14 Recipes from Across the African Diaspora by Black Chefs

February 23, 2024

In honor of Black History Month, we’ve compiled a list of recipes from Black chefs, inspired by the traditional foodways and cultural cuisines across the African diaspora, in the U.S. and around the world. Many of these recipes have been demonstrated by the chef at the Foodwise Classroom at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, featuring fresh, seasonal produce. By no means a definitive list, these selections represent just some of the artistry, diverse influences, and richness that Black cooks and culinary traditions contribute to American food.

North America

Oven-Roasted Chicken & Sweet Potato Mash from Mo’Raysha Pouoa, of Mo’Raysha’s. Pouoa grew up eating her mother’s Southern-style cooking, as exemplified in this flavorful chicken with Cajun seasoning and fresh herbs paired with creamy sweet potatoes, demonstrated at the Foodwise Classroom. In 2019, she turned her love for food into a catering business, initially selling food in her local community. She continues to grow her business with the support of SF Black Wealth. Visit Mo’Raysha’s at the Ferry Plaza on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Smoked Catfish Chowder from Sarah Germany of Chef Sarah Germany. Germany builds on southern food traditions to create deeply flavorful medicinal foods, while preserving the bounty of California farms and gardens. While managing an ongoing illness, her once go-to proteins like pork and beef were suddenly a challenge to consume, so she started eating more fish. She didn’t want to let go of the flavors that she loved, like the smokiness of barbeque. She came up with her signature smoked catfish, featured in this recipe that she demonstrated at the Foodwise Classroom. Find Chef Sarah Germany at the Ferry Plaza on Saturdays.

Crispy Mushroom Po’Boy from Tiffany Carter, founder of Boug Cali. Carter is a San Francisco native, and through Boug Cali, she offers specialties, like gumbo, smoked sausage, po’-boys, and jerk tacos—interpretations on the dishes she grew up eating with her family and friends in her Bayview neighborhood. She is also a co-founder of SF Black Wealth, which is committed to preserving African American culture and building economic power within the Black community. Also try her recipe for Crawfish Étouffée.

Collard Greens, Black Eyed Peas, and Sweet Potato Soup with Sweet Potato Cornbread from Wanda Blake, founder of Wanda’s Cooking. Through Wanda’s Cooking, Blake delivers culturally affirming meals that honor and celebrate the unique histories, traditions, and customs of each dish. Wanda’s Cooking is known for their housemade Pepper Chowchow, a Southern classic relish used as a condiment or as a cooking ingredient. This veg-based dish, which she demonstrated at the Foodwise Classroom, pays tribute to African American legacy foods of the South, with a zing of sweet Chowchow juice.

California Greens from Dontaye Ball, founder of Gumbo Social. When cooking, Ball draws inspiration from several sources, his grandmother’s cooking, his background in San Francisco restaurant kitchens, and his French Escoffier training. This recipe for his signature vegan dish, demonstrated at the Foodwise Classroom, features fresh kale, a mix of beans, and layers of flavor.

South and Central America

Citrus Salad with Hibiscus Syrup & Lime Salt from Rahanna Bisseret Martinez’s book, Flavor + Us: Cooking for Everyone. Martinez is an Oakland based chef and author. She was the second-place finisher on season one of Top Chef Junior, after which she began interning at restaurants around the world. This recipe, demonstrated at the Foodwise Classroom, is inspired by her memories of enjoying fresh fruits, such as mango, from vendor carts in Oakland, California. “Once the fruit was gone, a tart and tangy mixture of lime, mango juice, Tajín, and chamoy would sit at the bottom until my sister Fidela would drink the entire thing,” she says.

Winter Greens & Squash Curry from Christina Alexis, founder of The Pleasure Principle Supperclub. With over five years of culinary experience, Alexis started The Pleasure Principle Supperclub, a party-food-and-drink-loving catering business. Living and working around Oakland, Christina is inspired by the Bay Area’s abundance of fresh produce and the cuisines of the West Indies. This warming winter curry, which was demonstrated at the Foodwise Classroom, brings in Afro-Caribbean flavors and spices, drawing on Christina’s family influences from the American South, Trinidad, and Dominican Republic.

Encocado de Pescado del Pacifico (Coconut Fish from the Colombian Pacific) from Angélica Mena, of Sukulenta SF. Mena shares tastes of Afro-Colombian cuisine at community events, pop-ups, and cooking demonstrations. “This dish is from the Colombian Pacific Coast, where my roots are from, and can usually be found at the biggest Black Latino Fest in Cali, Colombia (El Festival de Música del Pacífico Petronio Álvarez),” she says. You can find Sukulenta SF at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market on Thursdays.

Charred Red Cabbage with Spiced Tomato Relish from Gregory Gourdet, featured in the compendium BLACK FOOD (edited by Bryant Terry). Gourdet has made a name for himself by infusing methods and ingredients from all over the world, balanced together with his Haitian heritage, and creating signature flavors adored for their seasonality, boldness, complexity, and spice. He says, “Sun-dried tomatoes have tons of umami, and for this relish, I flavor them with Haitian and Caribbean spices of Scotch bonnet, pepper, ginger, and thyme.”

West Africa

Shrimp and Fonio Grits from Pierre Thiam’s Simply West African. Thiam is a Senegalese-rasied, New York City-based chef, author, and culinary ambassador. He’s known for bringing West African food to the fine dining scene. This recipe, which was demonstrated at the Foodwise Classroom, features fonio, a gluten-free, ancient African grain.

Maafé (Peanut Stew) from Nafy Flatley, founder of Teranga brand and restaurant. Flatley draws inspiration from traditional recipes of her homeland, Senegal, and the African diaspora, and spins up unique twists using locally sourced, seasonal ingredients. You can taste for yourself at her pop-up restaurant at Four Embarcadero Center.

East Africa

Sautéed Cabbage and Roasted Potatoes with Carrot Purée from Bryant Terry’s Vegetable Kingdom. Known for his vegetable-forward cooking, Terry is an award-winning chef, educator, and author, renowned for his activism and efforts to create a healthy, equitable, and sustainable food system. This recipe was inspired by atakilt, a hearty Ethiopian dish of slow-cooked potatoes, cabbage, and carrots. Also try his recipe for Jerk Tofu Wrapped in Collard Leaves.

Berbere Spice Brown Butter from Marcus Samuelsson’s The Rise. Samuelsson is an Ethiopian-born Swedish-American chef, restaurateur, and author based in New York. About this recipe, he says, “In Ethiopia, berbere is almost a currency. It’s what people make at home, but it’s also something they trade with at the market. We put it on everything.” Use the Berbere Spice Brown Butter in his recipe for Roasted Carrots with Ayib and Awaze Vinaigrette or Bryant Terry’s Creamy Carrot Soup with Berbere Spice Blend and Cashew Cream.

Sukuma Wiki (Greens with Tomatoes) from Hawa Hassan’s In Bibi’s Kitchen, written with Julia Turshen. Hassan is a Somali-American author and chef and founder of Basbaas Foods, an African condiments brand. “Greens are a staple in Kenyan cooking and in most East African cooking in general,” writes Hassan. “Sukuma wiki means “to stretch the week”—in other words, using these greens, which are affordable and readily available, can help stretch any meal a bit further.” Also from In Bibi’s Kitchen, try Hawa’s recipe for Date Bread.

Visit our recipe archive for more seasonal recipes demonstrated at the Foodwise Classroom at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. 

Topics: Chef, Community, Culinary, Programs, Restaurants