In this episode I sit down with Danielle and Gabrielle Davenport — the sister duo behind BEM Books & More, a groundbreaking Black-owned bookstore that celebrates the intersection of Black food, literature, and diaspora stories.
We dive deep into how their family’s food traditions and storytelling shaped the vision for BEM — a space dedicated to cookbooks by Black authors, memoirs, historical texts, and fiction that honor Black culinary history and the richness of diasporic voices. Danielle and Gabrielle share how growing up in a home where food and identity were inseparable sparked their mission to amplify stories from across the African diaspora through books and community.
They take us behind the scenes of building BEM from scratch — recognizing the need for a bookstore centered on Black food literature, launching as a pop-up, rallying support through fundraising, and now preparing to open their first brick-and-mortar location. Along the way, they drop insights on entrepreneurship, community-building, and why making space for Black diaspora stories is essential for preserving culture and inspiring future generations.
If you care about food, culture, literature, or Black entrepreneurship, this conversation shows how storytelling feeds both mind and spirit — on the plate and on the page.
Tune in to hear how Danielle and Gabrielle are creating a home for Black food stories, nurturing a community, and reimagining what a Black-owned bookstore can be today.
Follow BEM on Instagram @BEMbrooklyn
Follow us on Instagram @dishinupdiasporapodcast @chefemme_
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
Cardiac Cowboys
The heart was always off-limits to surgeons. Cutting into it spelled instant death for the patient. That is, until a ragtag group of doctors scattered across the Midwest and Texas decided to throw out the rule book. Working in makeshift laboratories and home garages, using medical devices made from scavenged machine parts and beer tubes, these men and women invented the field of open heart surgery. Odds are, someone you know is alive because of them. So why has history left them behind? Presented by Chris Pine, CARDIAC COWBOYS tells the gripping true story behind the birth of heart surgery, and the young, Greatest Generation doctors who made it happen. For years, they competed and feuded, racing to be the first, the best, and the most prolific. Some appeared on the cover of Time Magazine, operated on kings and advised presidents. Others ended up disgraced, penniless, and convicted of felonies. Together, they ignited a revolution in medicine, and changed the world.