Episode Transcript
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>> Candace (00:07):
Welcome to Black Girls Eating. Uh, a conversation about
justice, black girl magic, and well
seasoned food. We are Black Girls Eating
and welcome to our podcast.
>> Tanorria (00:18):
This episode was brought to you by Christ Church
Cathedral. Follow them on Instagram at
thatchurchonthecircle or go to their website
cccindy.org for more information.
Hi, friend. Hello. How
are you doing this?
>> Speaker C (00:35):
Lovely?
>> Tanorria (00:36):
Well, technically, it's evening, isn't it?
>> Candace (00:38):
It's technically evening. It's technically fall in
Indiana.
>> Tanorria (00:42):
I am looking out at the bright red leaves on my
trees and it makes me very happy.
>> Candace (00:47):
But it's also 80 degrees.
>> Speaker C (00:49):
I know.
>> Candace (00:50):
I had on a sweater
and a jacket.
>> Tanorria (00:54):
Yep.
>> Candace (00:55):
Because you just never know what's gonna happen anymore.
>> Tanorria (00:58):
Not in good old Midwest Indiana you don't.
>> Candace (01:00):
Fall in the morning, spring in the.
>> Tanorria (01:03):
Evening, winter at night.
>> Candace (01:06):
Winter at night. It's just. Yeah.
>> Tanorria (01:07):
Below freezing at night.
>> Candace (01:09):
I don't know how my moms are surviving. I just don't.
>> Tanorria (01:13):
You know what? Mine are surviving because I'm watering them like every other
day.
>> Candace (01:16):
Are you really?
>> Tanorria (01:17):
I heard that on the. On the Instagrams.
A couple plant people I follow, they said they like
moisture and that they should be watered daily. So
I'm not doing it daily. I'm doing it like three times a week.
And they're thriving.
>> Candace (01:30):
I'm a horrible plant mom because my
outside plants are just share the pits. My
inside plants are fine.
>> Tanorria (01:37):
Good. I'm very proud of you. Yeah, I've counted.
I have 47 plants
indoor. Yeah.
>> Speaker C (01:47):
Okay.
>> Tanorria (01:48):
I need to buy three more so I can have 50.
>> Candace (01:52):
Um, I have like eight.
Um, I just don't have any more space. I mean, I
technically could like start putting them in the windows and stuff like my parents,
but.
>> Tanorria (02:00):
Oh, girl, we can hang them on walls. I got
you. You come over and help me with the Christmas
tree situation and I'll be over there to help you with the plant situation.
>> Candace (02:09):
Okay, that's fine. Because I would like a hanging plant in my office. I can
do that.
>> Tanorria (02:13):
The one that Victoria from Botanical Bar gave us.
It's. Mine is not hanging right now, but it
is so pretty that it should be hanging.
Yeah.
>> Candace (02:22):
All of my plants that I have from her are thriving.
>> Tanorria (02:25):
Yeah.
>> Candace (02:26):
All of them.
>> Speaker C (02:27):
Yep.
>> Candace (02:27):
All of them. Like m. They're the best.
>> Tanorria (02:29):
Yeah, they really are. They really are.
>> Speaker C (02:32):
She's the best.
>> Tanorria (02:34):
Um, friends, we're gonna stop talking about plants. Cause that could be a
whole episode if you let me.
>> Candace (02:39):
Black plant mama.
>> Tanorria (02:41):
Right. Um, we wanna talk
about this super amazing guest that has
a near and dear place in my Heart. Um,
she is a current
former contestant on MasterChef. The season is
over.
>> Speaker C (02:57):
Yeah, just ended.
>> Tanorria (02:58):
Yeah, just ended. Okay. The season just ended.
So she is a technically former contestant
on MasterChef. This was MasterChef
Generations. Kamae, um, is shattering
stereotypes and building success in her own image.
By day, y'all, she's negotiating the
complex landscape of privacy law as a
(03:18):
consumer protection attorney, the federal
government. And by night, she's turning up the
heat on MasterChef. She is a top three
finalist. Um, the most recent season,
MasterChef generations. Like I said, with
our dreamy blue eyed host, Gordon Ramsay. Because
we will admit, his eyes are dreamy. Okay. We just can't get
past it. Um, she is artfully crafting a
(03:41):
career that combines her legal expertise with her passion for
cooking, proving that success and joy aren't mutually
exclusive. Let's give a hand clap to
that. Because the amount of times
that just my little own being alone has been like, yes,
I do DEI and I cook. And people are like, you do
what? I'm so glad to have somebody else.
Candace, you get it all the time. Like, wait, face and
(04:03):
food don't get it. Nonprofit sector
and food. But you're not a chef. You're not a caterer.
Make it make sense. We are here
for it. Welcome, welcome, welcome.
>> Speaker C (04:15):
Corinne, thank you so much. Thank you so much for having me.
I'm so excited to speak with you both.
I. I love that you can appreciate,
um, my perspective on how you don't
have to do or be just one thing.
>> Candace (04:29):
Yes.
>> Tanorria (04:29):
Ah.
>> Speaker C (04:29):
As you become, you know, an adult. I think I have a
very much an inner child soul, and I
grew up very curious about wanting to do different things in
general. So, uh, I'm
very appreciative, and I
find the fact that I was able to become an attorney,
um, just a really momentous, momentous
(04:50):
thing for me. So I really appreciate that part of me.
But, yeah, you know, at the end of the day, I think we all like to
explore more parts of ourselves other than our jobs
because, you know, it's, It's. It can get wearing to
do the same thing basically every day. So that's
why I've been excited to have had the opportunity to be on
MasterChef and explore more of my culinary
interests.
>> Candace (05:11):
Yeah, this makes me just.
I'm already just over the moon excited because I've
got two Master Chef
girl, please in my Rolodex. Like,
hey, um, put some respect on my name.
It makes me so happy to know
that not only did y'all go on MasterChef, but
(05:33):
y'all reach, like, top spots. Like,
that's not to be played with. It's just not to be played with.
So let's just clap it up for that.
>> Speaker C (05:41):
Thank you.
>> Candace (05:41):
Like, for real, uh, you should have.
>> Speaker C (05:43):
Been top three, though. Just, hey, listen,
don't get this girl started.
>> Candace (05:50):
Listen. Gordon Ramsey blocked me on Twitter
because I tweeted him every day after Tonori
got eliminated that she was wrong. Like,
yeah, for real. Like, to this day, I'm still
blocked.
>> Speaker C (06:02):
Oh, no.
>> Candace (06:04):
I was just like, can we just at least be friends? Like, can we just talk about
it?
>> Speaker C (06:07):
Like, can we just talk?
>> Candace (06:09):
I just want to talk about this because decisions were made. Let's, like,
talk about.
>> Speaker C (06:14):
You're a good friend, Candace.
>> Candace (06:16):
She's like, I don't play around.
