2022 Worlds of Flavor Conference

The Culinary Institute of America’s 24th Annual Worlds of Flavor International Conference and Festival was held November 2–4, 2022, and explored cuisines of Africa, considering their evolution, and learning how they are being renewed and reimagined in the top professional kitchens across the continent. The food and cooking of Africa is broad and diverse, encompassing a range of foods, culinary techniques, and cultures of the African continent. From the biodiversity of its indigenous food crops to the layers and nuances of regional food cultures shaped by ancient trade routes, colonization, and the slave trade, modern Africa’s rich culinary heritage has influenced foodways throughout the globe. For more information, visit ————————————————————————————————————————————————————— CIA: CIA at Copia: CIA Restaurant Group: CIA Food Enthusiasts programs: CIA ProChef: Founded in 1946, the Culinary Institute of America is the world’s premier culinary college. Dedicated to developing leaders in foo

General Session IV: Cooking the Diaspora: How to Establish a Common Culinary Language in Traditional Restaurant Spaces How do you as a chef develop and implement your culinary vision to offer guests unique and celebratory dining experiences while dealing with the day-to-day pressures of operating a restaurant? Learn from three of today’s most celebrated and gifted chefs, who will have a conversation about how they are engaging and contributing to a shared Black culinary language in a traditional restaurant setting, that builds on tradition but allows for innovation. We’ll delve into vegan soul food, Berber street food, and modern soul food with multicultural influences, while looking at how these chefs infuse their story throughout their restaurant, from staffing to décor to the menu. • Brendan Walsh ‘80 (Dean, School of Culinary Arts, CIA; Hyde Park, NY) • Jamila Robinson (Regional Chair, World’s 50 Best Restaurants; Food Editor; The Philadelphia Inquirer; Philadelphia, PA) • Diana Ta

General Session III: Breakthrough Ingredients: Fonio as a Case Study Fonio is a quick-cooking, gluten-free, nutrient-dense, and drought-resistant member of the millet family indigenous to West Africa and cultivated for over 5000 years. Chef Pierre Thiam, along with Chef Michael Elégbèdé ‘13, will discuss the critical importance of and best practices around representing culture through indigenous ingredients while demonstrating recipes that show fonio’s breadth across culinary applications. • Thérèse Nelson (Program Advisory Committee Chair—Worlds of Flavor 2022, CIA; and Founder, Black Culinary History; New York City) • Pierre Thiam (Chef-Owner, Teranga, and Founder, Yolélé; New York City, and El Cerrito, CA) • Michael Elégbèdé ‘13 (Chef-Owner, ÌTÀN; Lagos, Nigeria) For more information, visit ————————————————————————————————————————————————————— CIA: CIA for Enthusiasts: CIA at Copia: CIA ProChef: Founded in 1946, the Culinary Institute of America is the world’s premier culinary colle

Seminar 1: Culture and Storytelling: Influences from Ghana to London and Jamaica to Los Angeles Inspired by their culinary heritage, these chefs will share how they’ve designed dining experiences that bring traditional flavor discovery and history to new communities. Sharing their culinary roots through menu development, atmosphere, and storytelling, they’ve created immersive concepts that celebrate the influences of Ghanaian and Jamaican cuisine. Join them to discuss strategies for winning over new markets with unique diasporic flavor journeys. • Korsha Wilson ‘07 (Writer and Host, A Hungry Society; New York City) • Rashida Holmes (Chef-Owner, Bridgetown Roti; Los Angeles, CA) • Zoe Adjonyoh (Chef and Founder, Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen; New York City) Sponsored by National Peanut Board For more information, visit ————————————————————————————————————————————————————— CIA: CIA for Enthusiasts: CIA at Copia: CIA ProChef: Founded in 1946, the Culinary Institute of America is the world’s premier

