Join Ghetto Gastro, a globally recognized culinary collective, for an all-day takeover of Colby College. During their visit to campus, Ghetto Gastro will engage students through a class visit, a panel discussion, and a campus-wide dining takeover, inspired by recipes from their Black Power Kitchen cookbook, in order to generate dialogue and community excitement about how food connects us all.
Ghetto Gastro is made up of curators and cultural practitioners who use food as a tool to tell stories about the Bronx, where they come from, and the cultures that inspire them. Their capacious, collaborative practice utilizes the culinary arts but also intersects with design, music, fashion, performance, and entrepreneurship. The crew masterfully blends influences from the African diaspora, Global South ingredients, and the pulse of hip-hop to create offerings that address race, identity, and economic empowerment.
Throughout the day, breakfast, lunch, and dinner selections inspired by Black Power Kitchen will be offered across all three campus dining halls, and student will receive giveaways of Ghetto Gastro products. Black Power Kitchen will be available for purchase in the Colby Bookstore.
Public Event schedule:
Please register here for the public panel and reception.
Noon–1 pm: Join Ghetto Gastro in person for lunch in the SPA, featuring culinary offerings inspired by Black Power Kitchen
6–6:30 pm: Public reception in the Gordon Center for Performing Arts with appetizers, cocktails, and mocktails inspired by the Black Power Kitchen in advance of Ghetto Gastro’s panel discussion
6:30–7:30 pm: Panel discussion followed by audience Q&A with Ghetto Gastro members John Gray, Lester Walker, and Pierre Serro, moderated by Erica Wall
7:30–9 pm: The reception resumes with a post-panel celebratory battle of the DJs, a tribute to the 50th Anniversary of hop-hop.
As a liberal arts institution, Colby is excited to celebrate Ghetto Gastro. Their work reflects the ethos and spirit we share, working across disciplines, geographies, and cultures for the sake of community empowerment, community building, and social justice. Their visit to Colby’s campus represents a campus-wide co-sponsorship of this momentous event. Multiple partners, including the Colby Arts Office, Campus Dining, Campus Life, the Center for the Arts and Humanities, the Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs, the Department of African American Studies, and the Lunder Institute for American Art have joined forces to make this visit possible.