>> Tanorria (06:17):
One of the greatest. I mean, honestly,
uh, I'll say the same thing I've always said. When it was happening,
in the moment of it happening, focusing only on the
battle that was taking place, I was like, it's
fine. I made raw pork. It is what it is.
But looking back
and watching it, when everyone else was watching it, I was
(06:38):
absolutely robbed. And
I could even say now, because I'm out of contract, I can say whatever the hell
I want. Um, that
I was robbed because I wasn't dramatic enough.
Yeah, I, um, wasn't dramatic.
>> Speaker C (06:52):
Wait, so, I mean, I
know this is about me, but I have to ask.
>> Tanorria (06:58):
Yeah.
>> Speaker C (06:58):
Do you think that
if, like, during your season, were
there multiple points where producers were trying
to put you into a certain stereotype?
>> Tanorria (07:09):
Uh, I feel like at the very beginning, when I got to LA
and they sat down and said that you're going to be from
Chattanooga. Knowing that I hadn't lived in
Chattanooga since I was three years old. Now it is home to me.
And I even told someone recently when I was down
south, um, last week, I was like, I
have moments where I feel very torn between
(07:30):
Tennessee and Indiana, but I don't
know much about
Tennessee other than my family. And
so when they sat me down and said, you're
going to be from Chattanooga, Tennessee, and you're going to be a
credit union coordinator, and I was like, first of all, you
just demoted me by, like, 10 notches,
(07:50):
so don't make me look incompetent, please.
Um, and secondly, I get it.
You need a Southern black chick. Because there was another
black woman who was on the show. She did not make it
very far. I think she was eliminated, like, second
or third. Um, but she
was more of. If you want to
(08:11):
Label her like a Real Housewives type.
They were. And she played the part very well. I mean,
that may be who she was, I don't know. But,
um, I knew that and I
was okay with that because m. My cooking roots
are Southern. I. How I cook is Southern.
So I was okay with that.
>> Speaker C (08:31):
It's a part of your story.
>> Candace (08:32):
It's a part of your story, but it's not the story.
>> Tanorria (08:35):
Yes. And so, like, coming back
here, it made it difficult. I will never forget
Candace, you remember Liz Biro from the indie star, the
food writer? She almost refused
to write an article on me because she did
not think I was from here. And
I'm like, I literally gave her my history of
(08:55):
like, this is where I went to elementary school, this is where I went to high
school. This is where I went to. I graduated college from. I
go to this church. I know these people. And
finally she was like. And I get it. She was doing her due
diligence. But also, also, like, they
made me from Tennessee and the only press
that I got in Tennessee is because my cousin knows
everybody. Not because I deserved it
(09:18):
or not because, like, that's where
I can speak to.
>> Speaker C (09:24):
That's not.
>> Candace (09:25):
That's not your experience.
>> Tanorria (09:26):
Yeah. That made it a little
challenging. But were they trying to box me
in, in some regard as the Southern black chick? Yeah.
Yeah, I knew that.
>> Candace (09:37):
Okay.
>> Tanorria (09:37):
Yeah.
>> Candace (09:40):
Well, there you have it, folks. You got a little, uh, MasterChef
history lesson.
>> Tanorria (09:43):
I tell y'all, I will spill all the tea.
Okay.
>> Candace (09:49):
I love it. I love it. Well, we start
our show the same.
And I want to pose a question to
you, um, because you
are. You spoke about being multifaceted and I love that.
So I want to know, at what point
did you decide, yes, I can have this
amazing career in law, but I can also pursue my
(10:12):
passion as well.
>> Speaker C (10:14):
Oh. Hm. I don't know if I,
I don't know if it was a decision point,
like a specific decision point. For me.
I think that it is something that I
am still in pursuit of M and ah,
that means continuing to
explore other passions as I age.
(10:35):
That, um, said once I started
becoming more comfortable
in my position
during, uh, my. For my full time job at the federal
government and I'm also a part time professor
at a local law school. And I say that to say,
um, I, I do like filling
(10:55):
my time and giving back and talking to students and
mentorship. That's really important to me. But I didn't
just want. I don't like just adding things to my plate for the
sake. So once I beat. I did things for
a few years. I've been at the government now for,
I think, um, nine years or
so. Um, uh, maybe eight years. I've been teaching
for three years now. So once I have a good idea
(11:18):
of how to really do well and show up with
excellence at my work, then I start to
think, okay, well, what else can I do? What else can I explore?
Because I think that I owe it to myself and everyone owes
it to themselves to continue to grow. So I
would say it's a journey.
I love it. I love it.
>> Tanorria (11:38):
And that's such a good level head to have on.
Um, being that you are
established in a career and you're choosing
to add another career. Candace and I were
just talking about this with another guest,
and I was talking about, would I ever go back to corporate
America? And at the beginning of my
(11:58):
MasterChef journey, I was like, no, absolutely not. I'm never going
back. And now I'm like, well, for the right paycheck, I would.
>> Speaker C (12:04):
But.
>> Tanorria (12:06):
But also, I know that I can do
both, and I could do both because of the
boundaries that I've created. Now I've
learned lessons to create those boundaries the hard
way. Um, but I don't
have to. I don't have to subscribe to hustle
culture, and I don't have to
explain my. Or prove to anyone that
(12:28):
I'm capable of both. And I feel like you're
fully aware of that already, and that is
important. It's real important.
>> Speaker C (12:36):
I think, that people try to
look for deficiency when you try to do
more than one thing. Um, and that's why it's
so important for me personally,
to strive and go into everything
with excellence to the. And doesn't mean I'm always
excellent. Sometimes I don't do well. Like, especially in
(12:56):
the MasterChef kitchen. I strove for excellence there,
but circumstances don't always allow it. Yeah, but
for me, at the end of the day, if anything, there's
a pattern of, you know, me not showing up for
my best self. Uh, I.
I will always make sure that I
can do that. And I will pull back
(13:17):
something, because I'm not of the mindset that
I'm going to do multiple things with
mediocrity.
>> Tanorria (13:23):
Yeah, that's good. I
want to know when you fell in love with cooking. When did your passion for
cooking ignite for you to get to the point that you want to go compete
on national television?
>> Speaker C (13:34):
Uh, that's like. It's like saying, you
know, when. When did I
Become alive. I think I was. Yeah, I think I
was. Because cooking is such a cultural
thing. Mhm. And in my family, my
parents and my heritage is Haitian.
Um, I was born and raised in South Florida, but
(13:54):
they were immigrants. And in the Haitian culture,
food is very much at the center of
our pride of our family, and
of our, um, communal experience.
So, um, growing up, my grandmother,
she came from Haiti and helped really
raise me, honestly, when I, you
(14:14):
know, when I was really young and she was constantly cooking,
you know, that was what she was put on earth in her mind to do was
cooking and loving people. Yeah. So
I was exposed to food
early then. But when I think about
my. My ignition for
cooking, I. I
really think that started around
(14:37):
the time I was in law school.
And law school. You know, law school is really hard, really stressful.
And not that I had plenty of time to cook
because it's really time consuming, but I had to
cook for myself, and I was not a great cook.
