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The Food Network Tried to Make Tanya Holland ‘Sassy’; She Refused

Tanya Holland
Tanya Holland Photo: Lisa Keating Photography

The Chicago Tribune yesterday tackled the dearth of African-American chefs in high-end kitchens, and the reasons why there are so few prominent black chefs. The reporter talked to Quince pastry chef (and recent Food & Wine honoree) Devin McDavid, who says he found it “really weird” how race factored into people’s perceptions of him upon moving here from Trinidad. And Oakland’s Tanya Holland (Brown Sugar Kitchen, B-Side BBQ) says that even the Food Network tried to make her something she wasn’t when she appeared on the show Melting Pot. “I was in the soul kitchen, so they wanted me to act sassy. I’m from suburbia, I’m educated, I have this plethora of experience. That wasn’t the way I was going to act.” [Chicago Tribune via SFoodie]

The Food Network Tried to Make Tanya Holland ‘Sassy’; She Refused