About.
Welcome to Equitable Eats! My name is Alexandra Foster, and I am a writer and lover of all things food but am most passionate about ensuring black and brown people have equal access to the tools necessary to live healthy lives. Equitable Eats is a blog featuring original pieces written by myself centered around food, race, culture, and the environment. The aim of my content is to raise awareness about people of color making strides for equity and justice in the food system through storytelling.
At a young age, I knew that food played a special role in my life. I was just as interested in watching the Food Network as I was in cartoons. I loved trying out new recipes with my grandparents and making elaborate birthday cakes for my family. Fast forward to today, while I am not the pastry chef I had once dreamt of being (I still bake for fun), my love of food has broadened its range to incorporate issues surrounding race, class, and the environment.
I majored in English and Environmental Studies at Amherst College, melding my passions for writing and reading with issues on climate change and environmental degradation. My interest in food was sparked after completing a research project on community gardens in Newark, NJ - a city that has been affected by historical disinvestment and food apartheid. In hearing these gardeners' stories and seeing their impact on the health of the community, it became apparent to me that those doing the work on the ground were not being recognized.
While working for nonprofits Just Food and West Side Campaign Against Hunger, specializing in food justice and food security efforts, I decided to further my education. I pursued my Masters in Food Studies at NYU with an intent is to spark conversation around issues that have historically been hidden from view by sharing stories from often marginalized voices. I am currently the Editorial Assistant at The Kitchn and previously was the Culinary Editorial Fellow at Food Network.
Outside of stressing out about how to make the world more equitable and sustainable, I love trying new plant-based foods and being in nature. I can also be found baking, listening to music or podcasts, dancing, or getting stuck in the weird corners of YouTube.