Ghetto Gastro, a Bronx culinary collective comprising Jon Gray, Pierre Serrao, and Lester Walker recently announced the launch of their first cookbook. Although they’ve already knocked out four events, there are five major cities left on the tour. including Chicago, San Francisco, LA, Houston, Portland, and Miami–the final stop. They’ve partnered with a range of museums, galleries, and Black-owned bookshops to host their private events.
The first stop of the tour was Food Network New York City’s Wine & Food Festival, which took place on Sunday, October 16th. The second stop was The Met’s Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium, where they delivered a sold-out panel discussion with author Osayi Endolyn, the writer of their book. That panel was moderated by Jessica B. Harris, Ph.D., culinary historian, and author of the New York Times bestseller, High on the Hog.
‘Black Power Kitchen’ is overdue considering the three young men have been making waves in the culinary space and putting the culture on the map since 2012. And the trio aren’t novices in the industry–they’ve worked with the likes of Virgil Abloh, Nike, Cartier, the Serpentine, and the Museum of Modern Art to name a few.
In March this year, the collective released a custom line of kitchen appliances, CRUXGG, across Target stores nationwide.
The primary objectives of the book are to reframe the idea of what it means to be “ghetto” and shift the focus from the negative connotations within the Black community to the more positive elements, with a focus on nourishment and advancement. You can now purchase their 304-page cookbook, comprising 150 color photographs that spark conversations around race, history, and food inequality in addition to 75 mostly plant-based recipes.
