Hey Mommas! Every month we are highlighting women making major impacts in different communities or industries. This month, we are thrilled to celebrate the Black women of the Indy food scene. These ladies are dishing on food, community, womanhood, race, and life, and we are here for every last bite.

The food industry is one of the most economically unforgiving businesses.

Markets are saturated, margins are thin, and business are often just a month or two away from disaster. It’s the motivation for many of us to support local restaurants during the lockdown- small businesses make our community vibrant, and are in a constantly precarious position.Imagine entering this volatile, male-dominated industry- scratch that, white, male-dominated industry. Women are majorly underrepresented and under supported in the food industry, but Black women may suffer most of all. Just one year ago, Mariya Russell was named the first Black woman to lead a Michellin-starred restaurant in the United States. (and that’s out of 148 restaurants in the country). The first just last year after nearly a century of restaurants receiving the honor. Black cooks have historically witnessed the cultural appropriation of their food and cooking techniques, receiving little credit for their impact on the American culinary scene. In fact, restaurants often run off the efforts of their Black employees, who are statistically less likely to receive mentorship, promotions, or opportunities for advancement.

When you think about barriers to success in the food industry, it makes the impact these Black women have made on the Indy food scene even more impressive.

The talent and tenacity can only be outshone by their commitment to community. The humility with which they operate their businesses demonstrates both an awareness to seek community support and partnerships to succeed and a deep commitment to reinvest in the community for the betterment of everyone. These women are making our city a better {and more delicious} place to live.

Tanorria Askew, Tanorria’s Table

Home cook, turned chef, Tanorria Askey is doing more than dishing up amazing meals, she’s also serving up a side of social justice. “My motto is that I will nourish your body with food and your soul with justice,” she said. And Tanorria has been doing just that for years through her business, Tanorria’s Table.Like many of the Black women of the Indy food scene, Tanorria didn’t start out pursuing a culinary career. In fact, she worked for 15 years at the Teacher’s Credit Union. After successfully competing on Master Chef in 2016 {Tanorria came in 4th and Gordon Ramsay declared her shrimp & grits was the best he'd had}, she jumped head on into a career as a cook “I know without a shadow of a doubt that I was put in this earth to feed people,” explained Tanorria. “I am learning how that means many different things, such as nourishing with food, nourishing with justice, and even nourishing with courage, but I would’ have never discovered those things staying at a 9-5.”Tanorria is invested in the Indianapolis culinary movement, and often speaking at events and programs like the DiversCity series through Indy Women in Food {she’s also a community engagement lead alongside Candace Boyd Wylie}. Tanorria is a prolific cheerleader of women in the culinary industry and a diligent advocate of anti-racism work. She views food a vehicle for having tough conversations around justice. “Food is something every single person has in common, and while our diets, food tranditions, and preferences differ, we all have to eat,” she said. “Food brings people together. I grew up watching it and now I procure it.” Tannoria's voice serves as a beacon for up-and-coming female cooks, asserting all women have a place at the table. "We as women are the heartbeat. We as black women put the soul in soul food. It is an undeniable fact that women are the real drivers of food. Spaces like Indy Women in Food amplify that and help build community around it. "Today, Tanorria provides personal chef services, freezer meals, and hosts cooking parties and lessons. Her event with Manda Carpenter, This Conversation Might Get Awkward, initially delayed due to Covid, is coming soon virtually. She’s working on holiday recipes and virtual ways to help people manage holiday meals, and like many cooks “I have dreams of a cookbook that I hope will soon become a reality. and I’m waiting any day now for Beyoncé or Oprah to call me {a girl can dream, right?!}, she joked.

Tanorria’s Table products and services are sold online at www.tanorriastable.com

The Scoop: follow Tanorria on IG for a healthy serving a social justice and some seriously yummy dishes. Check out the recipes section on her website {the Nutella popcorn is ah-mazing!}.

