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EatOkra’s Inaugural Culinary Creatives Awards Honors Champions Of Black Foodways

Congratulations to the inspiring 2025 honorees!

By EatOkra

Last updated 30 Aug, 2025

Creative. Curatorial. Change-making.

These are just a few of the qualities embodied by the first-ever cohort of the 2025 Culinary Creatives Awards.

At EatOkra, we see ourselves as a conduit for the doers of Black culinary brilliance. If you joined us at the Culinary Creatives Conference, you felt firsthand the power of bringing these voices together under one roof—each with stories, skills, and innovations shaping food culture today.

With the launch of these inaugural awards, we’re doubling down on our commitment to celebrating and amplifying this excellence.

We’re proud to introduce our first-ever honorees. We invited each of them to share—in their own words—the impact of their work and what drives their creativity.

Scott Alves Barton

Cultural Anthropologist of African Diaspora Foodways at Notre Dame

Culinary Legacy Award

What legacy are you building as it relates to the Black culinary world?

"In my life and work in food, I have always centered heritage, culture, and the forbearers who came before me. My career began under Chef Patrick Clark, with whom I trained for seven years at the Odeon, Café Luxembourg, and Metro, alongside stages in Paris, Lyons, and Auch. From him, I learned not only fine cooking but also that we, as African-descendant people, hold our own deep culinary expertise and heritage. Patrick urged young Black cooks to cook from our own experiences.

When I helmed my own kitchens, Plouf! in San Francisco, Café Luxembourg in New York, or opening restaurants with Drew Nieporent’s Myriad Group and W-Hotels, I brought our heritage, culinary and service style into those spaces. I also dedicated time to community, volunteering with AIWF’s Days of Taste, Operation Frontline at Rikers Island, City Harvest, and schools in Harlem and the Lower East Side, teaching children, teens, and women in transitional housing how to cook and connect with food. As a consultant for the Center for Culinary Development & Innovation in California for nearly 20 years, I inserted Diaspora cuisines in my proposals. Having served on the Board of the Southern Foodways Alliance (SFA), for nearly 10 years, I learned more about African contributions to regional U.S. cuisines, and advocated along with several peers and mentors for uplifting our gastronomy. Today, I serve as faculty in Africana Studies at Notre Dame, and continue this work through collaborations with Dr. Jessica B. Harris, the Culinary Institute of America, Indigo Arts Alliance, Lynden Sculpture Garden, and Adam Silverman’s Common Ground project. Across kitchens, classrooms, research geographies, writing, and public programs, I remain committed to advancing African-descendant foodways and engaging in public scholarship alongside academic work."

Cassandra Schaeg

Television producer, acclaimed series host, and visionary entrepreneur

Culinary Storyteller Award

What does being a culinary storyteller mean to you?

"Being a culinary storyteller means the history and authenticity of featured guests are cemented in history. At a time when the contributions of women and Black people are at risk of being diminished, representation through storytelling is the bridge for future generations to walk on.”

Adyre Mason

Owner, The Veggie

Culinary Rising Star Award

What are you most excited about as it relates to what you're building within the Black culinary world?

"What most excites me is the trails being blazed. When I started my business I didn't have a mentor, in fact, in my city there was no one that had ever executed vegan food the way I envisioned seeing vegan food in this city. I have seen my impact locally through the establishment of more vegan/plant-based businesses since I came on the scene eight years ago and I have enjoyed seeing regional and national trails being blazed for me by other entrepreneurs. It is my hope that I can be this same light for those with a dream that are waiting in the wings, looking for an example of how to keep grinding, how to be successful, and how to make an impact. Most importantly, I want to show my fellow brothers and sisters that we can make an impact without gimmicks, without feeling like we have to lean into stereotypes vs being our authentic selves, and that even with being marginalized, the least funded, and whatever other odds are against us that it is still possible to see success and impact."

Stephanie Franklin

Founder, Fly Wines

Culinary Innovator Award

What does it mean to be an innovator in the Black culinary world (and culinary world in general) and why is innovation important?

“To be an innovator in the Black culinary world means honoring tradition while boldly carving out space for new stories, flavors, and voices that have long been overlooked. Innovation is important because it breaks cycles of exclusion, invites curiosity, and redefines how culture is celebrated, not just on the plate or in the glass, but in the communities we nourish.”

Taylor Bauldwin

Founder, Rooted Ventures

Culinary Champion Award

Why is championing voices in the Black culinary world such a big part of your mission?

“Simply put community. Something I commonly speak on is helping to create the next food economy. A more equitable, sustainable community oriented system. When it comes to doing that work it has to start with a strong foundation. Championing these voices is so critical because they are the founders, change-makers, innovators that will be integral parts to this community.”