In this episode we met up with Wendie Wilson in Nova Scotia, a food activist and community organizer, to learn more about Black food stories in Nova Scotia. We then traveled to Edmonton to connect with Rochelle Ignacio to learn about her initiatives in Black owned businesses and Feed the Soul YEG.

Show Notes:

In the Africville Kitchen: the Comforts of Home: https://globalnews.ca/news/7525412/africville-cookbook/

Museums in Ontario

•  Black Historical Society & Black Mecca Museum

https://ckbhs.org/-

•  Amherstburg Freedom Museum

https://amherstburgfreedom.org/permanent-exhibits/

Afri-Can FoodBasket: Non-profitorganization committed to reducing hunger and enhancing cultural food access and health, within African Caribbean and Black communities in the GTA. https://africanfoodbasket.ca/

For more on Anan Lololi: https://efao.ca/member-profile-anan-xola-lololi-27-years-of-black-food-sovereignty-and-counting/

Resources:

•  Future Ancestors: https://www.futureancestors.ca/

•  Toronto Food Incubator: https://www.ventureparklabs.ca/food-incubator

•  Feed the Soul: https://feedthesoulyeg.ca/

Bibliography

• What’s to Eat Entrées in Canadian Food History edited by Nathalie Cooke

• Beagan, Brenda L and Chapman, Gwen E. “Meanings of food, eating and health among African Nova Scotians: ‘certain things aren’t meant for Black folk’ in Ethnicity& Health Vol. 17. No. 2. October 2012, pp. 512-529.

•  Ristovski-Slijepcevic, Svetlana, et al. “Being ‘thick’ indicates you are eating, you are healthy, and you have an attractive shape: Perspectives on farness and food choice amongstBlack and White men and women in Canada” in Health Sociology Review. 2010-2009, vol. 19 (3), pp, 317-329.
• Mustapha, Hana and Masanganise, Sharai, “Deconstructing ‘Canadian Cuisine’: Towards decolonial food futurities on Turtle Island” in Canadian Food Studies. March 2023. Vol. 10. 1 pp. 22-27.

• https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/andrew-coppolino-black-culinary-history-elusive-1.6338546

•  Brown-Kubisch, Linda. 2004. The Queen’s Bush Settlement: Black Pioneers 1839-1865. Toronto: Natural Heritage Books.

1.  “The Queen’s Bush settlers produced a variety of crops such as, barley and oats with wheat being the primary cash crop. They also raised cattle, horses, sheep and hogs; planted orchards and a variety of garden crops, including turnips, potatoes and beans. Families also took advantage of the sugar maple tree in the forest and produced maple sugar every spring” (pp. 43).
2. “Women were primarily responsible for the management of the household and care of the children. They preserved fruits and vegetables, spun wool into thread, wove cloth on handmade looms, quilted, made soap and candles from lard, raised poultry and cured meat” (pp. 43).

Episode Edited by Siddarth Sharma.