If you’re a fan of TV shows about food and cooking, you might have noticed we’re in a renaissance of these shows that are specifically about celebrating Black cuisine. There are several food shows hosted by Black people, but there are now more shows than ever before focused on not only the preparation and presentation of Black cuisine but also the culture behind it.
“There’s an old saying that TV is the sincerest form of imitation,” says Eric Deggans, TV critic for National Public Radio. “And from the days when ‘Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s’ helped save the Oprah Winfrey Network [OWN] to the success of Netflix’s ‘High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America,’ there have always been successful TV shows centered on Black chefs and Black cuisine culture. In the same way Black people bring amazing variety and creativity to food, that culture offers wonderful opportunities for television shows to center dishes and people who are compelling and too often overlooked.”
Here’s a handy guide to these Black cuisine shows and where they can be seen.
Hosted by chef Bren Herrera, this series is about cuisine from an Afro-Latina perspective. The show features recipes that are popular in the Caribbean, Latin America, and South America.
Where to watch the show: Cleo TV
Kardea Brown, the show’s namesake, is one of the first celebrity chefs to host a national TV series devoted to Black cooking in the U.S. South. In her long-running show, Brown shares recipes from her South Carolina kitchen.
Where to watch the show: Food Network, Discovery+, Max
Hosted by Essie Bartels, this series has an emphasis on Black gourmet cuisine that is well-known outside of the United States, ranging from comfort food to delicacies. African countries such as Morocco, Ghana, and Senegal have had their native food featured on the show.
Where to watch the show: Cleo TV
“The Great Soul Food Cook-Off”
This reality show, which has Oprah Winfrey an executive producer, is the first cooking competition focused only on soul food. The eight contestants are Black chefs who go through a variety of challenges while vying for the grand prize of $50,000. Food Network star Kardea Brown is the host of the show, which features judges Eric Adjepong and Melba Wilson and a rotating group of guest judges.
Where to watch: Discovery+, Max
“High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America”
In this series, food writer Stephen Satterfield goes on a culinary journey with chefs, historians, and activists to explore the history and impact of African American cuisine. Emmy-winning documentarian Roger Ross Williams (HBO’s “The Apollo”) is a director of the series. “High on the Hog” debuted in 2021. The show’s second season premiered in 2023.
Where to watch: Netflix
Viola Davis is an executive producer of this four-episode series that reveals the often-erased Black historical connections to some of America’s most classic food and spirits. Cookbook author Caroline Randall Williams, who hosts the show, exposes and confronts the racism and cultural appropriation behind Nashville Hot Chicken and Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey. Randall Williams also examines the ways that health-damaging sugar is marketed to Black people. And she answers the compelling question: “Where are the Black farmers?”
Where to watch the show: Discovery+, Max
Celebrity chef JJ Johnson takes viewers inside his kitchen, where he serves up a tasty array of soul food and other culinary delights that have roots in Black culture. He often mixes things up and experiments with traditional recipes.
Where to watch the show: Cleo TV
Anthony Anderson and Cedric the Entertainer co-host and are two of the executive producers of the show, which features the two stars going across the U.S. to visit Black experts on barbecuing and to get these experts’ advice. This series is partly a TV travelogue and partly a promotional showcase for AC Barbeque, the cuisine brand owned by Anderson and Cedric the Entertainer.
Where to watch the show: A&E
Tonya Hopkins, also known as The Food Griot, shares her treasured Kwanzaa recipes in this Web series. In each episode, Hopkins and a guest are shown cooking and discussing the Nguzu Saba, the seven principles, and history of the Kwanzaa holiday.
Where to watch the show: Foodnetwork.com
Hosted by chef Jernard Wells, this series puts an emphasis on healthy soul food. He has a different guest in each episode.
Where to watch the show: Cleo TV
What it’s about: Celebrity chef Alisa Reynolds is the host and an executive producer of this eight-episode series, which is about Reynolds discovering “what soul food looks like around the world,” according to a press release. In the series, Reynolds visits Mississippi, Oklahoma, Appalachia, South Africa, Italy, Jamaica, Peru, and Los Angeles. The episodes filmed in Mississippi, South Africa, Jamaica, and Los Angeles are specifically focused on Black cuisine.
Where to watch the show: Hulu
Hosted by comedian Pretty Vee and featuring media personality Willie Moore Jr., this series features a different Black chef from an Atlanta restaurant in each episode. The chefs share highlights from their menus and their personal histories of what inspired them to become chefs and restaurateurs.
Where to watch the show: Cleo TV