>> Tanorria (14:51):
You know, I did.
>> Speaker C (14:52):
I did enough. I did well enough. But the cook I was then is
certainly not the cook I am now. And it just gave me the
opportunity to start practicing. So,
uh, when I applied to MasterChef,
I've cooked for a
while. I've cooked for 10 years since law school. I cook
for my lovely wife most most of the
week. So I think the passion grew. There
(15:14):
was a.
>> Tanorria (15:14):
See?
>> Speaker C (15:15):
And it just grew. Yeah.
Okay.
>> Candace (15:19):
I love it. That makes me happy.
>> Speaker C (15:21):
Me too.
>> Tanorria (15:23):
I love how,
um, so
commonly for black women, I've heard a few
stories where it was not rooted in,
um, ancestry. But so many black women's
love for cooking is rooted in ancestry and rooted
in their grandmothers or their aunties just
loving on them through food. And it's. It's.
(15:45):
It's like the moment you said that, Candace and I are, like,
immediately bonded to you. Like, it's
like we have that in common, and it's. It's a bond
that we understand instantly. And I just.
I love that it makes me feel.
>> Candace (15:58):
So good because I think
it's one of those things that helps
us as we're creative.
We take back something that Granny taught us, so
we take back something that Mama taught us, and we take
back something that we picked up from each other.
And it then becomes something that we
(16:18):
pass down to our family friends, to our children, to our,
you know, to our neighbors. We're continuing
the story, and I truly love
that for us. Like, I think about the first time I made
biscuits, and I remember
calling my granny. And of course,
like, if you're like, me. Your grandmother didn't like she had
recipe books, but her recipes were in her head, right?
>> Tanorria (16:41):
Absolutely. It was all about feeling.
>> Candace (16:43):
All about feeling. And so she's like, I can hear
her. Like, it actually makes me cry to think about. I can hear her saying, when you
get to the crumble part of the
biscuit, then you know you're ready. And she's like,
not until it feels like this. And so when I'm
teaching my daughter to cook, I'm like, you
gotta feel this. Or like, she's like, well, how? Because how do you know it?
(17:04):
Like, you know, the running joke is the ancestry. Just tell us. But really
and truly, really and truly, when I step into
the kitchen and I bake something or I make
an amazing, you know, pot of greens or anything like
that, the ancestors are literally guiding my hands. Absolutely.
Some of those things we can do from step from start to
finish without missing a beat.
>> Tanorria (17:23):
Yep.
>> Candace (17:23):
Without ever looking at the recipe card.
>> Tanorria (17:26):
Yeah.
>> Speaker C (17:26):
So I, I love that story, Candace. I think that's
something many people
don't talk about enough. The fact that a lot of
black people in America
don't have the, um, opportunity to
have written recipes passed down.
>> Tanorria (17:42):
Yeah.
>> Speaker C (17:43):
Um, yeah. I've seen so many
recipes, uh, from other
ethnicities where they have books written. This
is for my great family heirlooms.
>> Tanorria (17:53):
That are handwritten cookbooks. Yes.
>> Speaker C (17:56):
That's absolutely precious.
And, um, because of, at
least in the Haitian culture, it was never rooted
in writing recipes because, you know, my grandmother had a sixth grade
education. She could read and write. But
the focus was, instead of writing this down,
I'm going to spend my time with my family and teaching
(18:17):
them, because that's where the magic
lies. And for me, I've, uh, now since
lost all of my grandparents, and
I went on the show to honor their, My grandmother's
impact on me and their legacy.
I always wanted to come out of the show and
write a cookbook for the very reason I just talked
about. We've never had the opportunity,
(18:39):
uh, to really get into this. A habit
of writing recipes. And now I want to be.
Because I have the opportunity to. It's important for me to
now create that and start that and
pay on. Pay homage to them.
>> Candace (18:52):
Absolutely. Absolutely. I mean, the one thing I've
started doing within the last couple of years was
whenever my mom is cooking, I start recording
her video.
>> Tanorria (19:01):
Yep.
>> Speaker C (19:02):
Smart. I start.
>> Candace (19:03):
I start recording her video. And number
one, because I don't ever want to not be able to have her
voice. But number two, I Want the recipes. But, like, we
joke and say we're losing recipes, but no, no, we
are. We are.
>> Tanorria (19:15):
We're losing recipes in the kitchen and.
>> Candace (19:17):
In life and in life and in life. And so,
uh, I want to be able to. Because now,
like, I can't call my granny to say, now, what did you do with the
peach cobbler here? Because how did yours always
taste like this? Or how did you
make the beans not so gassy? Like, what did you
do? And, like, so, uh, you know, you used to be able to just get on the phone
(19:38):
and call, and like, now you don't have that. So it just,
like, the idea of having something tangible
is so real to me now. It's
so real to me. It's why I'm always writing recipes
and passing them on. Like, even if I have a thought, I'll
put the note in my phone so that I have it and think,
okay, maybe that's what she did. So I can try it again. I mean,
(19:58):
I don't want us to lose it. I don't want us to lose
it.
>> Speaker C (20:02):
Yeah.
>> Tanorria (20:04):
Kamay, tell us about your
time on MasterChef.
What, um, was kind of your biggest
takeaway or aha moment during that
time, what was your biggest challenge?
I know for me, my biggest challenge was the stupid
time constraints, because I am
a, uh, like, yes, I
(20:27):
can cook within a time restraint. I do dinner parties all the
time. But even that, I have the opportunity to
think it out well and be very methodical.
And I love a good, lazy Sunday of
cooking all day. And. But you don't get that
on MasterChef. So that was probably the biggest challenge for
me. But my biggest takeaway was that
I am capable, that I'm a damn good
(20:49):
cook. That's really what I
took away. And I took that away on the very first
battle because Wolfgang Puck on, uh, my season,
we had the guest judges. He walked up and said,
this is very flavorful. This is seasoned well. I was like, I'm done.
I can go home.
>> Speaker C (21:06):
Congratulations.
>> Tanorria (21:07):
That's huge.
>> Candace (21:08):
Right?
>> Tanorria (21:10):
I didn't even win. Right, Right.
I didn't win that battle, but I was like, I don't need to. I'm
good.
>> Speaker C (21:16):
That doesn't matter. Uh, so
I. Okay, I love this
question. And I
am someone that's just deeply rooted in reflection. I
often self reflect too much. So I'm
still trying to figure out all of the
pieces and all of the lessons that I've
gained through this experience. So
(21:38):
at this moment in time, and it may change later, but I
think that the thing for me that was the most
difficult or the biggest lesson that I learned,
um, was that
fear can be harnessed,
um, for good. If you
learn. If you learn to lean into
(22:01):
it, lean into it.
And I say that because the very first
challenge in the MasterChef kitchen, I made a
traditional twist on it, A traditional Haitian
dish with a twist.
And I never made that
dish before, but I made something like it, and
I really wanted to elevate it. And I was just so scared.
