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50 ATE & LOVED BEYOND WORDS! 🥹❤️🥂

To my husband Henry, my love, my heart, my forever, my King! 👑❤️

Your beautiful speech at my 50 ATE Soirée touched my soul. These last three years, LIFE WAS LIFE-ING! The tears, the battles, the disappointments, the strength it took to keep going… you witnessed it all. You saw the woman behind the smile, and you never stopped seeing ME. ❤️

That evening, you didn’t just celebrate my birthday. You honored my journey, my resilience, and everything I’ve overcome. To receive my flowers 💐 from the man I love, surrounded by people who have genuinely supported me, was a moment I’ll treasure forever.

To those who weren’t present, please charge it to my head, NEVER my heart. My circle was intimate, but the LOVE was immeasurable. ❤️

Henry, thank you for being my safe place, standing beside me through the storms, and LOVING ME OUT LOUD! I love you beyond words.

Still standing. Still blooming. STILL THAT GIRL! 💋

50 ATE never looked so LOVED! 🥂❤️

#50ATE #MyKing #LovedOutLoud #GratefulHeart #StillBlooming

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Telling my family business because apparently, we need to have a public conversation. 🫠

Because we’re all suffering. 😩

I won’t say who this is about, but I may show you a picture 👀. But they clearly hate me 😭😭😭

Anyway, anybody want a sister or a 6-year-old? 😂😂😂

#FamilyHumor #MomLifeUnfiltered #SiblingProblems #ParentingHumor

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Today we are celebrating Shani Porter, WITS Chef, and the history, heart, and heritage she brings to our kitchens every day.

“On Sundays before church, my mom would make blueberries and dumplings, often served with hoe cakes or fresh biscuits. It was meant to be filling, something that could carry you through a long morning and afternoon. Dishes like this come from times of scarcity, when Black families, including enslaved people, relied on what was available to nourish themselves.

During those sparse times, food like this wasn’t just about taste; it was about survival, resourcefulness, and care. These meals reflect how Black communities turned necessity into nourishment, creating traditions that fed both the body and the spirit.”

🫐 Blueberries and Dumplings
Ingredients 2 cups blueberries 1/2 cup sugar 1 cup water 1 tbsp lemon juice 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 cinnamon stick Zest from 1 lemon
Dumplings 1/2 cup flour 1/2 cup corn meal 3/4 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 2 tbsp sugar 2/3 cup milk 1 egg 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions
1. Mix dumpling dough, drop spoonfuls into simmering berries (don’t stir), cover and cook 15 minutes. Uncover and simmer 5 more minutes.
2. Simmer blueberries with sugar, water, lemon juice, vanilla, cinnamon stick, and zest until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Serve warm with syrup and biscuits — or with ice cream for dessert.

Swipe to see Chef Shani in action!

As Marion Williams, our National Program Director, shares, “Shani is an innovative mother, chef, and educator… one of the pioneers of CookCamp… a community person who makes sure her heritage shows in the work and the way she shows up for staff and students.”

Thank you, Shani, for the heart, leadership, and cultural pride you bring to WITS every day.

#BlackHistoryMonth #WellnessInTheSchools #FoodAndHeritage #WITSChefs

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✨ Train-the-Trainer Finale: Sweet, Sustainable & Student-Led ✨

Our final Train-the-Trainer session with @wellnessintheschools @71atechef and Chef Nick was one for the books! Hosted in the kitchen at @greaternewarknj, and filled with warmth, learning, and holiday spirit.

To close out four powerful weeks together, our @rootedinda_foodture, @westside.highschool students transformed surplus squash varieties; butternut, honeynut, acorn, and sweet potatoes into something naturally sweet: pie in a jar. 🥧
Students peeled, diced, roasted, and mashed the vibrant flesh of these fruits and root vegetables, learning hands-on that squash are a staple crop rooted in the "Three Sisters" planting method.

As the kitchen filled with notes of cinnamon, cardamom, citrus, and vanilla, we sang Christmas songs while stirring, mixing, and grinding spices using a mortar and pestle—turning technique into tradition and food into memory. 💛

🌱 30 jars filled in this last session
📦 124 jars produced across 4 production cycles
👩🏽‍🍳 Skills built: knife work, roasting, seasoning, batch production, teamwork
♻️ Impact made: food waste reduction, conscious consumption, sustainable outcomes, value-added products for @urban_ag_coop

I am incredibly proud of what these students accomplished in just four weeks. This initiative builds real culinary workforce skills while reinforcing our program’s commitment to sustainability and strengthening our local food system.

🙏🏽 Special thanks to the incredible chefs, Wellness in the Schools for their collaboration, mentorship, and dedication to making this venture successful. Your guidance helped turn surplus ingredients into meaningful learning and inspired confidence, creativity, and leadership in our students.

Thank you as well to @michpebbles222, Greater Newark Conservancy, for opening your kitchen and supporting youth-led food innovation.

✨ Stay tuned—there is more to come in the New Year. We’re on the environmental and sustainable food scene, leading with sustainability.

#foodforthought #StudentLed #CulinaryWorkforce #ConsciousConsumption #foodchronicles

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now who doesn't love a big beautiful spread?

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Our @rootedinda_foodture apprentices are back for Week 2 of value-added product development at @greaternewarknj in collaboration with @urban_ag_coop and Chef Shani @71atechef from @wellnessintheschools . 🌱👩🏽‍🍳✨

Each session deepens their understanding of sustainability, food waste reduction, and culinary innovation. By practicing pickling, jarring, and upcycling surplus produce, students are learning real skills that align with USDA food waste reduction mandates and support a greener, more resilient food system.

