Tanya Holland at James Beard House for Juneteenth Dinner

The first ever Juneteenth celebration at the James Beard House united a group of Top Chef competitors with African American heritage, including CCD Innovation’s Chefs’ Council® member Tanya Holland, chef/owner of Brown Sugar Kitchen in Oakland. The chefs prepared a menu of Southern-influenced foods to honor the holiday that commemorates the day in June 1865 when the last group of enslaved people in Galveston Island, Texas were informed of their freedom after the Emancipation Proclamation was passed three years prior. Read more about the event and the menu at Food & Wine.