Food and Folklore

About Us

Food & Folklore’s unique model is rooted in culture, connection and curiosity.

Food & Folklore operates on a distinctive model that finds its foundation in culture, connection, and curiosity. We recognize that, for many, the journey into the world of food begins at home. In our case, home is both here (in America) and there (in the foreign lands we yearn for). Our focus revolves around the compelling question, “What does home taste like for you?” This inquiry drives our exploration of travel, nostalgia, belonging, identity, and the experiences of people of color (POC) and immigrants, forming the core of our services.

Our Founder, Tamika R. Francis.

Food & Folklore’s unique model is rooted in culture, connection and curiosity.

Tamika R. Francis (she/her) has a dual career as a public health practitioner and culinary entrepreneur. As a public health practitioner, she designs and delivers training and capacity-building curricula in racial justice, health equity, and public health. Her culinary work has included permaculture, farm, and food tourism across the Caribbean. She’s been featured in Edible Boston, Moveable Feast, Eater Boston, is a moderator with WBUR’s Curated Cuisine series, has been a guest speaker with brands like Toast, and serves on the board of the Urban Farming Institute.

Through her company Food & Folklore, she pays homage to unrepresented global food traditions exploring belonging, identity, and the immigrant experience through classes, popups, and storytelling. She’s facilitated a community of over 100 food entrepreneurs in the Boston area who meet annually to collaborate and network. And is building DutchPot.app, a tech solution to help culinary entrepreneurs manage compliance.

She is a graduate of Boston University’s Culinary Arts Program and has a Masters in Sustainable International Development and Geography.

Featured In

Services

Culinary Classes

Pop-Up Events

Engagement

CONSULTING

Culinary Classes

Pop-Up Events

Engagement

CONSULTING

Our Values

We assert that our food choices are linked to global migration patterns, the economic system, and centuries-old traditions.
We place value and respect to the custodians of these traditions - the people who cultivate, harvest, churn, butcher, and cook.
We acknowledge the interdependence within our food system.
We center the experiences of those formerly oppressed, immigrants, chefs and cooks of color, home-style restaurants, as well as our allies and friends.
We advocate for fair pay, recognizing that people should be rewarded justly for their time, talent, and contributions, going beyond training and rank in the kitchen.
We acknowledge the personal and political dimensions inherent in food, it goes beyond being a simple necessity and speaks volumes to our identity and privilege in society.

Let’s stay in touch!

Events

November 18th

Curated Cuisine: Cook's Country editors Toni Tipton-Martin and Morgan Bolling on the women who gave soul to Southern cooking

December 9th

Curated Cuisine: Historian Jessica B. Harris on the culinary and cultural traditions of Kwanzaa

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