Chef Jacoby Ponder Brings Education to the Culinary World and Families Back to the Table

Chef Jacoby Ponder is a certified culinary expert who came onto the screen and took the culinary world by storm. For almost a decade, this native of Monroe, Georgia has been making a name for himself and grabbing accolades along the way. In recent years, he has been featured on hit food competition shows like Chopped and Cutthroat Kitchen. He has taken the essence of cuisine from the Black culture and infused it with knowledge and health. He shares that knowledge with every cooking experience and you can share in the experience at home with the release of his new book Supper. It will be available soon and features recipes that put a healthy spin on classics.

During our recent interview, he shared why it's important for him to be knowledgeable about the health facts of the food he cooks.

I try to tell people we have to eat for nutrition, not for taste. People don't want to science food too much. I try to make it fun and flavorful. I mostly use salt and pepper to kind of enhance everything and fresh herbs, garlic, rosemary and thyme. That's something that I read years ago and in most urban communities, most Black people purchase foods that are very close to that carcinogen in processed foods. Being a chef, having a culinary background and culinary knowledge, I just complimented my background in nutrition and diet. I said I can marry two together.

With his new book Supper being released soon, we had the chance to discuss its inspiration and importance of it.

Supper is real reminiscence. For an hour of the day, we sit down and really just enjoy family and friends with our cell phones away. It's bringing families back to the dinner table. I think it's important to have that contact and discuss what we're having today. That's part of our mental health. It is mind, body, and soul, all coupled together.

Check out the full interview below.