Rising Above the Brigade

I grew up in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, floating between odd jobs and searching for my purpose. I had dropped out of school and moved back home, feeling directionless. One day, a pop-up ad for culinary school appeared on my laptop, and I challenged myself to cook something new every day for a week. By the end of those seven dishes, I knew. My parents knew. This was it.

My first restaurant job was at TIME in Center City, Philadelphia. I started as an intern, working long shifts and learning the ropes, eventually landing a full-time role. That was 14 years ago, and I haven’t looked back.

But the path hasn’t been easy. In 2019, I left a kitchen in NYC, where I had spent three years. It was a white male-dominated environment, and as a Black female cook, I often felt tolerated rather than valued. That experience took a toll on me. I moved on to a chic French café in Soho while moonlighting as a very green bartender. When I left the café, I bartended full-time while waiting for a work visa in France. Four months later, the pandemic hit, and everything stopped.

I moved back home to figure things out, and that’s when everything changed. I started honoring and amplifying African cuisine and foodways, creating the @lovethatiknead supper club. It’s been lit ever since. The pandemic also shifted how diners think about food, moving toward smaller, meaningful experiences. My pop-ups and dinner series in Philly, NYC, and Accra, Ghana, were a perfect fit. Restaurants had always demanded so much of my time, making me miss life’s moments with family and friends. With pop-ups, I reclaimed control of my time and craft.

I imagine opening my spot someday, but my vision has evolved. “Love That I Knead” will become a bakery with space for my dinners. The kitchen has taught me so much: planning is like mise en place, patience comes from low-and-slow cooking, and consistency is built by showing up every day.

Still, the industry needs change. Kitchen culture often relies on hazing and the idea that you must “earn” your place through suffering. These environments limit growth and opportunities. We need to create more chefs, not just cooks.

Story in collaboration with @nyc8it & @familymealonly

Photos by @smoke_sweats @jonathancooper