 Happy Sunday! I finally feel fall approaching, and I don't know about you, but I'm ready for it after this long hot summer. It also means we're less than two months away from Kitchn's signature event of the year: Thanksgiving Food Fest, our virtual food festival, an experience that is all-new and reimagined for 2021 around the five distinct menus and stories of five inspiring cooks. Each evening, one chef will share a menu and vision for what Thanksgiving looks like around their table, plus the real-life insider tips for cooking the food they love. When we announce these chefs, you'll be the first to know (hint: one is a baker you all adore). The final flourish? Each evening, as you watch these chefs in video, they will also be chatting LIVE with you and others, answering questions and ideas in real-time during the airing of their menu.
It's going to be so fun — you're invited, of course, and I can hardly wait to share more, including how to register.
Coming back to the present, this week marked the beginning of Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month and we're celebrating through a package of Afro-Latinx essays and recipes guest edited by Reina Gascon-Lopez, founder of The Sofrito Project. Reina has curated a rich collection of voices and recipes and I want to pass the mic over to her and her introductory essay now, in the hopes that you explore the stories and recipes she is bringing to Kitchn this month. Here's the beginning of Reina's piece; click through to read the full piece. (I've shared the first two recipes below; the rest will roll out over the course of this month.)
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For many Latinx folks living in the United States, having a dual identity — one foot in and one foot out of the culture — is a way of life. Navigating that can be difficult, but I find that the simplest way to stay true to my Puerto Rican and Afro-Caribbean roots is through food. I love making dishes that I grew up eating that remind me of loved ones. Many recipes were passed down from generation to generation, adapted by the cooks before me and then tweaked again by me to make them my own.
Food is an intimate thing for many, and something that's almost sacred and ritualistic to people who take it seriously. So when I was approached to guest edit this Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Month project with Kitchn, hundreds of thoughts raced through my mind: How do we feature a variety of foods, cultures, and people with a limited amount of space and time? How do we share how special and important certain dishes are to us? By highlighting Afro-Latinx chefs and cooks, I wanted to make the conscious effort to showcase those who are unfortunately often left out of the food media conversation the most. Granted, I've heard my fair share of "listening and learning" from many folks in social media circles, and amplifying others has rightfully picked up the pace over the last few years, but we still have a long way to go.
In many industries, particularly the culinary industry, women of color are constantly at the very bottom of the ranks, often being the least paid and the most overworked. According to CNBC, as of 2020, Latinas earn $0.55 to every dollar paid to white men. Our equal pay day falls on October 29, which, ironically enough, falls after Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Month ends. This means that we have to work further into the year (frankly, near the end of it) just to earn the same pay that white men received the previous year, all while being celebrated by the same companies that don't pay us enough. A little eye-opening and jarring, right? The double-edged sword of racism and sexism we face in the world is amplified by our melanin, language, and country of origin.
 FOLLOW FAITH
RECIPES FOR RIGHT NOW  The Mid-Autumn Festival is this Tuesday and thus the perfect time to make Kristina's mooncakes (her upcoming book looks so gorgeous!). Follow Us
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Sunday, September 19, 2021
We’re celebrating Afro-Latinx food all month long!
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