EP 130: Chef David and Chef Tonya Thomas H3irloom Food Group.

featuring: Comedian Ivan Martin, Laural, Charmyra 

Aaron sits down with Chef David and Chef Tonya Thomas at The Sinclair.We talk about how Chef David was the Grand Champion of Chopped on The Food Network. We talk about how traveling Africa blew their minds. We discuss "The Shores of Us" a special dinner they are having July 10th. We talk about how they got into the food industry. 

David Thomas is a chef and entrepreneur from Baltimore, Maryland. He has been in the industry for over 25 years and has opened and operated several restaurants including the nationally recognized and award-winning Herb & Soul Gastro Café and Ida B’s Table. His goal is to bring his mission to reclaim the narrative around African American cooking, sharing this legacy and helping to push it forward.

In 2019, Chef David was asked to be part of a James Beard Foundation Juneteenth celebration dinner that brought together African American chefs from all over the country who are solidifying the roots of soul food. He was also given the opportunity to collaborate and cook with world renowned chefs from all over the globe at Guinness Meatopia, taking his culinary community global.

Chef David has now competed on Food Network’s Chopped competition three times. Ultimately, he earned the title of Chopped Grand Champion in February 2020. He has gone undefeated three times in the Chopped Kitchen.

In March of 2020, at the beginning of the shutdowns due to Covid-19, Chef David Thomas and his wife, Tonya stepped away from Ida B’s Table. This decision came just after they went to West Africa with Roots To Glory where they went to explore their heritage and their roots in food.