TV Host Zuri Hall On Winning An Emmy: 'I Was Broke But Willing To Bet Money On Myself'
If you're a fan of E! News, you may have noticed the series recently added some new brown faces to the mix in an effort to keep the network young, cool and diverse. Former MTV host, Zuri Hall, isone of three correspondents who are the network's super cute fresh faces.
So who is Zuri Hall, and did E! subscribe to the new age method of casting by discovering her on a reality show, Instagram or Vine? None of the above!
Hall is more than qualified for her new position at E! Her resume includes being an alumna of The Ohio State University and an EMMY award-winning journalist. Before E! she was the co-host of FUSE TV's pop culture show Trending 10. She's also appeared on VH1's Big Morning Buzz Live and Fashion Police.
At the age of 28, Zuri's accomplishments are mind-blowing. Somehow she's even found time to launch the women's empowerment movement, “AlphaBabes," and is a frequent YouTube vlogger, where she keeps the details of her life super transparent. You wouldn't just take out your weave for anybody, but she proudly flaunts her natural curls to her nearly 100,000 subscriberslike they're her girlfriends, and you definitely aren't talking about your man with just anyone but Zuri and her bae, professional soccer player, Mettin Copier, are most definitely on our list of #RelationshipGoals. The couple fearlessly answers questions via YouTube about their international long distance, interracial relationship and much more.
If you're not already an AlphaBabe or one of Zuri's loyal YouTube subscribers, come meet your new best friend!
In her interview with xoNecole, Zuri shares her tips for maintaining her self-confidence as well as an epic story of how betting on herself landed her an Emmy.
So many young professionals are using social media as a means to get discovered and get on television. Can you share how you transitioned from local news into a national role as a host on Fuse?
While I was working at a local news station in Dallas, Texas, I was looking to take that next step in my career. My goal had always been to be national by 25 years old. An agent that I was working with at the time submitted me for an on-air position at Fuse, but we never heard back. I couldn't stand to just give up on the opportunity. I dug into the rabbit hole of the Internet until I found the contact info for one of the behind-the-scenes employees on the Fuse team. Instead of a cold call, I sent a "cold e-mail" saying: "You don't know me, but..." And God bless her, she read the email and liked it and my demo reel enough to pass it along to her boss--who ended up being the man who decided they should fly me to NYC and test me out. He eventually became my boss when they offered me the job!
There was a sea of submissions, professional casting calls, and other talent flooding people's inboxes. But that random shot in the dark got me in the door! I felt like the stars were aligning, because that opportunity was meant for me. Other jobs weren't, and I was bummed every time. But when something is FOR you, I believe nothing can keep it away from you IF you do your part to the best of your ability. One of my favorite quotes is from The Alchemist: "When you [truly] want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it." For me, I look at it as my faith in God's favor in my life. I'm truly blessed, and I'm so thankful and humbled by the ways in which He's worked in my life.
Congrats on your new gig at E! I'm sure the correspondent job wasn't just listed on LinkedIn! Can you give insight into whether opportunities of that caliber come about because of a manager or agent? And as you continue to rise in your career, how involved are you in seeking after and securing new opportunities?
It's definitely not a job I stumbled upon on LinkedIn (laughs)! Developing and utilizing professional relationships is a major part of any industry. Being represented by a well-connected agency is a major help. My agent knew the position was going to become available, and when she told me about it, I jumped at the opportunity. She's amazing and played an important role from start to finish with negotiations for my deal at E!.
However, I didn't start my career with an agent. You have to pay your dues, build a reel, and then you attract agents, managers, publicists, etc. that want to work with you and represent you.
An agent can get you into a room, but your talent is what keeps you there.
So you have to be sure you go after opportunities you truly feel you're ready for; have faith in yourself and own it.
What are #AlphaBabes, and what was your inspiration behind starting this movement?
The #AlphaBabe is all about strong, sexy, smart, millennial women. I looked out into the media and I saw examples of us. I absolutely feel like I embody what I think an #AlphaBabe is as well as women like Kerry Washington and Amal Clooney. It's all about celebrating women's creativity and smarts; I thought it was time for us to put those attributes on a pedestal. It's not always about who's the hottest or the prettiest or who's look of the day is killing it; that's fine, I love style, I love to get dressed and be a girl, but I also love to have meaningful conversations. I love to learn about other women's stories, where they've come from and how hard they've work because it was a struggle for me to be where I am today. For me the #AlphaBabe movement is about glorifying and glamorizing the grind. It's hard and you have to hustle, but there's something very attractive about committing to your craft, paying your dues, working hard, and being acknowledged for that and not only for being a pretty face in a cute dress or whatever frivolousness we tend to glorify in society these days.