(22:22):
I was scared it was going to turn out right. I was scared that the judge's
palette would not be, let's say, ready for something
different. I was scared about
sharing something so precious to the Haitian.
To the Haitian community, and having it
destroyed on top.
Okay.
>> Tanorria (22:41):
Yeah.
>> Speaker C (22:41):
There's a lot of pressure on your shoulders that people don't really think
about when they're watching.
>> Tanorria (22:45):
Yeah.
>> Speaker C (22:46):
But, uh, for me, it matters so much, because how many Haitian women
have been on the show? I don't think any. Okay.
So, um, I'm just. I'm going and
I'm going, and I get called up for a top
dish for my generation, for my team. And I'm
literally shocked because I
was just thinking about not embarrassing myself. I didn't think
(23:07):
for a second that it would be a top dish.
>> Tanorria (23:09):
Yeah.
>> Speaker C (23:10):
And so I'm glad that fear
pushed me to think about everything and
to do so well, because after that
moment, I thought I may never get this top
dish again, which I did. It was great. Like, I had a great
run. Um, but
I learned that fear can. Is a great
tool because when I wasn't scared,
(23:32):
I didn't do my best. Mhm. And there
was. And I. That. That example is.
There was a cake challenge.
>> Tanorria (23:40):
Oh, boy.
>> Speaker C (23:41):
There was a cake challenge. We
had. Our group had an advantage, and the
person giving out the disadvantage to other
groups, I, uh, guess not
punished. But the gen
zers had to. We're not allowed to
use electric equipment to bake, and that's a really big
disadvantage.
>> Tanorria (24:01):
Yeah.
>> Speaker C (24:01):
Yeah. And I was like, okay, this is wonderful, because I'm not
a baker, but I can breathe a little bit because at
least that's not my situation.
>> Tanorria (24:09):
Mhm.
>> Speaker C (24:10):
And at the end of the day, I still did well because I started
messing up. I was like, oh, it's fine. But it wasn't
fine. I. It took me many times to make
a frosting. I had to redo it four times, and I
pulled it together because of the fear at the end.
That came in the middle. Uh, and that's when
I realized that I can never let my guard down because
(24:30):
you can never think you're going to do okay in that
kitchen. Yeah. And I think it's a. I think
it's a lesson for life, too. I'm not saying to
always be scared, but what I'm saying
is a little bit of fear
and, um, a little bit
of. It's a good motivation. And I don't want
people to conflate that with not being confident in oneself.
(24:52):
Yeah, careful and confident,
right?
>> Tanorria (24:55):
Yeah.
>> Speaker C (24:56):
Because especially in that kitchen, if they smell that you're
not confident, if they smell that you're weak or deficient,
they're going to go straight to it and they're going to make sure,
uh, they try to rattle it out of you.
>> Tanorria (25:08):
Hey, friends, it's Tanoria. My
first ever cookbook, Staples Plus 5, is available
wherever cookbooks are sold. It was voted one of the best
cookbooks in 2020 by glamourmagazine.com
you can purchase it at tenoriastable.com
books and make sure to tell me what your favorite recipe
is.
>> Candace (25:26):
Hey, y'all, it's Candace the spice slinger. Here
is your food. Bland, unseasoned.
Let's spice it up with seasonings from Food Love
Tog. Catch me
online@foodlovetog.com
Be ye seasoned, y'all.
>> Tanorria (25:40):
That's good. That is. That is so good. And
so, so accurate,
too, as far as what you do
with fear and how fear can rule you.
>> Speaker C (25:51):
Mhm.
>> Tanorria (25:52):
Oh, that's so true.
>> Speaker C (25:54):
Yeah.
>> Candace (25:54):
Because it can be paralyzing. It can be
paralyzing if, you know. And I
think part of that, which leads me to my
next question, is this idea that black women
have to be perfect.
>> Speaker C (26:08):
Oh.
>> Candace (26:10):
So, uh, how do you. How do you
combat that? How do you combat the idea that
Black women have to be perfect in everything?
Do we leave space for ourselves to
fail upward?
>> Speaker C (26:25):
So I will say I,
uh, can only speak from my experience as a black
woman. And, uh, I do
feel that black women
are, ah,
unfairly scrutinized
when we make mistakes.
Um, and so I did feel like I had to be
(26:46):
perfect. And
I.
I'm still trying to recover from that
because, um, to this day, I still feel
like I did really
well. And yet, you know, I
did not get the outcome that I felt like I
(27:07):
really, really wanted to get. Um,
and so how do. How do. How does one,
uh, get over that, you know? So I say
to myself, you're here
35. You've done well
in life, thankfully. Um,
and there are so many Things that could have gone
(27:29):
way more wrong for me. Um,
so I just come back to being grateful
for what I have instead of trying,
instead of thinking back of like, you know, why
couldn't I have this? Yeah. I switched that
narrative to I am so grateful for what I
have already. Um, and
(27:49):
everything happens for a reason. M.
And I can do my best. Even
if it's not perfect, that's okay.
And I'm totally okay with that. Uh,
but life is
unpredictable.
>> Candace (28:04):
Mhm.
>> Speaker C (28:05):
Let's say that. I will not say unfair. I will say it's
unpredictable. And it's a
good and a valuable
lesson, uh, to know in your 30s. Because
I do think I will, uh,
approach difficult
situations differently now to
preserve my peace
(28:28):
and to preserve my energy.
>> Tanorria (28:30):
Yeah.
>> Speaker C (28:31):
M. Yeah, that's.
>> Tanorria (28:32):
That's so, uh. Oh, that's so good. First of all, I have to tell you, you are
not alone in your,
um, your place of reflection
and maybe even a little bit of the what ifs
and navigating
the manufactured trauma
that is a reality television show.
(28:53):
Um, the. The.
So when I got back in town for MasterChef, I flew
into Tennessee because that's where my parents were at the time, and they had my
dogs and I just wanted to be with my parents and my
pups. And then I drove back home to Indy, and
I still stayed in bed for a week and didn't tell anybody that I was home
home and like decompressed. And that's because
another castmate who had got eliminated before me told me
(29:16):
that when you get put back into the real world, you're.
You're a little off. Things are just weird. And
so during that one week that I stayed home and
didn't go back to work and didn't tell anyone I was home, I went. I scheduled
an hour and a half therapy session.
Um, and so I had that. And that
was in 2016.
I still talk about MasterChef stuff in therapy
(29:38):
today with a completely different therapist. And
so you're not alone in that.
Um, thank you. But
yeah. Yeah, it's.
>> Speaker C (29:48):
I definitely am a proponent of therapy for everybody,
for every person.
>> Tanorria (29:53):
Yeah.
>> Speaker C (29:53):
And I. I definitely understand
the manufactured trauma point because
how difficult it is. I'm not permitted to talk
about some of the stuff that one.
>> Tanorria (30:04):
Yeah.
>> Speaker C (30:05):
Yeah. But it doesn't have to be as
traumatic as it is.
