Black Foodie Bae

According to Google Trends, the term “foodie” first started trending in 2004. Eighteen years and millions of Instagram pictures later it’s safe to say the term is here to stay! Self proclaimed foodies have risen in numbers and cemented themselves as a mainstream consumer group.

The most basic definition of a foodie, is a consumer who is highly interested in exploring the world of food and beverages but they are so much more. Many foodies are also influencers. We see their photos and want to try the latest dishes. One such influencer is Melanie Cunningham, known on many social media channels as Black Foodie Bae.

Melanie is a native Virginian residing in the DC Metropolitan Area. She is passionate about cooking, bartending, foraging, and anything regarding food and beverage experiences. Professionally, she works as a Strategic Communications and Policy Analyst. Her hobbies include reading, writing poetry, being an avid foodie and cocktail aficionado, and exploring cultural cuisines.

Melanie’s interest in cooking began at the age of eight; she wanted to learn how to make her favorite breakfast dishes. As she grew, she spent time with her family in the kitchen, learning about flavors and ingredients to brighten dishes. While learning the mechanics of Soul Food and Southern Cooking as a child, she does not limit her knowledge to those traditions. Instead, Melanie builds upon her foundational techniques to create unique flavor profiles that incorporates a Soul Food and Southern approach into any dish that she makes.

Melanie is also a professional bartender with over ten years of experience in the hospitality industry. While she is no longer working behind the bar, she enjoys exploring classic cocktails and her creations at her home bar with her friends. She loves all things whiskey, mezcal, and tequila. In addition, you can find her around town, venturing to different bars with unique cocktails for her tasting pleasure.

Her mission statement is “Create all things with love.” Melanie is someone we have followed online for many years and now have the honor of interviewing her.

• What inspired you to start cooking?

Melanie: Food was always present in my life to connect and share with others. My grandmother was an inspiration to me; I watched her can vegetables, preserved jam, and various items to feed our immediate and extended family through the winter. I remember gathering with family and friends for dinner made from fresh-caught fish and farm-picked produce. My family was into farm-to-table and today’s fresh catch before it became popular in many restaurants.

• What inspired you to turn your love for cooking into a brand/blog?

Melanie: My inspiration for creating BlackChickThatCooks was to help my friends who asked for recipes learn how to cook without them. Unless I am baking, it is improbable that I will use a recipe or be exact with measurements. I learned how to read recipes, incorporate elements I like, and use the ingredients necessary for the dish while adding my flair. As a foodie, I enjoy sharing my restaurant experience with others and helping people find good local and authentic food.

• National drink wine day was last month, tell us about your favorite wine.

Melanie: My favorite red wine is from the Rioja region of Spain. The red grapes in this region are typically Tempranillo and Garnacha. I enjoy wines from the Rioja region because they are dry with a hint of pepper. Normally, you can find me sipping on bubbly. I enjoy champagne, prosecco, cava, blanc de blanc, and all other varieties of dry bubbly. In the summer, I love the Hamptons Gatorade, aka rosé.

• It’s Women’s history month. Give us two women who inspire you and why.

Melanie: One of my favorite Black Women Chefs is Edna Lewis. She helped to shift the American perspective on Southern and Soul Food Cooking. She grew up in Freetown, Orange County, Virginia, neighboring my hometown Fredericksburg. In my pursuit to refine my fried chicken recipe, I stumbled upon the techniques of Edna Lewis. The way she outlines frying chicken helped take my fried chicken to the next level. I always make fried chicken using the techniques I learned from her recipe.

My Grandmother Grace is one of my culinary inspirations, everything she made tasted wonderful. She was proficient at farming, cooking, baking, and canning. I rarely saw her use a recipe for anything, yet everything tasted the same.

• What upcoming events or projects are you working on?

Melanie: I have a brunch catering event coming up at the end of the month. I am looking forward to making my buttermilk duck fat biscuits.

Foraging season begins with ramps, a species of wild onion located on the Eastern United States and Canada. I am excited to make some compound ramp butter.

I am also working on compiling some cocktail recipes for an e-book.

• Where do you see your brand in five years?

Melanie: I want to help my generation learn the art of cooking intuitively and getting back to the basic mechanics of practical cooking.

I plan on publishing a book and hosting courses to help others.

One thing I enjoy doing in my free time is planning dates with my friend and talking about the food and cocktails with them. I want to expand that into classes where I educate people on how to impress their dates with food and beverage knowledge.

You can connect with Melanie via social media: Instagram and Facebook: BlackChickThatCooks

Twitter and TikTok: BlackFoodieBae