tunde wey

Maori chats with writer, artist, and chef Tunde Wey, known for his gastronomic projects that critically poke fun at and examine gentrification, economic inequality and the enduring neo-colonial politics of food today. Tunde shares how stepping out of family expectations of success is a full circle process, and discusses what it’s like being back home in Nigeria. They talk about how his understanding of Black Atlantic food culture has evolved from his time in Detroit and New Orleans, and how he still owes Maori a husband. 

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This week on Meat + Three, meet four of our Hall of Fame inductees. They’re chefs that have changed the way we see, taste, and experience food. We begin with Alice Waters, a counter culture chef who has planted a seed of deliciousness in schoolyards across the country. Todd Richards shares the impact that family has on his cookbooks, kitchens, and food philosophy. Julia Turshen inspires us with her work "Feeding the Resistance," and Tunde Wey tackles racial and wealth disparity with hot chicken pop ups and his powerful brand of activism. See our full Hall of Fame at heritageradionetwork.org/halloffame.

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This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.

Chef Tunde Wey is the man behind some of the most controversial pop ups in America and uses dining to make diners confront the uncomfortable realities of race, class, privilege and wealth in America. He’s a chef and writer, but before he’s any of those things he’s a proud Nigerian and rum connoisseur. On today’s show we’ll talk about his upcoming pop-up tackling ‘love marriages’, if he sees his work as performance art or dining experience and how he navigates funding these projects.

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Every year, Spam enthusiasts take over the town of Isleton, California. Mother Jones senior editor Dave Gilson attended, and his audio postcard contains many treats, including but not limited to Spam cheesecake. Then: What if food prices depended on your skin pigment? Chef Tunde Wey just ran a fascinating and provocative experiment about that, and Kiera caught up with him to hear about the results. Finally, Tom talks to Maine congresswoman Chellie Pingree, who might be the only congressperson in history to own an organic farm and run a restaurant.

Chefs Collaborative was founded in 1993 as a non-profit network focused on inspiring, educating and celebrating chefs and food professionals dedicated to working towards a better, more sustainable food system. For their 8th Annual Chefs Collaborative Summit, Growing Community – Owning the Future, food professionals from across the country gathered in Atlanta, GA on Saturday, September 9th - 11th for workshops, networking and engaging discussions on issues such as ethical seafood practices, food waste, meat matters and solutions for the future of sustainable food.

Heritage Radio Network was there to capture the sights and sounds of the summit’s prominent speakers at an event hosted by New York Times food correspondent, Kim Severson. In part one of the summit, attendees heard from Paula Daniels (Co-Founder of the Center for Good Food Purchasing), Martha Mendoza (Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Seafood from Slaves), and Tunde Wey (author of Blackness in America). We also caught up with Alice Rolls (Executive Director of Georgia Organics).

0:08 – Kim Severson, New York Times (moderating throughout)
0:45 – Piper Davis, Grand Central Bakery
6:15 – Steven Satterfield, Miller Union
7:58 – Judith Winfrey, PeachDish
15:48 – Paula Daniels, Center for Good Food Purchasing
43:11 – Martha Mendoza, Pulitzer Prize Winning AP Reporter
59:30 – Tunde Wey, Blackness in America, and Julia Bainbridge, Atlanta Magazine
1:30:38 – Alice Rolls, Georgia Organics

Tunde Wey is a Nigerian-born chef based in New Orleans who creates dinner series meant to inspire conversations surrounding race and immigration. Wey uses food as a way to gather people and create a setting for sometimes uncomfortable conversations that transcend the typical pleasure-based dining experience. Tune in for a fascinating conversation about Wey's Nigerian heritage and his journey as a chef who sees food as a conduit for political discourse.