Holding Space Through Food: Black Stories from Soil to Stove

As part of the Holding Spaces exhibition, Holding Space Through Food: Black Stories from Soil to Stove is a moderated, story-forward conversation centering Black foodways in Austin.

This panel explores how food, land, labor, and brick-and-mortar spaces intersect in the lives of Black chefs, entrepreneurs, growers, and cultural workers. Panelists will reflect on their personal pathways into food, the emotional and cultural labor behind hospitality, and what it means to create and sustain food-centered spaces amid displacement, rising costs, and shifting neighborhoods.

Rather than focusing on culinary trends, this conversation prioritizes lived experience—honoring food as memory, practice, resistance, and care. The program invites the audience into a shared dialogue about nourishment, legacy, and the ways Black communities continue to hold space through food.

Panelists:

Larissa Davila

Executive Director, Economic Growth Business Incubator (EGBI)
Larissa Davila is a business development expert with deep experience supporting entrepreneurs of color. As Executive Director of EGBI, she works closely with food-based businesses navigating sustainability, growth, and community impact, with a focus on equitable access to resources and long-term viability.

Jahmaal Dumes

CoFounder, CaJJun Eats
Jahmaal Dumes is a Beaumont, Texas native and business owner with a Bachelor’s degree in Business from Southwestern University. He is the co-owner of Down South CaJJun Eats and the founder of X’Cellence Lounge & Grooming, combining entrepreneurship, culture, and community through his work.

Chi Ndika

Founder & Owner, Luv Fats Ice Cream
Chi Ndika is the founder of Luv Fats Ice Cream, a beloved Austin-based brand rooted in creativity, culture, and joy. Her work reflects the intersection of flavor, storytelling, and community—using food as a way to build connection and celebrate Black creativity.

Virginia Baldwin

Founder & Owner, Homestead Gristmill
Virginia Baldwin is the founder of Homestead Gristmill, a Black-owned stone mill focused on heritage grains and sustainable food systems. Her work reconnects food to land, history, and ancestral practices, emphasizing intentional sourcing and cultural continuity.

Donnie Johnson Sackey

Associate Professor & Associate Chair of Rhetoric and Writing, The University of Texas at Austin
Donnie Johnson Sackey is a scholar whose work examines Black cultural expression, place-making, and community narratives. His research and teaching explore how storytelling, memory, and cultural labor shape public life and shared spaces.