In Conversation with Garden of Afruika

Food has always been more than sustenance. It carries memory, lineage, survival and joy. It tells stories about where we come from and who we belong to.

In this edition of In Conversation With, we sit down with Eyram Dzotsi, founder of Garden of Afruika (GOA). They are a community-rooted food project dedicated to honouring African and African diasporic foodways, stories and collective nourishment.

We’ve had the joy of working alongside GOA on multiple occasions, and each time we’re reminded that their work is not about reinvention, but reclamation. Through cooking clubs, workshops and gatherings, GOA creates spaces where food becomes a bridge, connecting generations, diasporas and cultures, while challenging harmful narratives about African and Caribbean food.

In this conversation, Eyram reflects on the early moments that shaped his relationship with food, the community that continues to pour into GOA, and what it really means to centre care when working with and for your people.

Can you share the moment or experience that sparked your journey into this work?

A few key moments come to mind… The first being my God mother buying me a baking book when I was about 7 years old (which I still have today) and that just got me so fascinated by food - my big sister tells me I used to go in the kitchen and ask how to chop onions etc from super young. Secondly I attended a weekend chef school when I was in my early teens, the sessions were led by this black guy who I related to so much and he made me think being a chef was cool - I don’t even remember his name but I hope he is doing well! Third, I was helping Loyle Carner & Mikey K with their ADHD cooking school for a few summers and the impact it had inspired me to put on cooking workshops for my people and kickstart a journey in food that aligns with my beliefs and what I care about.

How would you describe the kind of care or change your work brings?

I think the beauty in what GOA does is that nothing we do is anything new. We just try to highlight and celebrate the stories, recipes and journeys of those who came before us. I want to instill pride in African (& African Diaspora) people when it comes to our foods and the rich stories they keep - as well as using food as a tool to connect Africans from all over the world. We want to help change the perception that African/Caribbean food is not good or ‘refined’ enough, which often leads to our traditional foods cosplaying posh European dishes. Another big aim is to help find practical solutions to the issues we face today, relating to healthy eating & access to good nutritious (and culturally relevant) foods. I guess I would have to leave it to those who have participated in/ or come across our work to let us know how much of an impact/change we are making.

How do you sustain yourself while giving so much to others?

I just think if you continue to pour into others, then eventually others will pour into you and the balance will be restored, so to be honest I don’t really worry about trying to sustain myself really.

Who has poured into you or shaped how you show up for your community?

There are far too many names to mention, GOA would cease to exist without the help and support of so many different people. Those who mention GOA in rooms that I am not in, those who quietly refer GOA without us even knowing, those who give us their time to help out at our cooking clubs and other community workshops/events, those who engage with us on social media, those who work so hard to make sure our pop-ups run smoothly, those who show up to workshops and events, those who give us opportunities even if we don’t have all the experience, those who lend or give us the resources we need, those who give up their kitchen space for free…. The list really goes on and my point is that nobody can do anything like this on their own - without a good community of people around you, you cannot achieve anything.

How do you centre care within your work?

I think centring care in this kind of work is pretty simple. You just have to take it away from yourself and ensure what you are doing is always benefiting others first.