>> Tanorria (30:09):
Right.
>> Speaker C (30:10):
Ah. And, um, I think when I got
back, it was difficult,
but over time I was fine.
But then a new trauma emerged when
I saw their editing. Yep.
M. Because what I thought was
my reality was
Frankenstein Twisted and
(30:32):
became something that I did not recognize.
Yep. Um, and it's difficult
when you start to see the type of character they want you to
be. I generally had a very good edit.
Um, but, you know, there were little, like, little
quips where they took. They took the
separate things that I said and created a new sentence for me.
>> Tanorria (30:52):
Absolutely. Yep.
>> Speaker C (30:53):
And I was like, what is going on? Yeah. So that's
really hurtful for someone like me who deeply
cares about people. First of all, I'm in public service.
I think people, when they hear that I'm an attorney, they have
these notions of who I am and what I value.
But I deeply. I deeply value helping others.
And, um, they showed that about me
(31:14):
on the show. But as soon as, like,
one manufactured thing was
put on me, you know, people were like, see, we
knew. We knew she wasn't that nice. And
that's just something that's really hard to
process.
>> Candace (31:29):
It's the continuation of the angry
black girl trope.
>> Tanorria (31:33):
Yeah. Uh, yeah.
>> Speaker C (31:35):
And. And I. It's
insane because I do so much in my
life to avoid the emotion of
anger. I think that's what people don't
really understand about me. I think it's a.
It's a. It's an emotion that can be
overpowering. And when you said Tenoria,
when you said, um, it sticks with
(31:57):
you for so long.
>> Tanorria (31:58):
Mhm.
>> Speaker C (31:59):
It's because you put your full
self into something that is really important.
>> Tanorria (32:04):
Absolutely.
>> Speaker C (32:05):
You have this huge enterprise.
Uh, tell you something
different about what you think you are.
Yeah. You think you are.
>> Tanorria (32:16):
It's like. It's. It's like gaslit.
They're gaslighting you, and you don't even know that was gonna happen.
>> Speaker C (32:23):
Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's hard. But I
will say, on the positive
side, there are many
lessons to be learned from that, and I'm
glad that I had the
opportunity to do it, uh, for
many reasons, despite how difficult it
was. And I think. I
(32:45):
think that if I want to do something difficult,
I can't complain if it's not all good.
>> Tanorria (32:51):
Yeah. Yeah.
>> Candace (32:52):
Huh. Uh-huh.
>> Speaker C (32:54):
It is. It's okay that it's hard. It's okay that it would
have as lasting issues when it
comes to, like, hey, I didn't say that, or, whoa, what is this
reality? Because that's
life. It's not always all good or always all
bad. Yeah.
>> Tanorria (33:09):
I honestly hope that a future MasterChef contestant
hears this podcast because one of the
things that prepared me was the
people who were very angry about their experience that went on to
write blogs about it. I consume the crap out of
that. And it didn't mess with my head.
It prepared me.
>> Speaker C (33:28):
Right.
>> Tanorria (33:29):
I knew that it was going to be every single
day. You hurry up and wait. You hurry up, you get there
and you just sit and you just sit and you don't know
what's going on, and you're left in the dark. And
I knew all of that. I was prepared for all that. So a lot
of people center their experience
around that frustration or. Or those
frustrations of what they consider unknown. And I'm
(33:51):
like, no, I read the blogs.
>> Speaker C (33:53):
Yeah.
>> Tanorria (33:53):
Uh, so I hope someone can.
Yeah. Like, I. I felt
like I knew what to expect
in a lot of ways that my
other castmates did not because I did the
research. And so I just really hope
that there is a future black woman that is going to
go on MasterChef that, uh, hears this episode
(34:16):
and knows that it is not psychological
warfare, that you are not
alone in trying to stand
your ground and trying to be true to who you are, that
you can be true to who you are. And that at
the end of the day, when your friends and family are cheering you
on, watching the show with you, and they even
(34:36):
see something that's like, that's out of character
for you, they know it's out of character for you, and that's all
that matters. They know that that
probably didn't really happen. Or they ask you. That was edited
different, wasn't it? Because you don't say that. My friends knew
my hands on the show. That's how well they
knew me.
>> Candace (34:54):
Yeah, Absolutely.
>> Tanorria (34:55):
On the commercials, they would look down at commercials and be like, those were your
hands, weren't they?
>> Speaker C (34:59):
Yep. And so like it to someone else doing something.
>> Tanorria (35:01):
Yes. Yes. They're like, they know you, and that.
That is genuinely all that matters.
>> Speaker C (35:07):
I think that's a beautiful part. I've had so many friends and
family just share how proud
of me they are.
>> Candace (35:15):
Uh, and, ah, it's a big deal. It is a big
deal. Yeah, it's a big deal.
And we're definitely proud. We can say it without shame or
anything. Thank you.
>> Speaker C (35:24):
You're so right. You're so right. I think I've
been. I don't want to say bullied. I
think I've been reinforced, um,
by society as a black woman
to dim my light.
>> Tanorria (35:38):
And I. Oh, yeah.
>> Speaker C (35:39):
Trying to shine brightly.
Uh, and it's a difficult
balance because I,
you know, my. I grew up in this household where
we were very much trying to
become the American dream with Very little.
Uh, and thankfully I had
(35:59):
great resources, great parents, a great family
unit. But I, I saw what it was like
to not have a lot. And then I saw from
other people, like envy and jealousy.
And so I, I just want to, you know,
before I say certain things, I,
I want to make it clear that,
(36:19):
um, what I've had in
life, I've had to work really hard for. I've had to
earn. And I'm very proud of that. And
I think some of the people that I heard from online, like the
trolls, they think things were handed to me,
they think I didn't earn. Where could you
imagine me, a black woman, in this
society?
>> Tanorria (36:39):
Yeah.
>> Speaker C (36:39):
Being an attorney on Master Chef. Not
earning it by working 10 times as
hard as other people to get there. So
it's, it's like what you were saying to Noria about the
Gaslighting. I don't want to boast.
That's never my intention. But I do think it's
important to talk about what I've achieved.
>> Candace (36:58):
Mhm. Absolutely. Absolutely.
In this space. This. That's one of the reasons why we
created Black Girl Heating.
>> Tanorria (37:05):
It really is, is to be able.
>> Candace (37:07):
To highlight, it really is, what,
what black creatives are doing
and to give them space
to just be their amazing selves and
to not feel any shame. To not be like, well, you
know this little thing I did. No, you did a big ass
thing. And we gonna clap
and we're gonna celebrate and we're going to continue like, literally,
(37:29):
like if I'm in the room and someone
mentions MasterChef to Tanoria, I am right on her
back. Yeah, she was robbed every time. Every
time.
>> Speaker C (37:39):
Amazing cheerleader.
>> Candace (37:40):
I don't care how many years that passed. We will
be, we will be 91 and 89
and I will still be saying that she was robbed.