You're very transparent about sharing your relationship with your boyfriend Mettin on your YouTube channel. Many celebs are open about their love life when things are great, but as soon as they break up, they want the public to "respect their privacy." Do you ever worry that being so open about your relationship might negatively affect it in the long run?
Nope! I've always been an open book in regards to my life. And that's a commitment that I knew I made as soon as I decided to share my life on YouTube. I uploaded my first video with my boyfriend knowing very well that if we breakup, it isn't coming down cause it's getting great views! You have to be able to be transparent about that. When you commit to vlogging and putting your life out there, you can't just decide to stop answering questions once the truth gets uncomfortable. My boyfriend and I talked about it and we decided it was something we were okay with doing. God forbid anything should happen between us but that's life. My HeyZuriHall YouTube channel is me sharing my life. Even the parts of our relationship that I'm open about, I never get too specific because at the end of the day, it's still a relationship and we want to keep that intimacy and some sort of sanctity. So we don't put everything out there, but if there's ever anything I need to address, I'll address it.
How did you meet your boyfriend, and how have you made your international long distance relationship work?
Mettin was a professional soccer player in the Netherlands. As fate would have it, he ended up playing in Ohio. We met one summer while I was working at a local news station. We hit it off and started hanging out. It was great, then we were like wait, you're not from here! He was going back to the Netherlands, which was the plan before he met me but we decided to keep dating because, why not. I was used to long distance relationships because I was always moving for work. No matter who I was with if we lasted longer than six months, it was going to become long distance because I moved to a new city every year. Mettin and I decided to give it a go and somehow it worked! We were long distance for a year and a half.
[Tweet "When you meet that right guy, you can't stop him from trying to be with you."]
He's going to make it happen and there's not going to be any excuses because he wants to be around you. Just as much as you're trying to meet him in the middle, he's trying to get there also. Was it tough not seeing someone I loved for months at a time, yes. But did we love each other enough that it was worth it? Absolutely. In the beginning, we were seeing each other once every couple of months, and now he's here! Well…he's in New York right now, but we're in the same country so that's progress! Relationships work when two people want it to work.
Looking back on your early 20s, what do you wish you would have known that you would share with other young professionals?
I would have told my younger self to stand up for the professional acknowledgement that I truly believed that I had earned or deserved. In my early 20s, I was definitely more meek and shy. When I felt like I deserved to be acknowledged and it didn't happen, I would go into my shell and mope about it but not articulate it.
[Tweet "People will only treat you the way you let them. You get what you deserve when you demand it."]
If I would have been able to set boundaries and say, "No, what you're doing is not okay and this is why…" I feel like I would have gotten the things I wanted much quicker and with a lot less heartache. It took me a long time to realize how to stand up for myself. I would encourage others to stand up for what you believe in, because no one's going to do it if you don't. Don't let people get over on you. Force yourself to step outside of your comfort zone, you may feel weird or awkward when you have to tell people, “I didn't appreciate it when you spoke to me like that" but in the long run, you'll thank yourself. Learn to say “no" early on because if you say “yes" your whole life, you're going to be very disappointed at the end.
Tell us about winning your EMMY!
It was the Indiana Regional EMMY for the Lower Great Lakes Chapter. It was for “Outstanding Talent" in the host category. The experience was an example of me really believing in myself. The way EMMY nominations work, someone has to pay for you to be considered for the nomination. It happens in that way so people aren't just randomly submitting. But just because you paid to be considered, it doesn't mean you'll get nominated which happens to the majority of the people that submit for the process. So my station only had an alotted amount of funds to nominate employee work, so I ended up submitting myself. I really believed in my work, so I put the money to have myself considered for the nomination, then I got the nomination and I won the EMMY.
I was broke, I was just starting out but I was willing to put money on myself.
