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February means one thing to us here at Oldways: Black History Month. Although we celebrate African health and heritage all year ‘round, February gives us the chance to spotlight one of our favorite programs: A Taste of African Heritage. If you know about Oldways because of the Mediterranean Diet, the Whole Grains Council, or some of our other great work, we’re glad you’re here! And we hope you’ll stick around to learn more about what we do to celebrate and promote African heritage cuisine.

A Taste of African Heritage (ATOAH) is a series of cooking classes designed to teach participants about the delicious and nutritious plant-based foods of the African diaspora. Classes are available nationwide, and are usually free (or very low cost). The goal of ATOAH is to get people to eat healthier by preparing and eating the foods of their ancestors—in other words, health through heritage. Check out the video below to see the program in action.


This Black History Month, we’ve got all kinds of plans to spotlight African heritage cuisine. Here are five ways you can help celebrate with us!

1. Find an ATOAH class near you

ATOAH is nationwide, and there are lots of classes planned in February. Check out our class directory to see if there’s one near you. (And if not, maybe you should consider teaching one! Anyone can become certified, and we’re always looking for volunteers.)

2. Commit to cooking one African heritage dish a week

Even if you haven’t attended an ATOAH class, we have tons of African heritage recipes available on our website. Try some new ones for February—and when you do, make sure you share them on social media! Mention us on on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram and tag your posts with #AfricanHeritage to spread the word about the goodness of African diaspora food.

3. Try a new African restaurant near you

Our Dine Around the Town page has a list of restaurants, organized by state, that serve delicious African diaspora cuisine. Find one near you, and add a new favorite restaurant to your list!

4. Sign up for our email newsletter

If you’re not already on the list, we can fix that for you! Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date on all the latest A Taste of African Heritage happenings. You’ll get recipe suggestions, learn more about ATOAH students and teachers, and stay up to date on the latest African heritage food trends.

5. Support ATOAH with a donation

Our program is grant-funded and runs on a volunteer basis, so we can always use all the support we can get. If you’d be interested in donating money to help pay for class groceries or instructional materials, we’d be so grateful! Please contact our finance director, Abby Sloane, at asloane@oldwayspt.org.

No matter how you decide to celebrate African heritage cuisine this February, we’re so happy that you’re helping us to spread the word. Thank you for your support, and happy Black History Month!


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