Asia Coffee, Cakes by Coffee

They saying may go, “If you can’t do, teach,” but that doesn’t apply to Asia Coffee. An artist by trade, Asia found herself in a cake decorating class one day with her mother when the instructor leaned in and asked if she’d ever thought about teaching. What began as a hobby, soon grew into a successful side business. Today, Asia runs Cakes by Coffee, through which she creates beautiful custom creations and teaches aspiring bakers and decorators the skills and techniques they need to create their own masterpiece.Asia has always had a knack for all things creative and artistic. She went to art school to pursue a degree in media arts and animation with the dream of becoming an animator for Disney or Pixar. While the fairy dusty didn’t quite carry her down that path, Asia ultimately pursued a degree in interior design through IUPUI and today works as a commercial interior designer with Schmidt Associates. In her free time, and we are amazed she has any with four boys running around the house, she is busy decorating cakes, teaching classes, and uploading content to her popular YouTube channel. Her online presence has allowed her to connect with viewers from all over the world, and she has begun teaching virtual classes.Teaching classes is her passion, sharing that she loves most of the students are parents or grandparents, wanting to learn how to make something beautiful for their families. Asia offers classes for beginners through experienced decorators for individuals and even groups {what a great gal pal activity!}.Managing a full-time job, a small business, and her family might seem like a lot, but Asia is calm when she speaks about her self-care and balance. She sets aside time Cakes by Coffee, but also is protective of her personal time. “There are times I just have to stop what I’m doing and take care of myself. I take a nap, go for a walk, or listen to music.” While she’s tried to get her kids involved in the kitchen, she jokes they’re much more into eating cake than baking it.Asia draws parallels between representation in industries, saying being a Black woman on the Indy food scene is similar to being a Black woman in interior design, there aren't many people that look like her. "It's really easy to look around and see there aren't many people who look like me in this space," she said. "ut, there is the opportunity to step back and say, 'You know, that may be true, but I bring a unique perspective to the table, just by being myself. I deserve to be here, especially if I work hard for it.'"Asia is preparing for a cake decorating competition and is hoping to rebrand Cakes by Coffee this year in addition to continuing to grow her YouTube presence.

Asia's cakes and services are available at www.cakesbycoffee.com

The Scoop: Asia teaches in-person classes at the Hatch in Indianapolis and Hobby Lobby in Westfield. She isn't taking any more cake orders for 2020, but you can contact her for your 2021 orders.

V. Taybron, Savor V

V. Taybron’s story reads like a Hollywood script, an inspirational tale about the importance of humility and hard work. V was a young college graduate working in Atlanta for a sale company. “It seemed like I had more month than money,” she joked, explaining despite her degree, it was tough to make ends meet. She lived with a roommate in order to make ends meet, but one day came home and discovered her roommate {and co-worker} had suddenly moved out, having purchased a home without telling V. Faced with covering the bills of two on the salary of one, V she was on the brink of homelessness if she didn’t do something quick. “I could have called my parents for help, but they would have wanted me to come home,” she said. “I didn’t want to go back, so I had to grind it out and make it on my own.”V turned to an early love of her life, baking. She borrowed a friend’s kitchen and took the $10 in her wallet to buy supplies for cookies. She peddled her treats at local shops and in parking lots and in less than an hour made more money selling cookies than she would have at her job. “I looked like an overgrown Girl Scout,” she laughed. V knew she was on to something and reinvested that money to make more cookies, selling them out of the trunk of her car, to friends and family, and even in her office.Eventually V took the internet to promote her burgeoning business, posting her Mailchimp newsletters to Twitter. Her newsletters were part sales and part online journal, as she shared her life and her recipes to an unknown audience online. Surprisingly, she received a message from someone in the military telling her the soldiers on the base loved reading her newsletters, because they reminded her of home, and asked if she could ship food overseas. This was how her cupcakes in a jar were born, so the sweets could make the long trip to military bases across world. 10 days later she received a certificate of recognition and a flag flown in her honor. “I like that I get to be a part of that aspect of their life. It makes them feel loved.”Three years ago, V and her fiancé moved and she has relaunched her business in the Indy food scene. V loves Indianapolis and has felt embraced by the people. “Here they just give people a chance, you feel like you are in a community," she said. "People have been taking a chance on me and falling in love with my cupcakes and telling their friends.” V also credits some of her local success to the connections she built through the organization Indy Women in Food, whose mission is to support local women in food-related initiatives.V dreams of one day expanding her businesses to include a dessert truck, but for now she keeping busy with her baby girl, Energy, and testing out new recipes for her blog {try the salted caramel cronuts, they’re delicious!}.