It was one of those situations where I fought for that, and I banked on myself and if I didn't, then I would have never had that amazing experience of sitting there in the audience with a lot of other amazing anchors, editors and producers and hearing my name called. It was such a great life lesson; no one has to get the vision but me because at the end of the day, no one has to execute it but me.
That's so perfect that you say that because xoNecole was born out of Necole believing in herself and the vision of the new site. She was just tweeting all about “bet on yourself…"
It is so easy to hop on a bandwagon, but it takes a special person and a special team to see your vision before it's real. If you don't have that team or support system, that's okay because only you have to get it.
That's why I love Necole's transition; it's such a beautiful thing. I love that she's putting her heart and her soul into the new site because I can relate to that. I get chills just thinking about when I read her letterexplaining her thought process behind the change because that resonated with me.
Oftentimes, we want something, we feel it in our soul, we know that it's right for us, we know that it's what we should be doing, but outside influences make us second guess ourselves. Instead of executing, we wonder, “what if…?" or “it's just not going to work." How do you say no to all of those negative influences and keep all of that out of your mind when you're the only person that understands the six-month mark or your five-year plan? People who can do that are the most brave and courageous people. They're who I respect, admire and aim to be like.
You can read more about Zuri Hall by visiting her official website, ZuriHall.com, or subscribing to her youtube, HeyZuriHall
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'We Had To Heal To Love': Taja Simpson And Ryan Easter’s Journey To Lasting Love
How We Met is a series where xoNecole talks love and relationships with real-life couples. We learn how they met, how like turned into love, and how they make their love work.
One of my favorite things about interviewing married couples and hearing their diverse “How We Met” stories is the way they affirm true love and integral beliefs. One principle that I wholeheartedly believe is that one must truly know and love oneself before effectively doing it for another human being, and Taja Simpson and Ryan Easter’s story affirms this.
Taja, an actress known most for her role on BET’s The Oval, and businessman/model Ryan Easter tied the knot on July 27 in an intimate and beautiful wedding in LA - surrounded by friends and family. During our 40+ minute conversation, the newlyweds opened up about the inner work journey they both went through individually to become their best selves.
Taja revealed that her grateful and light spirit came after being in a depressive state and doing a great deal of healing and education. And Ryan shared how losing a parent as a youth affected how he showed up in the world and the truths he had to face to embrace who he is wholly.
The pair also chatted about the power of intention, the importance of working through trauma, and the work they do every day to honor their partnership. There’s a reason their glow is so beautiful! It comes from the inside.
“You're meeting me now after I've done all this work, but I had to go through it to get to that space and be in a very happy, healed relationship,” Taja says. Check out the layered conversation below.
xoNecole: I’ll start with the most obvious question: how did you two meet, and what were your initial feelings about each other?
Ryan Easter: We connected through friends. At the time, I was in New York, and she was back and forth between LA and Atlanta. But our mutual female friends were together and decided they needed to set me up. So they confirmed I was looking for something serious and then sent me her picture.
And I was like, "Okay, she looks good - a chocolate drop." But then I thought, "What's wrong with her? So, I called them up, and one of them was messing with me and said, "Oh, she's a little crazy." I was like, "Whoa, I can't do crazy anymore. I've dealt with that before. I’d rather stay by myself than deal with that again." Then she clarified, "No, I'm just kidding. She's crazy in a good way. She's a lot of fun and has her stuff together. That’s how it started for me.
Taja Simpson: I was just going about my life, getting ready for another season of The Oval, when I got a text from my friend Natasha. She said, "Hey, I don't think you're dating anybody, but I have a friend I think you should meet. He's a great guy." She gave me this huge pedigree, saying they had been friends for 19 years. I thought, "Wow, he sounds amazing." But when she sent me a photo, I didn’t like it.
Later, I thought about it and figured it could just not be a good picture. So she sent his Instagram which had all these modeling fitness pictures and stuff. And then I was like, wow - you had my whole husband this time and didn’t tell me - now I told her she could give him my number.
"I was just going about my life, getting ready for another season of The Oval, when I got a text from my friend Natasha. She said, "Hey, I don't think you're dating anybody, but I have a friend I think you should meet. He's a great guy." She gave me this huge pedigree, saying they had been friends for 19 years. I thought, "Wow, he sounds amazing." But when she sent me a photo, I didn’t like it."
