Having a passion for something means that thing literally drives you and guides the way you move throughout the world. You spend years, hours and days working to be the best you can at it while also making an impact in the field along the way. These days, having the boldness to go after any dream is an accomplishment in itself. For these young Black chefs and culinary stars, the same holds true.
As the years pass, we’re seeing folks break into the industry at much younger ages, and here at EBONY, we couldn’t be more proud. It’s never too early to find your why in the world, and these young stars are making sure nothing stops them.
Here, we highlight and recognize these young Black chefs as they make their mark on the culinary and baking world.
Editor’s Note: This is not a ranking system. Individuals are listed in alphabetical order by last name.
Chef Damarr Brown
Location: Chicago
Born in Germany, Chef Brown is definitely making an impact on the culinary world. In 2022, Food & Wine named him one of the country’s best new chefs, and in 2023, he was named the James Beard Foundation’s Emerging Chef. Now based in Chicago, Brown serves as the chef de cuisine at Virtue restaurant in Hyde Park. If his name sounds familiar, he was a contestant on Top Chef during season 19.
Social handle: @browndamarr
Chef Kia Damon
Location: New York City by way of Florida
She’s young, Black and hella creative. At the tender age of 24, Chef Damon has quickly risen through the ranks and solidified herself as the executive chef of Manhattan’s Lalito Restaurant. With a love for cultures in general, she’s mastered the art of blending not only her own Southern roots but those from other regions around the globe. Last year, she released a cookbook, Cooking with Florida Water, to pay tribute to the dishes she was raised on as a young girl in Florida.
Social handle: @kiacooks
Chef Adrian Forte
Location: Toronto, Canada
Based in Toronto, the Jamaican-Canadian chef and author quickly became a fan favorite after his appearance on Top Chef Canada. Spending his early years in NYC—after moving to the States from Kingson, Jamaica— Chef Forte now works as a private chef and culinary consultant around the world. His cookbook YAWD features an array of dishes that pay homage to his Caribbean heritage.
Social handle: @adrianforte
Chef Javauneeka Jacobs
Location: Chicago
At only 27 years old, Chef Jacobs is the current sous chef of Chicago’s Frontera Grill. Of her many accomplishments thus far, one of the most notable is her recent win on Food Network’s Chopped, in which she beat out 16 chefs for the title. She’s focused much of her time at her current restaurant on bringing out the flavors of Mexico’s Afro-Mestizo dishes.
Social handle: @javauneeka_j
Chef Chayil Johnson
Location: Charlotte, North Carolina
Chef Johnson is truly all about community. Serving as the current executive chef of Charlotte’s Community Matters Cafe, the restaurant provides opportunities to men and women who are on their recovery journey from addiction. The young chef not only curates a rotating menu for patrons to indulge in, but he also mentors the men and women who come through the program in the cafe.
Social handle: @chef_of_valor25
Chef Rahanna Bisseret Martinez
Location: New York City
Mostly known for her time on Top Chef Junior, where she moved through the ranks to reach the finals, Chef Martinez recently also authored her first book, Flavor + Us. “The book is really a telling of my culture, time in food media, and love for California,” she shared in an Instagram post. Additionally, she’s cooked with other notable greats like Carla Hall while balancing student life at Cornell University.
Social handle: @rahanna.bisseret.martinez
Chef Ashleigh Shanti
Location: Asheville, North Carolina
Let’s run a few of her accomplishments: author of My South, her highly anticipated cookbook, which will be released in fall 2024; contestant of Bravo’s Top Chef, season 19; James Beard Award finalist in 2020 and owner of Good Hot Fish in Asheville. Often drawing inspiration from the Black settlers in Appalachia, Chef Shanti loves sourcing local and telling the stories of our ancestors through her dishes.
Social handle: @foodordeath
Chef Anya Peters
Location: New York City
With Trini and Jamaican blood running deep in her veins, Chef Peters developed her love for culinary arts from watching her relatives in the kitchen. Now working as the brains behind KIT an’ KIN, a culinary studio, Peters also offers catering services and cooking classes and hosts a monthly market in Brooklyn. When she is whipping up dishes, she always tells the stories of her Caribbean roots and those that came before her.
Social handle: @kitankin
Chef Roze Traore
Location: New York City
Chef Traore attended culinary school in Portland, Oregon. He’s since worked in some of New York’s best establishments and teamed up with brands like Dior. Mostly spearheading and curating multi-course dinner experiences globally, he focuses his cuisine on his homeland, Côte d’Ivoire. He is also the proud owner of La Fourchette de Roze in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Social handle: @rozetraore
Chef Dominique “Domo” Turner
Location: Bay Area, CA
A private chef to several of the players on the San Francisco 49ers roster, Chef Domo—as she is most known—also has a new line of frying mixes to ensure our deep-fried dishes are top-notch and full of flavor. She enjoys playing around with seafood while whipping up dishes like her fried lobster in tamarind sauce.
Social handle: @chefdque32
