“Food is a weapon.” This is the guiding principle for the Bronx-bred culinary collective Ghetto Gastro. With combined expertise in cuisine, fashion, music, history, activism and culture, founders Jon Gray, Pierre Serrao and Lester Walker have been on a mission to nourish the world. 

Next week, the trio will be in town to celebrate the launch of their new book, Black Power Kitchen, which grounds readers in Black culinary traditions. The 304-page hardcover book fuses essays, recipes, documentary photography, and fine art into a beautifully bound (almost too precious to use near a kitchen) volume. The book opens with an essay by scholar Jessica B. Harris, whose 2011 book High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey from Africa to America was adapted into a Netflix series, follows with a manifesto from the minds behind Ghetto Gastro, and forays into an illustrative breakdown of some of the collective’s signature dishes. Weaved throughout are several interviews with figures and fellow chefs, along with an ode to their stomping grounds, the Bronx. 

After a free meet-and-greet on Wednesday, Ghetto Gastro will be in a conversation moderated by Houston’s own Joseph Boudreaux of Boo’s Burgers (get hip immediately). The main event, scheduled for Thursday, November 10, and hosted at Kulture in Downtown, is a partnership between the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, Kindred Stories in Third Ward, Ghetto Gastro and Black Chef Table, the platform behind some of the Lone Star State’s best chefs. All ticket holders will receive a copy of the book and complimentary food. 

For more information or to register for the panel discussion and book signing, visit CAMH’s website.