In the final episode of Where It’s At, Jefferson Hack speaks to Ghetto Gastro’s Jon Gray about food as conduit for memory, identity and collaboration – from the kitchens of the Bronx to global stages in fashion, art and culture
As the year comes to a close and we resign to rest, coming together and eating good food with friends and family is something that many of us may be looking forward to. Which makes the final episode of Where It’s At a timely one. Food is at the core of many communities, cultures and celebrations. Food becomes ritual, memory.
The Bronx-born chef and co-founder of the culinary collective Ghetto Gastro, Jon Gray, is reshaping food as a cultural force, using food for activism, storytelling and joy. At Ghetto Gastro, he has helped redefine African American cuisine as art, performance and political expression. Food becomes a conduit for memory, identity and collaboration – from the kitchens of the Bronx to global stages in fashion, art and culture.
In this episode, Jefferson talks to Gray (and a few of his collaborators) about Ghetto Gastro’s philosophy of showing and sharing how integral and special food is, while providing immersive dining experiences and community projects.
Recently, Ghetto Gastro released a cookbook, titled Black Power Kitchen, an all-encompassing story about food which includes recipes and dishes from the African diaspora, essays and writing from cultural figures including Grammy-nominated poet Aja Monet and Dream Hampton, all alongside art and photography. Jefferson and Gray discuss Black Power Kitchen, spotlighting its role in elevating African American food culture and history.
“When we were making Black Power kitchen,” Gray tells Hack, “the first order of business was like ‘Alright, if we use this opportunity and it's our only chance to show the ethos and the breadth of the work we do in the movement of Ghetto Gastro. How do we approach this? What do we need to include? So we're like, of course, it’s going to have food, right? Because food is the medium of which we use to storytell. But we also have to include visual art in our community of visual artists, because that's a huge part of our ethos. And we’re going to work with the revolutionaries’.”
Later, Gray and Hack are joined by Dr Jessica B Harris who explains the principles and cultural significance of Kwanzaa, the week-long celebration that takes place from 26 December to 1 January, honouring heritage, family and community. Dr Harris addresses food disparity and inequity, saying poignantly: “Give money, if you can. If you can't give money, give food. If you can't give food, give a hand. If you can't give a hand, say a prayer, at least. But be mindful. Be mindful.”
Soon Gray's mother, Denise, joins the conversation, telling Hack how she influenced Gray’s food education and the importance of diet and plant-based eating. Then, A$AP Ferg joins: “What’s popping y’all, it’s Ferg on the check in,” he says before sharing his favourite Ghetto Gastro dishes.
It’s a moving episode to wrap the season. All this talk of food certainly whets the appetite.
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