We'll be on the porch drinking our sweet tea and
I'm talking to my great grandbabies now. You know the
time they robbed my friend on that? Like, that's gonna be me.
And I'm gonna say, you know, you know my Franklin May. Yeah. She was on Master Shift
too. I tried to hold her. Now, like I'm going to be
(38:03):
telling the stories because she will sound just like
that. Just like that. Because I'm already living into my auntie era. I
turned 40 and it just turned up real, real big.
But really, like, like that's the thing. Like we're,
we're going to call that out and we're going to
celebrate that because we, we have to do that
for Each other. We have to do that for each other. Because
(38:23):
it's so hard to live in this world that
never wants to center us. M. And then when they
do, it becomes tokenized.
>> Speaker C (38:32):
Yeah.
>> Candace (38:32):
And then when they do, it becomes, you know, people want to
get on by adjacency and all that. Like they want.
They love. They love the culture, but don't really love the
struggle that came with the culture.
>> Speaker C (38:42):
Right.
>> Candace (38:43):
So. So no, you. We gonna clap hard for you. Even if you
don't. We're gonna keep clapping.
>> Speaker C (38:47):
Thank you.
>> Candace (38:48):
I want to talk about the food. I'm gonna talk about the food.
>> Speaker C (38:50):
Can I just.
>> Tanorria (38:51):
Hold on.
>> Candace (38:51):
I wanna as well.
>> Tanorria (38:53):
When, um, when you were talking about
fear, I thought of something that lovey Ajay Jones has said and I
couldn't find the quote. But it even brings it
full circle when you're talking about silencing yourself. And she
says your silence about your accomplishments is not
service, it's enabling your erasure.
Erasure?
>> Candace (39:10):
Yes.
>> Tanorria (39:11):
You have to be able to articulate and talk about yourself.
Otherwise you make yourself and your contributions easy to
ignore. And over. Look, speak of yourself in
exclamation points based on facts. Let
folks know when it calls for it.
>> Speaker C (39:24):
Yes.
>> Tanorria (39:25):
I'm not going to be humble about my flexes
because, um, to be quiet is to
diminish my hard work and God's grace.
>> Candace (39:33):
Mhm.
>> Speaker C (39:33):
That's a lesson I'm learning now.
>> Candace (39:37):
Ah.
>> Speaker C (39:38):
I think that when I made it to the
finale and I got to
showcase my
history and my family.
Yeah.
And I think some of the backlash
was surprising to me.
>> Tanorria (39:55):
Yeah.
>> Speaker C (39:55):
Because I am someone who is constantly trying to grow,
I gave it unnecessary
attention. You know, it was
ridiculous for me to even pay attention to certain
people who are miserable. Yeah. And
like, come on. So now I'm doing
much better. But it's just my
personality to listen
(40:18):
and actually pay attention
to the world I live in. Because I
definitely don't want to just live in my own bubble.
Uh, so I love that quote. Thank you for sharing it with
me.
>> Tanorria (40:30):
Yeah.
>> Speaker C (40:31):
Um, I mean, I'm getting over a cold now,
but once I get over this cold, it's over.
I'm gonna be singing again. Yes. Shouting from
the roof. Rooftops.
>> Tanorria (40:41):
Yes.
>> Speaker C (40:42):
But yeah, I appreciate that.
>> Candace (40:43):
We love to hear it. We love to hear it. I
want to talk about the food. I want to talk about food with
you. Um, if you're
making a dish for someone that means
something to you in your life, what
would you make them?
>> Speaker C (41:00):
Oh, that's such a
great question. Because
I am always thinking
about other people
first. I always
begin by asking them what they
like, what they don't like,
and, uh, creating from
(41:22):
there. I never want to give someone
something based on the fact that I love
it or I want to make it, because cooking
should be a personal
and positive experience
for both people, you know, so I'm
happy to make most things. And
so it's very subjective. So if somebody tells me, well,
(41:45):
I love Italian food, I'm going to think about
my best interpretation of, uh, a
classic or traditional or whatever Italian meal
and modernize it. And so that's
my approach. If somebody says, whatever you want
to make me, you make it. I.
My go to is to make paella,
(42:06):
and I think that's because it's a
extremely difficult dish to make. I've taken years
to perfect my
recipe and it incorporates so many different
flavors, uh, different meats. At
least my recipe does. And it feeds a
crowd. And if I'm going to be cooking, I love to have multiple
people over and enjoy the experience. So
(42:28):
that's, that's what it looks like for me. I
love it. Thank you.
>> Candace (42:33):
I love it.
>> Tanorria (42:34):
What was your most, uh,
challenging, either
battle ingredient, box ingredient,
whatever the case may be on the show.
>> Speaker C (42:51):
So I didn't. Because we're
saying it's time for me to toot my horn. Okay, so here's an
opportunity.
>> Candace (42:57):
Yes.
>> Speaker C (42:57):
I had seven wins on the show.
>> Tanorria (42:59):
That's amazing.
>> Speaker C (43:00):
Thank you. That was most. So most of the
challenges I was either on top.
>> Tanorria (43:06):
Yeah.
>> Speaker C (43:06):
Or my team was on top. The most
difficult challenges, though, were team
challenges when they, you know
how it is, where. Mhm. You have to cook
something generally for 100 people.
>> Tanorria (43:20):
Mhm.
>> Speaker C (43:20):
That's 100 opportunities to have a mistake.
And especially when I was always
put on the meat, at least. Yeah,
I was put on the meat, particularly in the restaurant
takeover challenge and the rock quarry challenge.
And as most people know who watch the show,
that is a huge responsibility.
>> Tanorria (43:42):
Right.
>> Speaker C (43:43):
So I always obviously showed
up and did my best, but
sometimes one or two meets are not going to be perfect when
you're dealing with the time constraint. And so I would
say that was always a nightmare for me. And
I like, they set up the show for it to be
dramatic. And I like to cook with
(44:03):
love. I like to cook with purpose, not just to
have my meat, you know, thrown at a
wall for television, but whatever.
>> Tanorria (44:11):
Right, right.
>> Speaker C (44:14):
Yeah. How was your experience with that, Tanaria?
>> Tanorria (44:17):
I purposely did not do any meat during any team
challenge for that reason.
>> Candace (44:21):
Really?
>> Tanorria (44:22):
Yeah. I never touched meat during a team challenge, and
they didn't ask me to, which I was fine with.
Um, I also think that,
um, in the team
challenges, that did not go well. I was not
the center of seasoning things.
Um, for example, I vividly remember we did
(44:43):
a Sweet 16 challenge, and I
was with a couple of guys, and
they were roasting zucchini, and
I tasted it, and I was like, what is this? Like, what
did y'all do? And they literally just used
olive oil and a little bit of salt and pepper. And I'm like, excuse
me. But it was too late. At that point, I wasn't the team
(45:03):
captain. Um, but I was
focused on making sweet potatoes delicious, and they were
good. But, yeah, I purposely
stayed away from meat because I knew that,
uh, no matter what, if
my team lost, it was going to get blamed on the
protein. And typically,
(45:23):
when you are in a team challenge and your team
loses, it is either the team captain who gets eliminated
or it's the person dealing with the protein.