General Session VI: Exploring the Afro-Latin Kitchen The transatlantic slave trade infused African culture into Latin America and the Spanish-speaking Caribbean in monumental ways that can clearly be seen in the evolution of its foodways. Chefs Maricel E. Presilla and Nelson German dive deep into the Afro-Latin-Caribbean kitchen and showcase the ingredients, dishes, and histories that connect those worlds. • Maureen Costura, PhD (Professor of Liberal Arts, CIA; Hyde Park, NY) • Scott Alves Barton, PhD (Chef, Author, and Assistant Professor, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, and Adjunct Professor, CIA; Hyde Park, NY) • Maricel E. Presilla, PhD (Founder and President, Gran Cacao Company; Weehawken, NJ) • Nelson German (Chef-Owner, alaMar Kitchen & Bar and Sobre Mesa; Oakland, CA) For more information, visit ————————————————————————————————————————————————————— CIA: CIA for Enthusiasts: CIA at Copia: CIA ProChef: Founded in 1946, the Culinary Institute of America is the world’s pr

General Session VIII: Reframing our Relationship with the African Diaspora Historically, Africa has been a site for global extraction—of people, culture, and raw materials—and that legacy permeates the food system. On this final day of programming, panelists discuss the historical context of this damaging relationship and put forth a new framework through which to approach the cultural contributions of Africa and its diaspora. • Thérèse Nelson (Program Advisory Committee Chair—Worlds of Flavor 2022, CIA; and Founder, Black Culinary History; New York City) • Stephen Satterfield (Founder and CEO, Whetstone Media; Atlanta, GA) • Selassie Atadika (Founder and Chef, Midunu; Ghana) • Simeon Hall Jr. (Chef-Owner, Simeon Hall Restaurant Management Group; Nassau, Bahamas) • Benjamin “BJ” Dennis IV (Gullah Geechee Chef and Personal Caterer; Charleston, SC) For more information, visit ————————————————————————————————————————————————————— CIA: CIA for Enthusiasts: CIA at Copia: CIA ProChef: Founde

General Session IX: Next Steps: Black Foodways and Lessons for the Future Worlds of Flavor, Africa and the World has examined the many ways that foodways have traveled from Africa across the Atlantic. This panel looks to the future and strategizes how to take this mission-based work and move forward in more intentional ways. Panelists will discuss efforts to create a common culinary language, promoting African and African diasporic dishes and ingredients, efforts to bring more visibility and compensation to African and Black farmers, and how chefs can be agents of change. • Thérèse Nelson (Program Advisory Committee Chair—Worlds of Flavor 2022, CIA; and Founder, Black Culinary History; New York City) • Korsha Wilson ’07 (Writer and Host, A Hungry Society; New York City) • Pierre Thiam (Chef-Owner, Teranga, and Founder, Yolélé; New York City, and El Cerrito, CA) • Matthew Raiford ’98 (Chef-Farmer, Gilliard Farms; Brunswick, GA) • Maricel E. Presilla, PhD (Founder and President, Gran Cac

General Session VII: Baking Through the Afro-Latin Pantry With boundless talent and creativity, and a killer resume, award-winning Afro-Latina pastry chef Paola Velez has built a national following for vibrant, joyful creations such as her plantain buns, banana pudding paletas, and decadent cookies called “thick’ems.” Join her for a sweeping demo that traces her pastry art through her Dominican roots and connects the African diaspora through the Caribbean world. • Jamila Robinson (Regional Chair, World’s 50 Best Restaurants; Food Editor; The Philadelphia Inquirer; Philadelphia, PA) • Paola Velez (Co-Founder, Bakers Against Racism; Washington, DC) For more information, visit ————————————————————————————————————————————————————— CIA: CIA at Copia: CIA Food Enthusiasts: CIA ProChef: Founded in 1946, the Culinary Institute of America is the world’s premier culinary college. Dedicated to developing leaders in foodservice and hospitality, the independent, not-for-profit CIA offers master’s,

Seminar 7: Cuisines of Migration: Tastes of Home, Far Away As the African diaspora continues to move and emigrate throughout the planet, bringing flavors of home wherever they go, chefs and restaurateurs face unique challenges of replicating not only the diverse tastes of the continent but also the sense of community that turns a restaurant into a gathering place. How do you recreate the spirit of home when you are thousands of miles away and ingredients may be hard to come by? Zoe Adjonyoh has built Ghanaian cuisine and community from the ground up in the U.K. through supper clubs, her own restaurant, and a well-regarded cookbook. She’ll be joined on this panel by David Kamen from CIA Consulting, who is experienced in translating and implementing a broad range of flavors onto American menus, as well as CIA Culinary demonstrator Patience Kamen, as they discuss the challenges and opportunities inherent in creating community through food, many miles from home. • Thérèse Nelson (Program A