315: Decolonizing the Food Industry — Sharing African Food, Breaking Down Stereotypes, and Combating Cultural Appropriation with Zoe Adjonyoh

The Food Blogger Pro Podcast

How to combat food stereotypes, understand cultural appropriation, and support an African food revolution with Zoe Adjonyoh.

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Welcome to episode 315 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Zoe Adjonyoh about her journey with Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen, as well as her fight against the cultural appropriation of food.

Decolonizing the Food Industry

While Zoe Adjonyoh initially started out by just cooking Ghanaian food for her community, she quickly took on a larger role with her brand, Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen. Through her blog, cookbook, supper clubs, and more, she has been actively working to foster an African Food Revolution and bring African food to the masses.

And in recent years, she has shifted her focus from just pioneering West African food to decolonizing the food industry and helping people understand what cultural appropriation is.

It’s a really powerful interview that will make you consider your role as both a consumer and a content creator, and we hope you enjoy hearing more about Zoe’s story.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How she started Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen
• How her supper clubs worked
• How she worked to start an African food revolution
• How she shifted her focus to work on decolonizing the food industry
• What the difference is between cultural appropriation and appreciation
• How we have power as consumers to support the culture where food comes from
• Why activism is ingrained in her identity
• What she covers in her book, as well as what she has updated in this new edition

Resources:

• Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen
• Preorder Zoe’s book here!
• 289: The Rise – How the COVID-19 Pandemic Has Affected the Restaurant Industry and Celebrating Black Culture in American Food with Marcus Samuelsson
• Airbnb Experience — Chocolate Origins & Create with a Maker
• Diaspora Co.
• Burlap & Barrel
• Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen playlist on Spotify
• Zoe’s podcast, Cooking Up Consciousness
• Follow Zoe on Instagram and Facebook
• Check out the Food Blogger Pro YouTube channel (and subscribe while you’re there!)

If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [e-mail].

Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership