About Us

The Blacker The Berry Food is the brainchild of Culinary professional Heather Watkins Jones. Heather is a professionally trained Chef, multi-published food writer, recipe tester/developer, ghost writer, cooking instructor, wife, mother, beach bum, farm girl, yoga enthusiast, and closet vegetarian. (Whew!). She is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City, has worked for Gourmet Magazine (RIP), TV Personality Katie Brown, and the New York based Indian-fusion restaurant Tabla (RIP). You can find more samples of Heather’s work here… Heather has also appeared on Martha Stewart Radio, Heritage Radio Network and as a judge for TV ONE’s “My Momma Throws Down”. She is currently working on a new lifestyle website about Sunday Dinner and a companion book. She lives at the “Real Jersey Shore” where she never tires of trying to turn everyone she knows into as avid a food lover as she is.

~Contributors~

Our BBQ/Grilling expert Joi Disroe is a grazer of good, sustainable food. Joi has been Married to the Pit-Master of Meat-Me-At-The-Grill Catering for over 20 years, you can call her the CFO (Chief of Food Officer -Planning, Styling, Designing, & Writing).   As a Health and Wellness professional, Joi is learning to appreciate all things healthy and sustainable.   “It’s not easy, a daily challenge, but certainly achievable”.  Grilling and entertaining family and friends is her true passion.  Lover of Rustic Culinary kitchens….You will find Joi somewhere in one… Creating, Cooking and Writing…doing what matters most.

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Tamara Eckles our Dessert and Baking expert is the founder of “The Dessert Sweet”, your place to “Discover Something Sweet!”. She’s a self-taught baker with over 20 years of experience and her business is quickly emerging as the destination for all things “sweet”.

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Our New York City Correspondent and Georgia native Nicole Taylor has been an artisan candy maker, activist, and is a social media maven. Currently the host of Hot Grease, a progressive food culture radio program on Heritage Radio Network. She is also a member of Food Systems Network NYC, Southern Foodways Alliance, NOFA-NY, Flip the Table Youth Council Mentor, and a frequent panelist at New York City food events. Nicole worked as a community outreach consultant for the Brooklyn Food Coalition and raised funds for the Urban Justice Center through the Vendy Awards. She was featured in the America I Am: Pass it Down Cookbook and is the principal at NAT Media.

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Nadine Nelson our New England correspondent is the chef and owner of Global Local Gourmet, a roving community supported kitchen. Chef Nadine was born in Toronto, Canada of Jamaican Heritage. She has always loved cooking and has studied the culinary arts in Paris, New York, and Boston. She brings a global perspective to seasonal food as a culinary educator, writer, and food consultant.

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Chef Belinda Smith-Sullivan aka “The Spice Lady” is a graduate of Johnson & Wales University with a degree and highest honors in Culinary Arts.  She apprenticed in banquets at the  South Park Marriott Hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina.  She is certified in Wine Studies from the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley, California.  Belinda has lived in France, Kenya and South Africa and has travelled extensively throughout the world experiencing the foods of multiple cultures.  While living in Kenya,  she was a food and beverage event planner to the diplomatic community in Nairobi. Her writing has appeared in Charlotte’s UPTOWN magazine, she also pens a monthly column for the Aiken, South Carolina publication BELLA.  Chef Belinda is also the developer and producer of Chef Belinda Spices.

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Our Seattle Correspondent and Food Photography specialist Edward Sargent navigates the world of Higher Education by day and indulges in his love of food and photography in practically every other waking moment. Once a month he will be sharing with our readers some of his tried and true tips for getting that perfect shot.  To keep up with all of his food on film adventures be sure to check out his blog Weekend Food Projects.

Our resident vegetarian Tiffany Griffin is a Psychologist and policy ‘expert’ by day, ComoWater.com food blogger by night…“Sharing my veg-centric food is transcendental for me—like samba, the streets of Paris, and bright onyx butterflies.”

The Blacker The Berry Food Wine Enthusiast Dezel Quillen is a Systems Engineer by day based in Northern Virginia. He also blogs and tweets about wine appreciation, wine education, and the overall enjoyment of wine. Some people write poetry, Dezel drinks it.