FOOD AS: /
Food is at the very core of our lives—nourishing us, gathering us, grounding us. It’s an experience that unites us all—we all eat, every day. So at Edible DC, we aim to celebrate and elevate the power of food to bring joy, goodness, and meaning to our own lives and that of the wider community.
In every issue, we take a closer look at those who are dedicating their time and talent to create deeper connections through food. From chefs and farmers to advocates and innovators, we meet the remarkable individuals turning nutrition into purpose.
Their work reminds us that food is never just food. It’s culture, craft, and care—all on one plate.
Food As: / History
A conversation with Dr. Jessica B. Harris, Culinary Historian
Interview by Kelechi Anyaugo
Dr. Jessica B. Harris doesn’t just write about food—she reads history through it. As a culinary historian, author of seminal texts on the African diaspora’s influence on global cuisine, including High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey from Africa to America, and one of the voices behind a Netflix series of the same title, Harris uses what she calls the “spyglass of food” to explore culture, memory, and movement.
“The human condition is to eat,” she says plainly. “If we don’t eat, we die. So wherever people are—or have been—food is always at the center.” That simple truth is where Harris begins her exploration, unpacking how our dishes carry the imprint of migration, memory, and labor.
Her journey into culinary history started with the journals of Columbus and Marco Polo, digging into not just what was eaten, but how ingredients like cassava were prepared and by whom. “The culinary memory… the labor of the hand that created the food of this hemisphere—African, Native American, and European—shapes our plates today.”
She draws a direct line from the foodways of West Africa, through South America, into the Caribbean, up the Mississippi River through New Orleans, and into kitchens across America.
The African American culinary experience, she teaches, is not a monolith. In a place like DC, with its deep Southern roots and wide-reaching African diaspora—from Ethiopian to Senegalese to Caribbean—food is as diverse as the people cooking it. “Each of these communities has added something to the pot,” she says. “It’s one of the things that makes eating out in this city so much fun. You can dip a spoon into so many different tastes.”
“I’m a farmers’ market junkie,” she laughs, name-checking Eastern Market as a favorite, particularly admiring how the historic space continues to evolve while staying rooted in its original purpose. “I love how that old market building is still a vibrant space. It matters.”
From jollof rice—named after the Jolof Empire in what is now Senegal—to jambalaya in Louisiana, the connection between past and present is clear. So is Harris’s goal: to teach, distill, and preserve. Her writing is academically rigorous but accessible, plainspoken but deeply layered. “This is a moment,” she notes. “People are interested, engaged, researching—and we need to keep that going.” As always, she finds her way forward by going back—to the classics, the markets, the stories written in every bite.
Food As: / Medicine
How Food & Friends Crafts and Delivers One Medically Tailored Meal at a Time
By Nicholas Whitman
In a bustling commercial kitchen just off Riggs Road in Northeast DC, Executive Chef Rasheed Abdurrahman stirs a pot of turmeric-spiced carrots and lentils. This isn’t simply a soup but a prescription, crafted with precision, compassion, and medical intent.
Born in response to the AIDS crisis, Food & Friends has been working since 1988 at the intersection of nutrition and health as a pioneer in the food-as-medicine movement, gradually evolving into a resource for those living with all kinds of chronic illnesses across the DMV.
The medically recognized concept of food as medicine highlights how food can play a key role in managing chronic illnesses. Nutrient-rich diets have been shown to support immune function, enhance treatment outcomes, and improve quality of life for individuals living with long-term health conditions.
The results aren’t just anecdotal. According to the Centers for Health Care Strategies, programs offering medically tailored meals have documented improved clinical outcomes and lower overall healthcare costs. Food & Friends has played a large role in the growing momentum for medically tailored meals and produce prescriptions around the country, which are now covered by Medicaid in at least 30 states and DC.
Having delivered more than 30 million meals—and counting—to people living with serious illnesses such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, heart failure, and diabetes, Food & Friends’ mission only continues to grow. “Food is at the core and center of your health,” says Rebecca Denison, Nutrition Services Director at the organization. “We want to empower people to understand that, and to use food as part of their care, even when they’re going through something difficult.”
With this in mind, each meal is not only handcrafted by chefs but also rigorously scrutinized by registered dietitians to meet the complex medical needs of clients navigating chronic diagnoses and treatment plans.
Through partnerships with nearly 300 medical providers and community organizations, Food & Friends receives referrals for those in need. From there, clients are paired with a nutritionist to assess dietary needs—sometimes as many as three conditions at once. For one person, that might mean a diabetic, low-sodium, vegetarian plan. For another, a head and neck cancer diagnosis might require pureed meals. “These meals give me energy, dignity, and a reason to look forward to the day,” one longtime client shared. The food evolves as their health does, and clients also receive tailored groceries if they or their families are able to cook.
By the time a client is healed, the hope is that they and their loved ones will have learned that good nutrition is the foundation of lifelong wellness for everyone.
“Our goal is always to support recovery, but also to educate and guide clients toward long-term health,” Denison explains. “We want them to graduate from the program ready to shop, cook, and eat for their own well-being.”
With an army of more than 3,000 volunteers annually, including many who have been involved for decades, the program functions on a truly personal level. These volunteers deliver more than just sustenance—they deliver medicine through food. And each meal is a reminder to all of us that food can be medicine.
Visit foodandfriends.org to learn more or to offer your time as a meal delivery volunteer, since everyone, especially when they’re sick, deserves to eat well.
Food As: / Connection
Global Cooking with Chef Marianne Tshihamba
In the basement of a local winery, something quietly magical is unfolding. What begins as a simple cooking class soon reveals itself as something far richer—a vibrant gathering where curiosity, culture, and connection are the true ingredients. At the heart of it all is Chef Marianne Tshihamba, orchestrating more than just meals. She crafts experiences that bridge cultures and bring people together.
With Congolese roots, a Washington, DC, upbringing, and a life steeped in global travels—Tshihamba brings a unique and deeply personal perspective to the kitchen. Her classes are informed not just by recipes but by friendships, stories, and cultural insights gathered from markets, kitchens, and tables around the world.
Participants are drawn in by the promise of international cuisine, but they stay for the deeper alchemy that happens when people cook together. As wine flows and pots simmer, strangers become friends. For a few hours, barriers fade, laughter rises, and meaningful connections take root over shared bites and stories.
Like a well-balanced recipe, Tshihamba blends warmth, intention, and a global outlook into every session. Each dish becomes a portal to another place—whether recreating a Congolese chicken dish or exploring the flavors of Thailand, Tshihamba guides participants with stories and techniques that transport them across continents.
She was recently inducted into Les Dames d’Escoffier, an organization honoring women who make significant contributions to the food world. Through her company, GastroSoul, she offers culinary programs across the region. They are celebrations of food as a universal language, and proof that the best meals aren’t just eaten—they’re experienced, together.
“I’ve traveled far and wide chasing flavor and friendship,” Tshihamba says. “Now, I get to bring those experiences home and share them with you.”
As the evening culminates with a shared meal and a glass of wine, the room buzzes with newfound camaraderie. In these moments, it’s clear that Tshihamba classes are not just about food—they’re about forging relationships, celebrating diversity, and nourishing the soul.
