These Are 10 of the Best Black Chefs and Bakers Currently Heating Up Social Media

We’re well aware that famous chefs have been with us since way before the invention of Instagram. With some of the most influential chefs dating back to the 1800s, Black chefs were contributing to the culture from the beginning.  

James Hemings — the first American to train as a chef in France — brought french fries to the States. It is said Zephyr Wright, President Lyndon Johnson’s personal chef, made a mean chile con queso. Abby Fisher gave us one of the first American cookbooks. And Edna Lewis — “the Grand Dame of Southern Cooking”— well, the title speaks for itself.

These literal tastemakers have paved the way for Black cooks and bakers, giving us the space to continue to shape food culture in America and all over the world. We attribute joy, knowledge, humor, flavor, and fine distinction to food and because we exist at so many different intersections of life, it’s easy to carry on this legacy with nuance and innovation.   Michael Twitty, Sophia Roe, Tabitha Brown, and Kwame Onwuachi are Black chefs that have made their marks giving more beauty and creativity to the art of food. But if you’re looking to add a bit more spark to your timeline, here are a few more Black chefs and bakers that deserve a follow.

If you’re looking for a baker that delivers quality sweets, Tiffany-Anne Parkes — aka the PieNanny — should be at the top of your list. The pies she makes, however, are not just ordinary pies: The Jamaican-American baker mashes up cultures, flavors, and social injustice to create the most stunning works of flaky, buttery, sweet, and savory pies you’ve ever seen. Her inspiration for the edible works of art speak about a myriad of subjects. From whitewashed beauty standards to the history of yams in the United States to personal anecdotes about growing up Jamaican in Florida, there’s a story in each of her pies. So, if you’re looking to find the intersection between pie, art, and heritage, look no further than her @pi.naan.ee account.

When Chef Scotty Scott (@cookdrankeat) was growing up, he cooked with his family in Detroit, Michigan. He has since turned his pop-ups and private chef work into a full-fledged social media experience. Not only does he serve up mouth-watering soul food, but his Reels will have you chuckling from his sense of humor and shaking your hips to curated tunes. Keep an eye out for his upcoming book, Fix Me A Plate, due out March 2022.

Breaking bread boundaries, accountant-turned-artisan bread baker Bryan Ford lets us see bread through a lens other than that of European descent. With his Afro-Honduran roots, he brings breads from Central and South American Latinx cultures into the spotlight through his Instagram account @artisanbryan. To learn from the veteran bread baker, pick up a copy of his book, New World Sourdough, and be sure to keep an eye out for his new unnamed series with Magnolia Network taking place on the streets of New York.

Florida-based home cook Quin Liburd — or @butterbeready on social media — will have you drooling over her simple but delicious flavor-forward cooking. Her Caribbean roots make themselves known with the cultural influences brought about in each dish. Completely self-taught, Quin has endless recipes that will get you excited to cook. Not to mention, her photography skills just add fuel to her brightly burning fire. Your timeline will sing each time her posts pop up.

A self-proclaimed spice maven, Sharee Hill gives us gorgeous weeknight dinners packed with tastiness using a wide variety of seasonings, salts, and vinegars on her @savoryspicerack Instagram account. Her love for travel inspires many of her recipes, noting that, “Each of my creations are just the way food should be — packed with flavor and created with love.”

To better serve her community and fellow man, Arley Arrington decided baking was a better-suited way to help her achieve her goals. Arley fights for equity in the lives of Black people, trans children, women, AAPIs, and many other disenfranchised humans — all while using her platform @arley.cakes and eye-catching buttercream frosting, royal icing, and warm shades of nude, brown, and dusty pink.

Eric Jones — known in the social media world as @dudethatcookz — gives us plenty to salivate over. From desserts and cocktails to an endless list of heart-heathy Southern food, there’s something for everyone within the colorful feed. While the account does mostly showcase Eric’s cooking skills, his wife, Shanna — who also knows her way around the kitchen — lends her skills to the stellar photography seen on the page as well as serving as the creative director of the business. Healthful Southern food is the name of the game for the food power couple, and you’ll get that full force in their upcoming cookbook, Healthier Southern Cooking.

Lawyer-turned-baker Mike Johnson makes it seem like “doing it all” isn’t a big deal.  Beautiful cookies, perfect macarons, cakes, pies, quick breads, and cookies … is there anything he can’t bake? Once you check out his Instagram, you’ll be running to his blog to satisfy any sweet tooth that comes along. 

Calling yourself the “Fit Slow Cooker Queen” can reel in tons of followers. Healthy meals in the slow cooker — isn’t that the answer to everyone’s prayers? With recipes spanning across a multitude of dietary needs and programs — Whole30, keto, Paleo, low-carb, and more — Shannon is more than just the queen of the slow cooker. She’s the queen of our “set it and forget it” dreams. 

Talk about a mood! Delivering original recipes that are oh-so-magnificently styled, Monique Polanco‘s Instagram (@moniquepolanco_) evokes excitement within those of us who like to feel something when we look at food. Taking her grandmother’s recipes and elevating them to a luxurious level, you’ll be sent into a tailspin of emotion every time you see her creations pass by your timeline.

Need more people to follow on social? These women in food and sole list of bakers to follow are both great places to start.