With Season 2 of The Black Kitchen Series, we wanted to show what it means to eat, cook, & grow Black food in America today with as much fidelity, nuance, & love as we could. And as Black voices & contributions are often pigeonholed in pop/culinary culture, settling on this season’s theme was easy: innovation. We spoke to artists, chefs, historians, distillers, writers and farmers; we covered topics like Black veganism, farming as a tool for liberation, the planet saving powers of a West African grain & more. The success and community based work of Season 2 resulted in a James Beard Broadcast Media Award. We wanted it to feel deep and expansive; but at the outset of pre-production, we couldn’t have anticipated the kinds of stories we’d hear, the incredible individuals we’d meet, or the rippling impact we’d have in Black culinary communities. The work of The Black Kitchen Initiative is to impact community & culture in a real, tangible way (as of this year, we’ve given $3,000,000 in grants to 200+ Black-owned restaurants), and the podcast serves as a microcosm of these efforts.