Savor V desserts are currently sold only online at www.savorv.com

The Scoop: sign up for V’s newsletter for discounts on future orders and news of her upcoming line of dessert seasonings to dress up your culinary adventures at home.

SUPPORT WOMEN KEEPING INDY INDIE : Check out our Women of Mass Ave feature

Que Wimberly, The Missing Brick

Que is a powerhouse of business, running two popular Indianapolis establishments: Que Alexander Brows and The Missing Brick. Her background is in pharmaceutical retail and the beauty industry, leaving many wondering how she stumbled into the pizza business. It all comes down to family. Que’s youngest son was a star high school basketball player, working toward college scholarships {and beyond} when he was injured during his senior year, putting his athletic dreams permanently on hold. In the years following high school Que said, “he was really lost, so I decided to start a business with him.” Moreover, Que understands the importance of providing her sons opportunities to set them up for success, wanting to create generational wealth to impact not just her children, but even grandchildren.Que felt like Indy was missing something in the culinary world, and pizza was a family favorite meal. She threw herself into the study of all things pizza, even attending pizza conventions throughout the country to familiarize herself with the industry, eventually opening her dope pizza joint in April 2019. One look at The Missing Brick’s menu, and you know this place is something special. From their rectangular shaped pies, to their exceedingly unique toppings {think seafood, buffalo chicken, and smoked brisket} Que and her sons are keeping it fresh and new. “We can’t compete in the traditional pizza venue, there are already too many staples in the community,” Que explained. “We are trying to create our own avenue. ”Que’s commitment to community created a fiercely loyal customer base, pushing her sales through the roof in the first year. She knew success would come through strategic partnerships, and has sought out other Indianapolis culinary masters {Chef Oya creates the garlic herb trap buttah for the Trap pizza and Hank’s is smoking up brisket, which is slathered in King’s rib sauce for the Wood Stock pizza}. Que recognizes the importance of local businesses supporting and lifting each other up, and that idea was the inspiration for the restaurant’s unique name. “I wanted to reach into the community, as a building block, brick by brick by working with other establishments already in Indianapolis.”

The Missing Brick 6404 Rucker Road, Suite 105 Indianapolis, IN 46220

The Scoop: The Missing Brick is 21 and over, so leave the kids at home, or grab take out. Due to popularity, they sell out quickly. Order lines open at 4 p.m.

