Rooted. Inventive. Community-minded.

These are just a few of the qualities shared by the second cohort of the Culinary Creatives Awards, presented by Ten To One Rum.

This year’s cohort works across very different mediums: a novel and a documentary, a sparkling beverage, a spice company, immersive dinners, and a Charleston festival that brings thousands together. What connects them is a belief that Black culinary knowledge should be carried forward. Together, they show where Black food culture has been and where it's going.

Nominations were open to the public. After the EatOkra team reviewed submissions and created a shortlist, the final honorees were chosen with a panel of judges: Lorraine Copes, founder and CEO of Be Inclusive Hospitality; Marc Farrell, founder and CEO of Ten To One Rum; and KJ Kearney, community engagement program manager and social media influencer.

We invited each honoree to share, in their own words, what drives their work and what it means for the future of Black foodways.

Natalie Baszile

Writer & Filmmaker

Culinary Legacy Award

Natalie Baszile is a writer and filmmaker. Her new novel, Friends and Family, was published in October 2026. Her previous novel, Queen Sugar, was adapted for seven television seasons by writer and director Ava DuVernay and co-produced by Oprah Winfrey. Her nonfiction includes We Are Each Other's Harvest: Celebrating African American Farmers, Land & Legacy, which brings together essays, poems, conversations, portraits, and first-person narratives to tell the story of Black people's connection to the land from Emancipation to the present. Her feature documentary, Harvest, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, where she and her co-director received a special jury mention for Best New Directors.

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

"I hope my work inspires others to celebrate and re-imagine our connection to the land and our legacy."

Adé Carrena

Chef, Filmmaker & Founder, iLéWA Foods

Culinary Storyteller Award

Chef Adé Carrena is a Benin-born culinary artist, filmmaker, and founder of iLéWA Foods whose work explores the connections between West African foodways and the American South. Through immersive dining experiences, film, and ethically sourced spices, she uses food to reclaim identity, honor ancestral knowledge, create space for healing and belonging, and support economic sovereignty for the women producers at the heart of her spice company.

What does being a culinary storyteller mean to you?

"To me, culinary storytelling is about listening to what food remembers and honoring what we pass down. It is how we carry our oral histories forward; in the quiet tending of a pot, the shared wisdom of a recipe, and the warmth of gathering at the table. Born in Bénin and raised across cultures, I turned to food as an anchor to find my way home, reclaim my roots, and connect with the stories that might have otherwise been lost. At its core, my work is an effort to archive our living history. When institutions fail to preserve our histories, our people continue to hold them in their hands, their kitchens, and their everyday rituals. I trace those living histories between West Africa and the American South, honoring the knowledge that survived and the people who kept it alive. Each meal becomes a record of who we are, what we have carried, and what we choose to leave for those coming after."

Anna Cobb

Founder & CEO, O'kra

Culinary Rising Star Award

Anna Cobb is the Founder and CEO of O'kra, the first sparkling okra water and a beauty beverage made with your skin in mind. A Tuskegee-trained plant and soil scientist and second-time beverage founder, Anna is reimagining an ingredient rooted in African, Caribbean, and Southern foodways for a new generation.

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

"I'm most excited about giving okra the spotlight it has always deserved. Okra traveled from Africa to the Caribbean and the American South, and it has been at the heart of our kitchens for generations, in gumbos, stews, and family recipes passed down by our grandmothers. With O'kra, I get to honor that heritage while carrying it somewhere new: a modern, elevated sparkling beverage on shelves across the country. As a Black woman in food science and beverage, it means so much to show that our ingredients, our traditions, and our ideas belong in every aisle, and to open doors for the founders who come after me."

Linda Ajala

Chef & Founder, Ọdún by Chef Lin

Culinary Innovator Award

Linda Ajala, popularly known as Chef Lin, is a Nigerian chef, culinary researcher and food heritage practitioner whose work explores the intersection of indigenous ingredients, African food traditions and contemporary gastronomy. Through her Afro-fusion practice and immersive dining experience, Ọdún by Chef Lin, she reimagines Nigerian culinary heritage through innovative techniques, cultural storytelling and a commitment to sustainability, demonstrating that our traditions are not merely to be preserved, but continually reinterpreted and evolved.

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

"To me, being an innovator in the Black culinary world means pushing boundaries while remaining deeply connected to our heritage. Innovation is not about making our food unrecognisable to prove that it is sophisticated; it is about understanding it deeply enough to imagine what else it can become. As a Nigerian chef, I explore how indigenous ingredients, traditional techniques and familiar flavours can be reimagined through contemporary gastronomy without losing their cultural identity.

Innovation challenges perceptions of African food, elevates indigenous ingredients and creates space for our culinary knowledge to be recognised and valued. Through my work and Ọdún by Chef Lin, I use food to tell cultural stories, champion sustainability and demonstrate the possibilities within our food heritage. Ultimately, meaningful innovation honours where we come from while creating new possibilities for the future of African cuisine. In the broader culinary world, innovation is essential because food culture must be able to evolve alongside the people, environments and economies that sustain it. It creates room for new techniques, ideas and experiences while challenging conventions about what ingredients are considered premium, which cuisines are considered sophisticated, and whose culinary knowledge is recognised as valuable."

Marcus Hammond

Founder & CEO, Black Food Truck Festival

Culinary Champion Award

Marcus Hammond is the Founder and CEO of the Black Food Truck Festival, an award-winning cultural celebration based in Charleston, South Carolina, that champions entrepreneurship, culture, and community. Through his work, Hammond has created a platform that brings thousands of people together while generating meaningful economic opportunities and greater visibility for Black-owned businesses.

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

"Because our food has always been about so much more than what's on the plate. It's our history, our culture, our creativity, and in many ways, our connection to one another. Yet, far too often, the people responsible for creating and preserving that culture haven't received the same opportunities, recognition, or economic benefits as others who profit from it. I believe that when we create spaces for Black entrepreneurs to be seen, celebrated, and supported, we're doing more than helping businesses grow. We're building wealth, preserving culture, and creating opportunities that can impact families and communities for generations. That's what drives me, and that's what the Black Food Truck Festival has always been about."

Looking back: Meet the 2025 Culinary Creatives Awards honorees here!