This week’s test batch focused on recovering gently bruised Bosc and Anjou pears and red apples from local farmers; produce that might have otherwise been lost. Instead, apprentices transformed it into Apple–Pear Butter. Stay tuned as our @westside.highschool apprentices continue turning local harvests into healthy, student-made value add products for the Urban Agriculture Cooperative.

We are Rooted in Da Foodture — where no food is left behind. 🌍💛

#YouthApprenticeship #FoodWasteReduction #SustainabilityEducation #UpcycledFood #localFoodSystems

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Exciting things are cookin’! With Chefs Nick and Shani @71atechef Wellness in the Schools and @urban_ag_coop on a student-led value-added product initiative powered by our Rooted in Da Foodture Apprentices-West Side High School 🌱👩🏽‍🍳

Over the next 5 weeks, our apprentices will participate in a train-the-trainer culinary workshop, building workforce skills and leadership while learning directly from Wellness in the Schools chefs—members of the Coalition of Healthy Foods in Newark Schools.

💡 What they'll learn & lead:
🔪 Knife skills, food safety & sanitation
🥗 Nutrition & culinary presentation
♻️ How to upcycle surplus produce from local farmers so nothing goes to waste
🌿 Techniques for jarring, pickling, seasoning, and preparing healthy, flavorful recipes using seasonal fruits, vegetables, and herbs from UAC partners

This experience is more than a culinary lesson—
✨ It’s leadership.
✨ It’s sustainability in action.
✨ It’s youth shaping Newark’s food future.

Stay tuned as our apprentices turn local harvests into healthy, value-added products… created by students, for community impact. 🚀🍅🥒

#RootedInDaFoodture #StudentLed #FoodIsPower #NoFoodLeftBehind #WellnessInTheSchools

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Thanks Chef Sean Hassan@ #rhythmnfood #13thaveschool Principal Brownridge-Smith visionary holding open for all opportunities to bring to her students.. #HFiNS ]partner

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Started my birthday week the right way with Breezy Bowl, then rolled into the weekend with brunch at @hellbendernyc with my forever loves 🥰. You know how it is when good vibes lead to more good vibes—we ended up in Fort Greene at Strange Delight (still one of my absolute favorite spots) for drinks and bites that hit just right.

But the real celebration? A few days in Barbados with my family in Barbados. My birthday dinner at Champers was just okay, but those VIEWS though! 🌊 Animal Flower Cave had us all mesmerized, and honestly, our days were beautifully simple—beach, pool, repeat. I finally finished the book I’d been carrying around for months and dove into a new one. Sometimes the best luxury is just... time.

Here’s to 41 being even more intentional, more adventurous, and filled with more moments that remind me why showing up for myself matters. Thank you to everyone who makes my life just a little bit sweeter—you know who you are 💕

#birthdayreflections #barbados🇧🇧 #BeautyAndTheBumpNYC #BlackWomenTravel #SoftLife

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✨ Happy Mother’s Day to all the queens who shape our worlds! 💕

From being my mom’s daughter, to becoming a mom myself - this journey has been everything. To my incredible mother who shows us what strength wrapped in gold looks like, and my sisters who make this sisterhood so special. Together, we’re proof that Black women do it all with grace and glow. ✨

To my girls who made me “Mama” - you two are my greatest adventures. From being my 5-year-old’s unwilling roommate to concerts with my 14-year-old, every moment is a gift.

Motherhood? It’s not for the weak. The sleepless nights, the worry, the constant juggling 🤹‍♀️; it’s a lot. But I’d choose this beautiful chaos with you two over and over again. You are my heartbeat, my laughter, and my forever travel buddies.

We’re not here for a long time, but we’re here for a GOOD time. So here’s to making memories in the mundane and magic in the chaos. To all the mamas doing the work - whether it’s cuddles at 3am or passport stamps at 30,000 feet - keep going. They’re only little once, but the love? That’s forever.

#MothersDay #BlackMotherhood #TravelingMom #GenerationalLove #MomLife #MyForeverAdventure #BlackGirlMagic #MotherhoodUnplugged #TravelBuddies #BeautyAndTheBumpNYC

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Took our mama to see THE Mary J. Blige at UBS Arena; this night was EVERYTHING. 💃🏾✨

From belting out our fave MJB anthems to rocking our Mary boots (because let’s be real, some looks are non-negotiable 👢), it was joy, soul, and sisterhood on 100.

This was our Christmas gift to her—because what do you give the woman who’s given you everything? A night with the soundtrack to her life. 🎶

We did miss Method Man and Lil’ Kim (the night before 😩 at MSG 😒 ), so no “All I Need” or “I Can Love You” collabs...but Mary still gave us all the feels.

💜 Hit like if Mary’s music has ever healed you.
 💾 Save this for the next time you need a gift idea that means something.
 📲 Share this with your concert crew.
 💬 And tell me, which artist would you take your mom to see?

Catch the full recap on the blog! Link in bio. 🖥️

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Brought this @sunnylandfarms Rum Crunch Cake to a gathering, but guess what? It never made it to the table! My sister @71atechef “forgot” to share it and took it home instead. She says it’s delicious but needed a little extra rum—so, of course, she fixed it. She’s a chef, so I trust her judgment!

Would you have shared or kept it for yourself?

@influenster #complimentary #holidaygifts #giftideas #foodie #foodgifts #giftingideas #gourmetfoods #georgiapecans

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