Kicking off Women's History Month with Dine Diaspora Takeover!

Dine Diaspora announces 2021 Black Women in Food honorees whose work builds needed diversity and inclusion in the industry

By Susan Able | Edible DC

The team at Edible DC is thrilled to honor Womens History Month with a partnered takeover of our Instagram feed and stories by DC’s Dine Diaspora, a team based in Washington, DC that saw the need to amplify the influence of African food culture around the world.

Dine Diaspora’s “31 Days of Black Women in Food” celebrates the achievements and advancements of black women in the food and beverage industry during Women’s History Month in March. Honorees will be sharing their story @edible_dc, make sure to follow along on Wednesdays in March.

Each year, black women in the food and beverage industry are nominated by the public in 6 categories that highlight their respective accomplishments. Nominations for each category are carefully reviewed by judges who then select the 31 honorees.

From Dine Diaspora, “The past year taught us all a lot about vulnerability. We came together to figure out how to survive a pandemic, raise our collective voices against social injustices and connect with allies to combat  adverse systematic structures that affect BIPOC people, especially Black women. During Women’s History Month where there is light shone on the many accomplishments of women in various industries, we hone in on the voices, narratives, and contributions of Black women in the food and beverage industry. This year, we received  over 600 nominations from around the world for the 31 Days of Black Women in Food Initiative and the 31 honorees were selected by an exemplary list of judges whose respective work enriches the world of food and  builds on the needed diversity and inclusion in the industry. The breadth and impact of this year’s honorees  are undeniable. Meet the honorees and learn more about their work in our partner events throughout March and beyond.”

We congratulate all the winners and want to give a special shoutout to our DC and Baltimore winners! Hard work has created great outcomes and representation. and we send our sincere wishes for future success.

THE GAMECHANGER AWARD

Allegra Massaro and Gaïana Joseph (Washington, DC/New York City, NY, USA) are the Co-founders of Fuel the People. Guided by the belief that food is the fuel for the revolution, Fuel the People supports and nourishes communities by providing meals to those in need through partnerships with local Black and POC chefs and restaurants. Founded in June 2020, Fuel the People began in the kitchens of its founders and has since provided over 40,000 meals to protestors, voters in long lines in marginalized neighborhoods, and food and housing insecure individuals and families across DC & NYC, all while supporting local businesses through its restaurant partnerships.

THE INNOVATOR AWARD

Krystal Mack (Baltimore, MD, USA) is an Interdisciplinary Artist, who has seamlessly streamlined culinary artistry with causes and social issues that are prevalent to her community. Mack uses food as a tool for social change to enable a person to be present with oneself, one’s city and their history. Mack founded In Absence Of Design, a studio that views food from the perspective of social design. The studio has created installations and public events for Baltimore Museum of Art and The Walters Art Museum. In addition, Mack’s publication, How To Take Care, a digital guide of collaborative recipes and rituals, raised over $10,360 in 30 days for organizations around the world supporting Domestic and Intimate Partner Violence victims during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bethel Tsegaye (Beltsville, MD, USA) is the founder and baker at Teff & Co., a vegan and gluten free bakery which provides healthy and allergen free baked goods. Tsegaye is changing the baking industry by introducing the ancient grain Teff, indigenous to Ethiopia and Eritrea, into baked goods. Teff, is a naturally whole grain flour full of nutrients, adds richness to breads, cakes, cookies and pastries. Tsegaye’s company prides itself on quality and delicious tasting foods that are vegan and gluten free, breaking the myth that flavor must be compromised for people with plant based lifestyles or gluten allergies.

THE CREATOR AWARD

Catina Smith (Baltimore, MD, USA) is the Founder of Just Call Me Chef, a call to action movement, that highlights Black Women Chefs and promotes sisterhood that is aimed at “driving equity and inclusion in every kitchen”. Through creative means, Smith showcases the work and contributions of Black women chefs, from a featured chef calendar to providing opportunities for women to celebrate each other's work. Under the leadership of Smith, Just Call Me Chef is keen on uniting and uplifting Black women chefs through professional networking mentorship programs and education on various issues.

THE TRAILBLAZER AWARD

Tracye McQuirter (Washington, DC, USA) is the CEO of By Any Greens Necessary Inc. Her book, By Any Greens Necessary, has paved the way to the rise of veganism among African Americans. In 2017, McQuirter was named by the Vegetarian Times Magazine as a “New Food Hero” for creating one of a kind African American vegan starter guide with farm sanctuaries. She has since written a second book Ageless Vegan with her mother to mark 30 years of being vegan.

THE AMPLIFIER

Anela Malik (Washington, DC, USA) is the Founder of Feed the Malik, a blog that showcases diverse stories on food and features simple recipes with the aim of truly distinguishing tasty food from trendy by highlighting diversity throughout the Washington, DC area and beyond. As a Black blogger, she has set out to help local Black-owned food businesses by offering them social media tools to grow and sustain their businesses. Malik has also featured hundreds of Black-owned restaurants and pushed for their visibility as a response to need for support and equity catalyzed by the Black Lives Matter movement.

Jamila Robinson (Washington, DC, USA) is a Food Editor for The Philadelphia Inquirer where she writes, assigns, and edits articles about food and drink culture. Robinson has led workshops for food writers on digital strategy and sponsored content at the Society for Features Journalists, James Beard Foundation Women’s Leadership Summit as well as the National Food Writers Symposium. As chairperson of the James Beard Foundation’s Awards Committee, she hopes to bring on board more food writers of color by securing funding that will be used to start a fellowship program focusing on emerging writers to be published and help them connect to the network that is the food community.

For more information about the work of Dine Diaspora and upcoming events, visit their website at www.dinediaspora.com