Date: Saturday, July 27 – Open to Public
● Time: 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
● Location: Salamander Washington DC – Philips Room To RSVP in advance for the hiring event, e-mail Jasmine Alexander at jalexander@salamanderdc.com.
Salamander Collection is privately owned and operated, and based in Middleburg, VA, just outside Washington, DC. Founded by entrepreneur Sheila Johnson, it has a luxury portfolio featuring the Forbes Five-Star Salamander Middleburg, an equestrian-inspired property in the Virginia countryside; Salamander Washington DC, an elegant hotel located along the capital’s vibrant Southwest waterfront; Half Moon, the storied resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica, featuring three distinct experiences including the acclaimed Eclipse; Aspen Meadows Resort, which features sweeping views on 40 beautiful acres in Aspen, CO’s west end and newly renovated Herbert Bayer-inspired accommodations and arrival experience; Hotel Bennett, a spectacular grand hotel in Charleston, SC, overlooking the city’s historic Marion Square; and Innisbrook Resort in the St. Petersburg/Clearwater area, which hosts the PGA TOUR’s Valspar Championship each year on its famed Copperhead Course. www.SalamanderHotels.com.
Public Relations-Salamander DC+Salamander Middleburg – Maurisa Potts, maurisa@spottedmp.com
Matt Owen, Vice President, Communications, mowen@salamanderhotels.com
Salamander’s 2024 Family Reunion
Spa, hosted by Kwame Onwuachi and Sheila Johnson. Photos by Clay Williams.©
Sheila Johnson and Kwame Onwuachi are at it again with culturally rich events
Courtesy: Salamander Collections Communications Team
Middleburg, VA; July 17, 2024 – The Family Reunion, the country’s preeminent culinary celebration of color and excellence, has announced its slate of culturally rich programming for the inspiring and inclusive gathering next month.
The sold-out August 15-18 event is helmed by some of the industry’s top talent including Nyesha Arrington, Mashama Bailey, Rodney Scott, Carla Hall, Gregory Gourdet, Tavel Bristol-Joseph, Alexander Smalls and more. For 2024, The Family Reunion has a new charitable philanthropic beneficiary – the Culinary Institute of America, Onwuachi’s alma mater. The event has also attracted new and elevated sponsors for 2024, including Appleton Estate, Wells Fargo, Amazon, Lexus, United and Virginia Tourism Corporation.
Presented by Chef, Restaurateur and Author Kwame Onwuachi in collaboration with Sheila Johnson’s Salamander Collection and FOOD & WINE, the multi-day event crosses culinary boundaries and combines thought-provoking panel discussions, topical cooking demonstrations, inspiring recreational activities, daily “family” lunches, vibrant evening parties and late-night afterglows. Since being launched in 2021, The Family Reunion has become one of the nation’s premier and most-popular culinary events – quickly selling out with approximately 1,000 people attending each day.
‘Led by the industry’s top talent, this year’s programming is supported by new and returning partners, and features discussions on the legacy of rice, BBQ and jerk demonstrations, wine and spirit classes, family lunches and evening celebrations.‘
New this year, Appleton Estate, the premium spirit sponsor of The Family Reunion, will collaborate on a variety of programming designed to immerse guests in its rich Jamaican heritage, spotlight rum’s cultural relevance and educate on the important role rum plays in the country’s culinary history. Sessions, including the return of the popular breakout, ‘Jerk: The Dish That Freed a Nation’, will pair Appleton Estate Deputy Master Blender David Morrison with chefs Andre Fowles and Osei “Chef Picky” Blackett to lead guests through an in-depth tasting of special Appleton Estate expressions, cocktails and delicious jerk cuisine. Wells Fargo will spotlight the event’s legacy through a social media campaign featuring The Family Reunion’s Lifetime Achievement Award recipients, while United Airlines and Virginia Tourism Corporation will present the opening night cookout, showcasing legendary pitmaster chefs Bryan Furman, Rodney Scott, Kevin Bludso, and Virginia Ali/Ben’s Chili Bowl.
On day two, Amazon will present the Family-Style Lunch featuring award-winning restaurants Tatiana and Kann, and pastry chef Maya-Camille Broussard. Similarly, lunch on Saturday will feature Virtue, pastry chef Camari Mick and the unveiling of menu items from Dōgon, Kwame Onwuachi’s highly anticipated restaurant in Washington, D.C., opening later this summer.
Breakout sessions will again be varied and include A Noble Grain: The Legacy of Rice in America presented by FOOD & WINE, featuring a conversation with Alexander Smalls, George McCalman and Serigne Mbaye on the origins of rice in America. Favorite chef-led activities like ziplining and Family Field Day will be returning, as will the event’s version of the reality show Chopped, where teams will turn mystery ingredients into incredible dishes judged by celebrity judges. Saturday night’s Block Party finale, presented by Wells Fargo, will showcase a throwback 90s theme, while there will be a stellar lineup of surprise musical performances throughout the weekend. The Family Reunion concludes on Sunday, August 18 with an inspiring Sunday Service with Gospel Choir.
Supported by Salamander’s talented culinary team, The Family Reunion’s exceptional strong 2024 roster of talent includes: Virginia Ali, Nyesha Arrington, Mashama Bailey, Shorne Benjamin, Osei “Chef Picky” Blackett, Kevin Bludso, Tavel Bristol-Joseph, Maya-Camille Broussard, Damarr Brown, Adrienne Cheatham, Preston Clark, Tiffany Derry, Andre Fowles, Bryan Furman, Gregory Gourdet, Carla Hall, Jessica B. Harris, Brian Jupiter, Vallery Lomas, Serigne Mbaye, Mawa McQueen, Camari Mick, Charlie Mitchell, Lamar Moore, Nina Oduro, Kwame Onwuachi, Ken Pettus, Millie Peartree, Jamila Robinson, JR Robinson, Pierre Serrao, Rodney Scott, Alexander Smalls, David Thomas, Tonya Thomas, Georgiana Viou, Douglass Williams, Erick Williams and Melba Wilson.
The mission of The Family Reunion is to nurture, develop and celebrate racial and ethnic diversity within the next generation of hospitality professionals. The celebration takes place at Johnson’s Salamander Middleburg resort, which is one of only five properties in the USA and 13 worldwide to hold separate Forbes Five-Star ratings for accommodations, spa and dining. Experiences take place throughout Salamander’s 340 acres, including its Culinary Garden and Library. There is also a sweeping outdoor Grand Stage venue hosting a rotating lineup of meals and events.
The only African American woman to wholly own a Forbes Five-Star resort, Sheila Johnson is renowned for co-founding Black Entertainment Television. In addition to collaborating on The Family Reunion, Johnson and Kwame Onwuachi are also partnering to create a vibrant new restaurant, Dōgon, at Johnson’s Salamander Washington DC hotel. Onwuachi, who owns the acclaimed Tatiana in New York City, has penned multiple books like his successful memoir Notes from a Young Black Chef and the bestselling cookbook My America: Recipes from a Young Black Chef.
The 2024 Family Reunion event enjoys partnership support Salamander Collection, FOOD & WINE, Appleton Estate, Wells Fargo, Amazon, United Airlines, Virginia Tourism Corporation, Coca-Cola, Lexus, Toast, Ecolab, Select Events, Inspire, Zigma World, La Colombe, Visit Loudoun and AmaWaterways.
To see The Family Reunion schedule in its entirety,visit www.salamanderhotels.com/familyreunion and/orfollow along on Instagram at @salamanderresort, @salamanderhotels, @foodandwine and @chefkwameonwuachi.
BND Institute of Media & Culture 