>> Speaker C (45:31):
Right, Right. So I knew that as well.
But because I did so well
in general, I was asked, and I was fine with it.
Because, yeah, if I'm doing well, it is my,
in my mind, obligation to do something that's
risky.
>> Tanorria (45:46):
Sure. Yeah.
>> Speaker C (45:48):
I'm glad that you raised that, because, you know,
that's. People online also said, like, oh,
well, I didn't step up for captain.
Um, so, like, I wasn't as good as
I pretend to be. But the thing is,
like, certain people wanted to be captain, and
they were very vocal about it. And
I said, sure, go ahead. Like, if you really want to do it,
(46:10):
I'm not going to argue with you, because, you know, we only get, like, 30 seconds even
to think about.
>> Tanorria (46:14):
Make that decision.
>> Speaker C (46:15):
Yes, exactly.
>> Tanorria (46:17):
Yes.
>> Speaker C (46:17):
So, yeah, I took other opportunities, you know,
to show up, uh, when I could, because
I had faith that, you know, what, if I get
eliminated for this, at least I'm going
to go down doing something, you know,
meaningful to me. But that was very
smart. And had I not been asked to.
>> Tanorria (46:38):
Do it multiple times, I was totally.
>> Speaker C (46:40):
Fine being on, you know, that's the game. It's a game. People don't
understand it.
>> Tanorria (46:44):
It's also absolutely, like, yes, you
need to prove that you can cook. And I even agree. I even feel
like that's not even the most important thing you have to
prove.
>> Speaker C (46:53):
Yes. Um, you have to know the game.
>> Tanorria (46:55):
Yeah. You have to know.
>> Candace (46:57):
You gotta know the game, and you.
>> Tanorria (46:58):
Have to be good for tv.
>> Speaker C (46:59):
Yep.
>> Tanorria (47:00):
Whether you can cook or not, you.
>> Speaker C (47:01):
Gotta be good you're right, you're
right.
>> Tanorria (47:05):
Yeah, yeah.
>> Candace (47:06):
This isn't good. I hope our listeners are excited to
get some behind the scenes on Master Chef.
>> Tanorria (47:11):
Yeah.
>> Candace (47:12):
Like, I think it's important because again,
like, for those of us who have done TV work, like, there's so
much that you don't know until you, until you, until
you're there.
>> Speaker C (47:22):
Yeah.
>> Candace (47:22):
And so you know, stuff like this, like how they edit and like I was
telling someone, I was like, everything.
>> Speaker C (47:26):
You eat on TV is cold.
>> Tanorria (47:28):
Yep.
>> Speaker C (47:28):
Everything.
>> Candace (47:29):
There's nothing that you eat that's hot. Nothing. Like you
don't need hot stuff on tv. Like, like you realize how many hands
have touched it before you even get to it.
Yeah, I don't realize that.
>> Speaker C (47:41):
I'm so glad that you bring that up because I
definitely, I definitely thought, you know, reading
blogs, the contract I read multiple times, you know, I'm a
lawyer, so I have to read everything.
>> Tanorria (47:50):
Absolutely.
>> Speaker C (47:52):
I gotta send sense that, okay, this is going to be hard
at times because I write contracts
all the time in my job. M. And usually contracts are
written in a way of, uh, you know, worst case
scenario if this happens. Right. You know,
don't sue us or whatever the case.
>> Tanorria (48:08):
Right.
>> Speaker C (48:09):
So I read the contract thinking,
okay, some days are going to be bad, but I
didn't realize was most days were going to
be as bad as the contract.
Send it with me. So for listeners who are thinking about doing it,
it's an amazing experience. Um,
but it's hard
to appreciate, like Candice said, what it is
(48:31):
until you're doing it.
>> Tanorria (48:32):
Yeah.
>> Speaker C (48:33):
And conceptualizing what I read and being in
the moment of like the hurry up and wait. Yeah. It's not
a huge deal, but M, when you have no support
system, you have no access, at least we didn't
to our cell phones.
>> Tanorria (48:46):
And I'm, I'm glad to hear that you
didn't because I was honestly under the impression that
they had gotten rid of that so we could have them.
>> Speaker C (48:55):
When we got back to our rooms.
>> Tanorria (48:56):
Okay. We couldn't have them at all.
>> Speaker C (48:58):
Yeah. That's insane. I don't know.
I would have gone crazy because we.
>> Tanorria (49:03):
Got a five minute a week phone call on a, uh, burner
phone.
>> Speaker C (49:06):
That's terrible.
>> Candace (49:07):
Wow.
>> Speaker C (49:08):
And it really psychologically messes with you when you
can't be around or talk to people who care about you
because you're in that room with people you just met.
>> Candace (49:17):
Mhm.
>> Speaker C (49:17):
Competition. No idea who you are, where you
come from.
>> Tanorria (49:21):
Mhm.
>> Speaker C (49:21):
And people are already placing you in a box. They're
Absolutely you. Um, and
so, yeah, the contract is one
thing, doing it is another. And hope that
people understand that unless
you make, uh, it really
far, I think, you know, it has the
opportunity to be more
(49:43):
damaging in some ways than
fruitful. Yep.
>> Tanorria (49:48):
I. That. You. That is spot on. Um, that
is spot on. I feel like the
individuals that made it far
that I know on various seasons,
and when I say far, I'm thinking top five.
Those, um, are the ones that have gone on to
pursue food in some
(50:10):
capacity as a part of their every
day outside of just cooking for their friends and
family. Now, there are plenty of people who have
stayed at their nine to fives, have not left their jobs,
but they still have food as like a side hustle or
it's clearly still their passion
in some capacity. But most of the
(50:30):
people that I know that are top 10, top
15, they've gone back to their regular lives
and they still love cooking. They might post it on the Internet from time to
time. But, um, it's almost like there's
some people that I know from various seasons where they want
nothing to do with food anymore because it's tainted their
passion.
>> Candace (50:48):
Huh? Uh-huh.
>> Speaker C (50:50):
Yeah.
>> Tanorria (50:52):
Yeah.
>> Speaker C (50:53):
Thankfully, I don't think the
experience has tainted my passion. I think it's
ignited it even more. I have so much
more confidence in myself when I cook.
Um, but I do. My heart goes out to those
people who go on the show
and it's not the experience that they thought it would
be.
>> Tanorria (51:14):
Yeah.
>> Speaker C (51:14):
Um, that's really sad. Yeah.
>> Tanorria (51:18):
With that being said, I know you said that,
um, you know, one of your ultimate goals is to be able to write a
cookbook. But what is next for you?
Life, managing two
passions look like for you now that the
cameras are no longer rolling?
>> Candace (51:34):
Yeah.
