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Our transformative Black History Month

This year’s Black History Month (BHM) has been one of the most impactful I’ve experienced in hospitality. It’s been a journey that’s pushed boundaries, sparked creativity, and redefined what BHM can represent within our sector.

A request that sparked change

It all began back in August when I received an email from a restaurant manager asking for a chef to host a BHM pop-up. Their request was polite but problematic; essentially, they wanted a ‘Black chef’ to create a “generic Black menu” for the event. While the request struck a nerve, I knew they weren’t part of the problem. They were simply navigating an awkward situation with the resources available to them.

With that in mind, this year’s BHM became a mission to celebrate the diversity within Black food culture, embrace allyship, and champion individual expression. With my colleagues Michaela, Tripti, and Pete’s help, we launched a new approach. Here’s how we set out to reshape BHM for our teams, with four main goals.

Our objectives for BHM

Innovate Black cuisine using hospitality expertise – Moving beyond the usual jerk chicken and jollof rice, we wanted to highlight Black food as a vast and varied spectrum. The aim was to broaden the narrative to include an array of culinary traditions, allowing our chefs to showcase creativity beyond the familiar.
Explore a wider range of cuisines – Black cuisine is a mosaic of flavours and traditions, from the Caribbean to West and East Africa. This year, we wanted our teams to experience the broader spectrum of Black food culture and celebrate the richness within it.
Welcome allies, don’t isolate them – To make true progress, we wanted allies to be co-champions of this journey. By including them as partners in this celebration, we aimed to make them part of the solution, rather than creating an “us and them” divide.
Celebrate individuals, not stereotypes – The star of BHM would be the individual stories, skills, and backgrounds of our team members. Our message was clear: no one is “generic”, and no one should be confined to narrow expectations of identity.

“This moment sparked a thought: could we reimagine BHM as a celebration that highlighted individual stories, diversity, and the richness of Black cuisine, rather than defaulting to stereotypes?”
Sunil Varma, Pop-Up Pioneer chef guru

The events and actions that made it happen

Armed with these goals, we launched a full month of resources, events, and experiences that involved team members, chefs, and our wider community. Here’s how we brought the vision to life:

Exploring Peckham’s culinary scene – We organised a group outing to Peckham, a dynamic hub of Black creativity in London, to explore the vibrant food scene. This day out was a chance to connect with local culinary influences, inspiring our chefs with the energy of Peckham’s streets and kitchens.
A candid and open podcast – We produced a podcast that encouraged open, honest conversations about Black History Month in the hospitality industry. It’s been received warmly, sparking engaging discussions about culture, identity, and innovation.
Innovative demo with essential cuisine – In partnership with development chefs from Essential Cuisine, we hosted a cooking demonstration that took Black cuisine well beyond the safe zone. Together, we embraced fresh, innovative approaches that challenged traditional ideas of Black food.
“Black future food” bar night – For one night, we catered to 150 guests with cutting-edge Black dishes, paired with live jazz from London’s thriving music scene. The goal was to inspire, showcasing Black cuisine in new and unexpected ways that sparked imagination.

Black future month

The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. People said that this year’s BHM felt refreshing, inspiring, and constructively challenging. This experience reminded us that our chefs play a critical role in evolving Black cuisines, ensuring they’re recognised as valid forms of cultural and personal expression. Our team leaders also have a responsibility to celebrate individuals, avoiding stereotypes.

This year has been a game-changer, and as we look forward, we’re already preparing for next year’s rebranded ‘Black Future Month’. We’ll continue to push for even more creativity, allyship, and forward-thinking initiatives. Because BHM isn’t only about honouring history—it’s about inspiring the future.

Listen to our Black History Month podcast here

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