Bryant Terry facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bryant Terry
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Bryant Terry in 2016
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| Born | January 24, 1974 Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
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| Education | Xavier University of Louisiana New York University (MA) |
| Occupation | Chef, author |
| Spouse(s) | Jidan Terry-Koon |
Bryant Terry (born January 24, 1974) is an African-American chef, writer, and activist. He focuses on vegan food and making sure everyone has access to healthy food. This is called "food justice."
Bryant Terry has written several cookbooks that teach people how to cook delicious vegan meals. He also helped write a book about eating organic food. His work has earned him important awards. In 2015, he won a James Beard Foundation Leadership Award for his efforts in food justice. In 2021, his book Vegetable Kingdom won an NAACP Image Award. This book was also recognized by the James Beard Awards in 2022.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Bryant Terry grew up in Memphis, Tennessee. His mother, Beatrice Terry, was a nurse for newborn babies. His father, Booker Terry, worked to protect the environment.
Bryant went to Xavier University of Louisiana and studied English. After that, he moved to New York City. He attended New York University and earned a master's degree in history. While studying there, he heard a hip-hop song about how food is made in large factories. This made him think about food differently. He decided to start eating only plant-based foods. He also began learning about early efforts to make food fair for everyone.
Later, Bryant Terry decided to study cooking. He joined the chef's training program at the Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts in New York City.
Career and Food Justice Work
In 2001, Bryant Terry started a program called b-healthy! This name stands for "Build Healthy Eating And Lifestyles To Help Youth." It was a five-year project. The goal was to teach young people about food justice. It also helped them work towards a fairer and more sustainable food system.
The program taught children in neighborhoods with fewer resources how to cook. These cooking classes were held after school. The children would then take the food they made home to share with their families. In 2002, Bryant received a special grant from the Open Society Institute to support b-healthy! He led other chef-educators who reached thousands of young people across the United States.
In 2003, Bryant Terry met author Anna Lappé. They started writing a book together called Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen. This book was published in 2006. Grub won an award in 2007 for its focus on social change.
Bryant Terry has appeared on many TV and radio shows. He shared his ideas on the Sundance Channel's show Big Ideas for a Small Planet. He was also a guest chef on the BET series My Two Cents. He even hosted a show on PBS called The Endless Feast.
Bryant Terry also works as a consultant for different groups. He helps raise money for organizations like the People's Grocery in West Oakland. He also advises other non-profit groups and businesses. He appeared on the "Nourish: Food + Community" PBS special in 2008. From 2008 to 2010, he was a W. K. Kellogg Foundation Food and Society Policy Fellow.
In 2015, Bryant Terry became the first Chef-in-Residence at the Museum of the African Diaspora in San Francisco. This means he was the main chef there, sharing his cooking and ideas.
In 2020, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper said that Bryant Terry has spent much of his life teaching others. He teaches about growing food in a healthy way and eating well. He does this by looking at the food traditions of the African Diaspora. In 2021, a publisher called Ten Speed Press announced that Bryant Terry would start his own book imprint. This new imprint, called 4 Color Books, focuses on books by writers of color.
Writing and Public Speaking
Bryant Terry's writings and recipes have been featured in many popular magazines. These include Gourmet, Food & Wine, and The New York Times Magazine. His work has also appeared in newspapers like the San Francisco Chronicle.
He wrote a column called "Eco-Soul Kitchen" for The Root website. In this column, he shared ideas, recipes, and tips for eating and living in a way that helps the planet. His essay, "Reclaiming True Grits," was widely read online. It started a big discussion about "soul food." Bryant Terry explained that traditional soul food was very different from the "instant soul food" that became popular later. He wrote that just two generations ago, many African Americans in the South ate diverse, creative, and fresh foods.
In 2015, Bryant Terry gave a talk at the annual TEDMED conference. His talk was titled "Stirring up political change from the kitchen."
Recognition and Awards
Bryant Terry has received many honors for his work. In 2012, he was named to TheGrio's 100 list. In 2014, his book Afro-Vegan was listed as one of the best cookbooks of the year by Mother Jones and Serious Eats.
In 2015, he won a James Beard Foundation Leadership Award. This award recognized his important work in food justice.
His 2020 book, Vegetable Kingdom: The Abundant World of Vegan Recipes, was very successful. It was nominated for a James Beard Award in 2022. It also won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Instructional. Publishers Weekly gave it a special "starred review."
In 2023, Tasting Table named Bryant Terry as one of the "21 Plant-Based Chefs You Need To Know." VegNews also listed him as one of the "37 Creative Chefs Crafting the Future of Vegan Food." In 2024, VegNews again recognized him as one of the "17 Black Vegan Chefs Redefining Plant-Based Food and Community."
In 2024, VegNews also listed his book Afro-Vegan as one of the "Top 100 Vegan Cookbooks of All Time."
Personal Life
Bryant Terry married Jidan Koon in September 2010. She is a consultant who helps organizations grow. They live in Oakland, California, with their children.
