Food holds secrets that when shared in community can reveal the interconnectedness of humanity.
This is the belief of Chef Asantewaa Eriyani lo-Liyong, who created the Secret Food Stories Festival to share her vision of food as art, love and human connection.
“Every time I think of food, I think of how can we create these amazing spaces where people are connecting together and sharing with their loved ones?” she said.
Asantewaa has gathered a bevy of local chefs, artists and speakers for the one-day festival, to take place Friday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the San Antonio Food Bank.
The festival theme of “Waste No More” focuses on sustainability and food waste reduction, with chefs presenting recipe ideas, an exhibition of artworks inspired by the theme and a 7 p.m. panel discussion featuring Chef Dora Cervantes of Cafe Vida, Food Bank Director of Food Sustainability Mitch Hagney, and University of Incarnate Word Director of Sustainability Studies Benjamin Miele.
Asantewaa said a portion of proceeds from ticket sales will benefit the food bank.
Food tells stories
The South Sudan-born chef explained that the food “secrets” of the festival name lie mainly in the lost or lesser-known origins of certain ingredients that can reveal human migratory patterns and historical trade routes.
For example, the popular Puerto Rican plantain dish mofongo is nearly identical to several plantain dishes common in the Congo, Asantewaa said. And when she first tasted a signature New Orleans dish, she was instantly transported right back to South Sudan.
“The first time I tasted gumbo, it tasted like a dish we make at home,” she said, comparing it to okra-based Sudanese swala. “It was amazing. I couldn’t believe how close it was.”
Her food journey began with her mother’s elaborate homecooked meals, which she said drew from many traditions. “We always have the world at our table,” Asantewaa said, with ingredients and recipes from Sudan, Uganda and Kenya, all flavored with Indian and Mediterranean influences.
If you want to know history, Asantewaa said, “know food. Food tells you the movement of people. … It tells you about our past, our present, our future.”
Her focus on reducing food waste originated in her home country, where she said electricity can be unreliable for refrigeration and people frequent markets for fresh produce, using up available food quickly and efficiently. She brought that practice first to her Eryani Hospitality catering business in South Sudan, then when she migrated to San Antonio in 2016 as part of the Young African Leaders Initiative created by President Barack Obama after working for the United Nations.
A universal language
Asantewaa acknowledged that practicing food sustainability is a challenge and focused the festival on demonstrating how people can easily incorporate sustainability practices into their daily lives.
She said shopping at farmers markets and even H-E-B, which carries many locally sourced items, cuts the costs of transporting food. Smart food storage practices and making sure we don’t buy more than is needed can also help, she added.
Chefs at the festival — including Monica Chandler of Mo’s Kitchen, Ted Mariano Kelly of Viridian and Lorris Gibson of St. Vinny’s Bistro at Haven for Hope — will offer food samples based on zero-waste recipes that showcase resourcefulness.
A friendly competition among chefs will allow guests to vote for the most innovative recipe, best minimal-to-zero-waste dish and tastiest dish.
A similar competition for the art exhibition will gather votes on the artwork that best captures the concept of sustainability, with artworks by Angela Weddle, Kaldric Dow, Alethia Jones and others. Music by BillyRay Sheppard, will round out the festive atmosphere for the evening, Asantewaa said.
Taken as a whole, the festival will capture the African concept of ubuntu, which loosely translates to “I am because we are,” representing the fundamental interconnectedness of people with their environment and each other.
“When all else fails, food and art and music are a universal language,” Asantewaa said.
Tickets for the first Secret Food Stories Festival: Waste No More are $75 and available online. VIP tickets offer early access from 5 to 6 p.m., with regular admission at 6 p.m.
