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Kiano Moju in front of bookcases at Bold Fork Books.
Podcast Episode December 9, 2019

Kiano Moju, AfriCali Cookbook Author, Discusses Food Media Journey | Ep 4

Last updated on September 19th, 2024 at 01:47 am

Meet Kiano Moju: Cookbook Author & Recipe Developer

Kiano Moju, author of AfriCali, is one of my favorite creators.

And I’ve been following her career since her time as a Video Producer at BuzzFeed’s Tasty.

Kiano Moju on her book tour.

In 2019, I interviewed Kiano to chat about her content work at Tasty and opening her culinary studio, Jikoni, in Los Angeles, CA.

Since then, she’s released her first cookbook, AfriCali: Recipes from My Jikoni, which is a beautiful combination of her Kenyan, Nigerian & American roots, her worldwide travels and her culinary experiences growing up in California. 

AfriCali at Bold Fork Books in Washington, DC
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AfriCali: Recipes from My Jikoni

Kiano is currently on her book tour for her debut cookbook, AfriCali: Recipes from My Jikoni. 

Her first stop was in San Francisco at Omnivore Books on Food. 

Signed copy of AfriCali at Omnivore Books
Signed copy of AfriCali at Omnivore Books in San Francisco, California

The book tour will wrap up at the beginning of October 2024, with a virtual cooking class with Milk Street.

I love when authors include a virtual book tour stop because it’s a great [but often overlooked] opportunity for their audience to support them if they are unable to travel.

Kiano’s Chapati, Curry & Cure-Alls: Kenyan Home Cooking class is Tuesday, October 1, 2024 at 6 pm ET. 

You can grab your ticket on Eventbrite. 

AfriCali Book Tour: Washington, DC

I attended Kiano’s tour stop at Bold Fork Books in Washington, DC.

Kiano was interviewed by Aaron Hutcherson, food writer & recipe developer at The Washington Post and creator of The Hungry Hutch.

We sampled some of the recipes from the cookbook (with corresponding page numbers):

  • Grilled Corn Salad (pg. 23)
  • Lentil Nuggets (pg. 32)
  • Chai Cookies (pg. 178)
  • Watermelon Juice (pg. 214)

And since the chai cookies were my favorite, they’re first on my list to make.

Recipes from my Jikoni
Lentil nuggets. You can see the inside next to the grilled corn salad.

Some highlights of the conversation:

  • learning about Kiano’s experience in boarding school
  • her thoughts on developing recipes that are considered authentic vs just creating what she wants to eat without the pressure

Kiano Moju’s Food Media Journey: Owner of Jikoni Culinary Creative Studio & Video Producer at BuzzFeed’s Tasty

Before publishing AfriCali, Kiano Moju was the owner of Jikoni, a culinary creative studio, and previously worked as a video producer at BuzzFeed’s Tasty.

In Episode 4 of the Pro Food Maker Podcast, Kiano talks about:

  • her journey in food media
  • the importance of people telling their own stories
  • and what’s next for her and Jikoni

Listen to this episode

Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Libsyn | Soundcloud | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Podcast Timestamps 

[1:29]: What it means to be a Recipe Writer and Food Video Producer. 

[8:08]: How media representation, the food scene in London, blogging and more led to Kiano making a career out of food media and culinary education.

[13:53]: How Kiano’s experiences traveling influences her cooking and baking.  

[17:09]: Dealing with reactions from viewers who aren’t used to seeing Black people represented in food media.

[21:53]: Kiano’s favorite video is the one she directed with Wolfgang Puck.

[25:37]: Kiano made cheesecakes as a side hustle in college.

[26:04]: Jikoni, a culinary creative studio, has kitchen studio space available for rent, and specializes in creating editorial food content and food programming/events. 

[29:49]: How Kiano is working to help people tell their own culinary stories with Jikoni.

[33:57]: Research on food studios was a time-intensive but essential process in building Jikoni. 

[35:01]: The importance of getting help from your network when you’re building a business.

[36:04]: Kiano is interested in creating food and travel shows to sell to streaming platforms.

[38:45]: How can you help? Kiano is on the lookout for food stylists, recipe developers, camera operators and other food production talent.

Mentioned in Kiano Moju’s episode

Connect with Kiano Moju

Instagram: @kianomoju
TikTok: @kianomoju
Twitter: @kianomoju
Website: kianomoju.com

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Ep 3: First Meeting with Food Business Coach

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