You may know her as Delicious Miss Brown on her namesake Food Network show, but Kardea Brown comes from an unexpected background. While she's always been passionate about food, she started her career as a social worker. Now, even as a well-known chef, host and cookbook author, she still looks for ways to give back.
So when Pepcid reached out to Brown and asked her to team up with them for the 36th Annual Chefs' Tribute to Citymeals on Wheels event, she said it was a "no-brainer" for her.
"I use Pepcid in my everyday life, but the mission is also important," Brown said in an interview with EatingWell. "They're feeding and they're combating food insecurities here in New York for older New Yorkers, so that was very important to me. Not only that, but they are also the only heartburn brand sponsor at Chefs' Tribute and are sponsoring $50,000 to Meals on Wheels America, so that was really important."
We were given the incredible opportunity to sit down with Brown herself and ask her all about the partnership and her background. Read on to find out what Southern dish defines home for her, a special preview of her upcoming frozen food line and her philosophy on eating well.
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EatingWell:Since starting your career as a social worker, you know the importance of giving back and helping your community all too well. How important is it for you to include charitable work in your current career as a chef?
Brown: My background is in social services, so not only did I work with children, but I also worked with mentally challenged adults as well. It's very important in my everyday life to be a part of initiatives like Citymeals on Wheels and Meals on Wheels America. There was a time in my life where what I was doing 24/7 was nonprofit work. I worked in the nonprofit sector for 11 years of my life before I started cooking full-time, and it's something that I still do to this day. That's why it was so exciting to team up with Pepcid and do this charitable event.
EatingWell: Delicious Miss Brown focuses on your favorite Southern dishes. If you had to choose one meal that you think defines home for you, what would it be?
Brown: Shrimp and grits. It's one of my favorite things to cook, and it's one of the first meals that I learned how to cook for my grandmother. She taught me that, and her mother passed it down to her, so it's one of those family heirlooms that I will always cherish. It definitely represents Delicious Miss Brown and everything about the Lowcountry and Charleston, South Carolina.
EatingWell: What can you tell us about your upcoming frozen food line? What makes it unique from other brands?
Brown: OK, you'll get the exclusive scoop! It's a frozen food brand that represents everything that's near and dear to my heart, and that's Lowcountry, Southern cuisine. And I've never seen the things I'm coming out with on the shelves. I've never seen this perspective, this point of view, and since it's personal to me, it's all the things that I love cooking and remind me of the Lowcountry. So I wanted to wrap that up into four products that will be hitting the shelves on Labor Day weekend. It will be at a major retailer, and I believe it will be in all 50 states!
EatingWell: What does "eating well" mean to you?
Brown: I always say that you have to listen to your body, you have to listen to what your body needs. I don't think there's one thing that fits all. For me, I know there's times where I need to eat raw vegetables and fruits, and there's times where my body is really craving protein like a nice piece of steak. In the Lowcountry, we eat by the land and by the sea, so what's in season and what's at its freshest is what I always believe in eating. Eating well means listening to your body and eating the things that it needs for nourishment—and hey, if you want to enjoy some fried foods and some spicy foods, go ahead and do that!
Up next: Pecans and Buttermilk in a Brooklyn Kitchen: My Food Journey from South to North
