Alexis Nikole Nelson facts for kids

Alexis Nikole Nelson, born on May 26, 1992, is an American expert at finding wild foods. She is also a cook and a popular person on the internet. She has a TikTok account called alexisnikole and an Instagram page called blackforager. On these pages, she shares videos of the wild plants and foods she finds. She also teaches cooking methods and shares interesting history about these foods.

In 2022, Alexis Nelson won a special award called the James Beard Award. She was the very first person to win this award for having the "Best Social Media Account."

About Alexis Nikole Nelson

Alexis Nikole Nelson grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her family has roots in Cape Verde. Her mother first taught her about finding wild foods when Alexis was only five years old. She learned about "onion grass" from her mom.

Alexis went to the New School Montessori and then Walnut Hills High School. She finished high school in 2010. Later, in 2015, she graduated from the Ohio State University. She earned degrees in both environmental science and theatre.

Her Work as a Forager

Alexis Nikole Nelson shares videos of her wild food finds on social media. Her videos are fun, playful, and full of humor. Even though they are lighthearted, Alexis has a lot of experience and knowledge about foraging.

She started her Instagram account "blackforager" in 2019. In 2020, she created her TikTok page "alexisnikole." Alexis talks about many topics in her posts. She shares how foraging has been a part of American history for a long time. She also explains the rules about foraging and how to find wild plants and mushrooms in a way that helps nature. Many of her recipes are vegan, meaning they don't use animal products. In most of her videos, she shows the ingredients she finds in nature. Then, she turns them into delicious dishes using her own recipes.

Her popularity grew a lot in 2021. She went from under 500,000 TikTok followers to 3.3 million by January 2022. Because of her success, she left her office job in September 2021. She decided to focus on her foraging work full-time.

Many national news groups noticed her work that year. She was featured in articles in New York Times and Bon Appétit. She also appeared on TV shows like The Kelly Clarkson Show and The Drew Barrymore Show. In 2021, she was also named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. This list highlights 30 successful people under 30 years old.

In April 2022, Alexis went to the TED conference in Vancouver. This was the first TED conference since the COVID-19 pandemic started. At the conference, she gave a TED Talk about her foraging work. She even cooked sweet and salty seaweed chips. She used bull kelp that she found right there in Vancouver. In June 2022, she won the James Beard Award for her social media influence. At that time, her accounts had a total of 4.8 million followers.

In January 2023, Alexis Nelson appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, a popular late-night TV show.

Alexis is currently writing a cookbook. It will be published by Simon & Schuster in 2024.

In 2023, Nelson joined the YouTube channel Crash Course. She hosted a 15-episode series all about botany, which is the study of plants.

In December 2023, an episode of Eat This with Yara that featured Nelson won an award. The episode was called 'The Awful Truth About ‘No Trespassing’ Signs'. It won "Outstanding Lifestyle Program" at the 50th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards.

What Inspired Her

Alexis Nelson says her interest in foraging comes from two things. First, she has a natural love for it. Second, it connects to her family's African and native heritage.

Her Life Today

Alexis Nelson lives in Columbus, Ohio. She lives with her partner and several pets. She follows a vegan diet.

See also

• Ethnobotany
• Notable Cape Verdean Americans