Raising A Glass today to Say: Happy Birthday!!!
To My Amazing Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Sister,
Kamala Devi Harris!…
“…and this year, her birthday aligns with the first day of the Diwali holiday — an ancient celebration rooted in her maternal South Indian heritage.”
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i have another Super Special B-Day Shout Out Today Too!...
No matter how bright or bleak any given year might be — we could always count on each other to be the birthday boo! ... 📸👆🏽 Here celebrating my bday at someplace fab where Jorge managed the service back in the day. Rest assured if it was a snapshot from HIS birthday the pic would be from my kitchen! 😆
📸 PHOTO by Jorge Castillo …
To one of my Brothers from another mother — the awesome amazing Jorge-cito! The Big Apple 🗽 misses you BOO — & me too!
COSMIC COINCIDENCE that today’s also (fried) CHICKEN & WAFFLES DAY — a significant dish that our forever friendship bonded over big time in the early days. In fact, Jorge facilitated my first ever professional food photo shoot many moons ago in the early 2000’s , long before food & drink holidays were even on anybody’s radars — and guess what he requested I make? — not only for him to photograph (see below) but also for us to GRUB on throughout the shoot. And ya’ll know that since it came from MY kitchen it also just happened to be undetectably GLUTEN …FREE and more delicious than the “regular way”. Just ask Jorge — he may be in Texas these days but he’ll happily tell you all about the amazingness of my signature g-free fried chicken and waffles —and even though he’d worked at some of the finest TOP dining spots in New York City — including Per Se! ) — Jorge would always rave about how amazing my cookery (and concocting!) is. Declared it wasn’t just as good — it was often better than what some of those fancy spots were churning out on the regular. And Jorge’s never been one to sugarcoat or BS anybody. Especially when it comes to food — if somethin’s not hittin’, he’ll say so. But when it came to my food? He meant every word.” 👩🏽🍳😁
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In 2025, October 20th’s International Chef Day too!...
“The theme for 2025 is "Food Explorers," which focuses on encouraging children to learn about healthy eating and sustainable practices by exploring fresh, local, and seasonal ingredients. The day, founded by Chef Dr. Bill Gallagher in 2004, is used by chefs worldwide to educate and inspire the next generation of cooks. ..”
Date: Monday, October 20, 2025
Theme: "Food Explorers"
Purpose: To inspire children to become "food explorers" by learning about healthy eating and the joys of cooking.
Activities: Chefs will be hosting events like hands-on cooking sessions, garden tours, and nutrition activities.
Organizer: The day is celebrated by WorldChefs and chefs around the globe to pass on their knowledge to aspiring young cooks…
Stay tuned for my upcoming newsletter to learn about the International Chef driven strategy we’re implementing for Eléctrico Mezcal here in NYC…
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But Wait, there’s MORE!.. 🍗🧇
Like i was sayin before: Today’s CHICKEN & WAFFLES DAY too!….
And yours truly (that’s right — me , Tonya , aka “The Food Griot “ 😁) provided some essential original research intel on this very topic for a KQED PBS FOOD digital episode of Beyond the Menu: “The REAL Story of Chicken and Waffles” (12 min TRT)…
Since my audio-visual contributions there are edited down into digestible sound bites in this 12 min piece, I strongly uggest you join my PATREON COMMUNITY for the unedited version with groundbreaking never before discussed intel on this fascinating food combo!….