>> Speaker C (51:36):
I think that life looks like,
uh, taking time to
heal from the process. And I just
mean spiritually. Mhm. Because,
um, just being on a reality
TV show is a
difficult experience in its own right.
(51:57):
And I appreciate, you know, the
break from not having the anxiety of, you know,
what is this going to be this week? What am I going to
see this week? So that I'm looking forward
to and I have done. Um, but the cookbook
is already. I've already put that into motion. I've talked
good. I'm already hitting the ground running. I thank
you.
>> Tanorria (52:17):
Good.
>> Speaker C (52:18):
Um, and it's. It's a really important project
for me and I'm taking it very
seriously. So on one hand, I'm still
reliving and processing what I
just went to Through, Uh, but on the other
hand, I absolutely am
leveraging this opportunity. Good.
To grow, to continue to build, and
(52:40):
to show the world, you know,
who I am and
why I did this in the first place.
And I'm doing that on my Instagram account, my
TikTok. I'm @KamaY, uh, Lafolles,
and I shoot my. Shoot my
cooking on there all the time. And yeah, I'm hoping to keep
(53:00):
growing that as well, my social media presence.
>> Candace (53:02):
Well, let us know how we can support. And when the
cookbook comes out, let us know because we will drop it out here
and give away someone to talk. One of our listeners for sure.
>> Tanorria (53:10):
Yeah.
>> Speaker C (53:11):
Oh, my gosh, that's amazing. Thank you so much. I love that.
>> Candace (53:14):
Absolutely. Well, this has been just a
wonderful conversation.
>> Tanorria (53:18):
It has been.
>> Candace (53:18):
And I really can't wait for our listeners to hear this.
Um, Tanari, since I asked the first question, I'll let you ask the
last.
>> Speaker C (53:26):
Okay.
>> Tanorria (53:27):
Um, I want to say one thing to you from
one former MasterChef contestant to another.
You, um, said that you're leveraging. Honey, ride the wave.
Ride the wave. I still have
glimpses of being able to ride the wave. And I
even was at a conference last week and one of
the presenters was a brand consultant. And I was like, does it still
(53:49):
make sense? Is it still relevant to even talk about it? And she's like,
if people are still talking about it, you talk about
it, so take full
advantage. Do it with no shame, because
there are people who want to hear it and want to sell,
celebrate it and, um, are gonna
bring it up for. We were taking
family photos and the photographer was like, you look so
(54:11):
familiar. And I'm just standing there smiling and nod,
thinking it. Actually thinking it was from local
tv. Um, and she goes,
master sh. I'm like, oh, Lord. Okay,
honey, ride the wave. Ride it.
Um, but yes, we, we asked the same question to
every guest at the end because it is
reflective.
(54:32):
Um, what would you tell 6
year old Kamay today?
>> Speaker C (54:41):
Uh, it's. It's an amazing question because in that
first episode where I talked about that dish, that was a top
dish, we, uh, had to cook a meal
for our younger selves, essentially, and we had
pictures of our younger selves. And I was looking at a picture of
me when I was six years old. That
moment was profound for me because I
(55:02):
did not know what my future looked like for many
reasons. I didn't have many
shining examples, uh, to look up
to in the media, in,
um, entertainment. Of course, I had my
family, uh, who My parents are incredible
inspirations to me. But what I would say to
her is,
(55:25):
you can do it. Whatever it
is, it will not be
easy. Sometimes it will not be
pleasant, but you will survive,
and
you will be inspiring others along
the way.
>> Tanorria (55:42):
Yeah.
>> Speaker C (55:43):
And that's what matters. M. That's
what I would say.
>> Candace (55:47):
I, uh, love it.
>> Tanorria (55:49):
Yeah.
>> Speaker C (55:49):
That's good.
>> Tanorria (55:51):
That's real good.
>> Speaker C (55:52):
Thank you. And can I just say, thank you so much
for having me.
>> Tanorria (55:56):
Yes, of course.
>> Speaker C (55:58):
I really appreciate the invitation to talk with you, too. It's
been part of my healing process to get to talk to you.
>> Tanorria (56:04):
Good.
Hey. A conversation about justice and
sisterhood and well seasoned food. And this was
definitely that. That. That sisterhood conversation
that we love to have.
>> Speaker C (56:18):
Absolutely.
>> Tanorria (56:18):
Uh, because we are all about sitting at the kitchen table
drinking whatever is appropriate for the time of day.
And we. You just sat down at the kitchen table
with us, and we love that. And we know that our
listeners love that connection and
that, um, kind of vibe that we bring,
too. So this is going to be a special episode for many,
so we're excited.
>> Candace (56:39):
To share you with them because now you're. You're in the Black Girls
meeting family. And so.
>> Tanorria (56:43):
That's. Right.
>> Candace (56:44):
Well, you're stuck with us.
>> Tanorria (56:45):
You can't get rid of us.
>> Speaker C (56:47):
It's an honor. It's an honor. And likewise. Thank you. If you ever
need anything, if I can help with anything, please let me know.
And if you're in the D.C. area, please let me know.
>> Tanorria (56:56):
That girl's eating on the road. I will come see.
>> Candace (56:58):
Okay, listen, we have been talking about planning a tour
for a couple of.
>> Tanorria (57:02):
Years, and we have, like, so many cities.
>> Candace (57:04):
We have so many cities to go to. But here's the thing. Like, if we
do this right to Noria, we could hit,
like, five good cities and have a
ball. We plan it right.
>> Tanorria (57:14):
We need black girls. Need a sponsor. Need a sponsor.
Yeah, we need a sponsor just for that.
>> Speaker C (57:21):
Oprah. Let me see what she's doing.
>> Candace (57:22):
Listen, Oprah. Gail, I know y'all listening.
>> Tanorria (57:25):
Hey, we can get you on the show, too. I
mean, I will happily go to D.C. and eat an
unconventional diner twice like I did last time.
It's so good.
>> Candace (57:35):
I've got some ideas. We need to plan it out.
>> Tanorria (57:38):
Yeah. All right. Guest
listeners and everyone else, we are
so appreciative of your time. We will
drop all of Kamae's links, her social
channels, all that jazz on the episode
page, um, and be sure to tag her on social
media. Go follow this
amazing, brilliant,
(57:59):
multidimensional woman.
Um, and we cannot wait to chat
with y'all on the next one.
>> Speaker C (58:07):
Absolutely.
>> Candace (58:08):
Bye.
>> Tanorria (58:09):
Bye.
>> Speaker C (58:10):
Thank you.
>> Tanorria (58:11):
This episode of Black Girls Eating was brought to you by
Church at the Crossing. Go check out a
service at that church on the circle.
>> Candace (58:19):
Black Girls Eating the podcast is
sound engineered and Produced by David McKissick.
It's recorded at Nexus Impact
Center Creative Suite.
Follow Black Rose Eating the podcast on Instagram at. Ah,
black girlseating. Follow tenoria @
Tenoria's Table. Follow Candice at, uh,
(58:39):
foodlovetog. Thank you for listening.