Chef Oya Woodruff, The Trap

The Indianapolis Queen of Seafood, Chef Oya has been making mouths water and building up community for years, and has earned her a place of fame in the city. She opened The Trap {an acronym for Toward Restoring food Access to the People} in 2016. With a focus on helping others, Chef Oya and her team regularly offer up free produce and food to people in need, knowing that her restaurant is located in a food dessert.Chef Oya credits her humble beginnings working her way up through the food industry with providing the foundation for her culinary expertise. She grew up watching the Food Network and would go into the kitchen and replicate their recipes. "Man this is cool, I love making this food, but I have never seen anybody who looks like me on the Food Network, and it really puzzled me," she said during the IndyStar Storytellers Food event. Chef Oya began pursuing other professions, but kept returning to cooking as a passion, eventually enrolling in culinary arts school at Ivy Tech at the urging of her family {she didn't complete her degree, but did did continue teaching herself}. At one point, she saw a casting call for a Food Network show, and knowing she had the culinary chops to make it, she auditioned. She wasn't selected and lamented they still weren't ready for a chef like her to be on TV.After years working for other restaurants and catering companies, she decided she never wanted to clock in for someone else again and decided to pursue her own low-country boil style restaurant. After the creation of her famous for her Trap Buttah, she knew a restaurant would succeed. It wasn't a glamorous start, her fish trays were initially sold off her front porch, but through hard work and perseverance she was able to open the Trap.Since its opening, Chef Oya has collaborated with other restaurants {her famous Trap Buttah is featured on The Missing Brick's Trap Pizza}, serves as mentor and supporter of newcomers to the Indy food scene, and is smiling at the window of her restaurant at the people lined up to enjoy her seafood. In a fitting display of symmetry, two years ago Chef Oya turned on her beloved Food Network and finally saw her own face on the screen.

The Trap 3355 N. Keystone Avenue Indianapolis

The Scoop- The Trap is immensely popular, so be prepared to wait {it's worth it!}. You can also buy Chef Oya's famous Trap Buttah, Young Bae Seasoning, chowder and wings online.

Candace Boyd Wylie, FoodLoveTog

Self-taught chef, Candace Boyd Wylie has a major passion for teaching and bringing flavor back to cooking. She inspires the palate and heart through her website, FoodLoveTog.com. While most of our Black women of the Indy food scene are plating dishes for the masses, Candace prefers to cook on the small scale. “I love cooking for my family, or in intimate settings, like my Wine Down events.” Though her talent in the kitchen is undeniable, it is Candace’s commitment to teaching that has made the biggest impact in our culinary community. Candace emerged on the food scene after a friend said “you share good food stuff.” and with that comment she began exploring the professional world of food. Since then, Candace has received national media attention and earned awards and recognition for her blog. A major tipping point that shifted her from amateur to pro foodie was getting on the Cooking Channel. “When going from rookie to professional, you have to remember to take the craft seriously,” she explained. “That means I’m always studying, reading, dreaming recipes and honing what I do. ”Diligence and hard work shine through in Candace’s cooking school and her commitment to giving kitchen skills to children. “Teaching and being with kids in the kitchen is what gives my heart joy.” She realized not all children today have access to home economics classes and was moved to fill that need. “That is where a lot of people get their introduction into cooking meals and meal planning,” she said. “Learning to cook is not just something to do. You learn planning, time management, science, judgement and so much more when learning to cook. If you can feed yourself, you can feed your community as well. ”In her spare time, Candace serves as a Community Engagement Lead with Indy Women in Food and sees groups like that as vital place for women in a challenging industry. “I’m so thankful I get to moderate the DiverseCity series with my sister in food, Tanorria,” she said. “I’ve had to share some truths as a Black woman in food in that group, and change happens when we do that.” Though she’s not currently in the restaurant scene, she recalls the challenge of being taken seriously by male chefs. Candace’s work as a connector to other women in the industry helps to bring other new culinary creatives to the forefront. “I always say, ‘where women are, there is magic. ’”Candace is busily creating on new product line offerings, developing new spice blends and other products that make life easier for the cook on the go. She is eagerly awaiting having in-person cooking school classes again and jokes that she’s “still stalking Bobby Flay to join him on the Food Network.”

FoodLoveTog products and services are sold online at www.foodlovetog.com

The Scoop: snag some of Candace’s small batch spice blends {Chef Oya and Que Wimberley use the Young Bae Signature Seasoning at their restaurants and it can also be found at Goose the Market} and check out her blog posts for tips and recipes for your kitchen {we used her summer cooking tips to up our grill game this week}.

Special thanks to Sonja Overhiser co-founder of Indy Women in Food for her support in researching this piece.

The Black women of the Indy food scene