Taja Simpson & Ryan Easter
Photo by @jorgemezaphotos
xoN: I love that because, you know, there's all these conversations about the ways people meet, and I still feel like friends and family are one of the best ways. It’s like they know you! What are your thoughts?
Ryan: Yeah, absolutely! You feel a great sense of obligation to be the best version of yourself because you’re not just representing yourself; you’re also representing the person who referred you. I can’t go out there acting like a fool and have them looking at their friend like, "Why did you hook me up with this clown?" It’s like, we're gonna be clear and honest about our intentions. And if it works, great, and if it doesn't, it's okay.
Taja: Exactly. When he called, we spoke that day for like, an hour. The rest was history. We just connected, and it was great. After that, we started talking every day, and now here we are.
xoN: Okay, so tell me about your first date! Do you remember where you went? What did you do? How was the vibe?
Taja: Our first in-person date was two months after we met over the phone. This was during COVID, so we got introduced in July 2020 but didn’t meet until September. From July to September, we were doing video dates and phone calls, building up this excitement about meeting in person. I was really nervous. I thought, "Oh my God, is it going to be like it was over the phone?" We really connected and vibed. I was there to pick him up at LAX, and I felt like this was it. I thought, "God put this brother in my life to be this good, this perfect." It felt too good to be true.
I actually had a friend meet us at the airport to film our meeting without him knowing. I told her to stay in the corner and keep the camera hidden. When he was coming down the escalator, I had this whole plan to run up to him in slow motion and jump into his arms. When I saw him, I froze. I was so nervous that I couldn’t move! He came up to me, gave me a big hug, and swung me around, and I just thought, "Wow!" Everything I planned went out the window.
Ryan: I was really excited to meet her, too. Technically, our first date was at Firestone Brewery. After the airport, we went back to her place to drop off my stuff, and then she said, "I like to drink beer," so she took me to a brewery nearby.
I remember being there, and we were kind of embracing, but not too much since it was technically the first time we were in physical proximity. You still have to play it cool, even after talking for a while. But every time I touched her, it felt good. I thought, "Yeah, this is it." When we hugged at the airport, I felt like, "Yo, this is home." At that moment, I knew she was the one.
xoN: Ugh, I love that. So when did the courtship start to develop into a relationship? Did y'all have that conversation?
Ryan: Initially, we were very clear about our intentions. We were both dating with purpose and had similar aspirations of eventually finding someone to marry, start a family, create businesses together, and live our lives to the fullest. We knew from the beginning that this was our goal and checked in with each other to see if we were on the same page.
After establishing our intentions, it was about having those small conversations. We discussed what was important to each of us—our needs, wants, likes, dislikes, triggers, and traumas. All those details are crucial for building a solid foundation for a healthy relationship. We spent a lot of time getting to know the real person, not just the representative we might present to the world.
Sometimes, it’s difficult because it requires us to be extremely vulnerable. For men, especially in our society, vulnerability is often frowned upon, making it hard to expose that sensitive side. You never know how people will react—some might use it against you, while others might protect you.
I think for her; it took her understanding that mentality that men have and use that to her advantage to make sure she's like, look, this is a safe space for you to allow me to see the full person that you are. I appreciated that because, like, I would tell her, if you really want a man to value you, he has to feel safe with you, right, not necessarily in a physical capacity but more so from an emotional standpoint; I need to feel like I can be safe with you emotionally.
So that courtship was a lot of just having those serious, sometimes difficult conversations about things we're going through in the past to things we aspire to accomplish in the future, to things that we're currently dealing with, and started to gain that understanding about who we are and what we aspire to be, and just continue to flow.
"So that courtship was a lot of just having those serious, sometimes difficult conversations about things we're going through in the past to things we aspire to accomplish in the future, to things that we're currently dealing with, and started to gain that understanding about who we are and what we aspire to be, and just continue to flow."
Taja: I mean, that's exactly right, and a lot of it we spoke about even before we met. Because it was this free thing where we didn’t know each other. We didn't have to be a representative. I was just my authentic self. It’s like - I'm an actor, and I got five or six characters that may come out in our conversation. I'll be funny, then the next moment, I'll be serious. It just happens.
I was very vocal about how I foresee my life going. Also, because I'm in entertainment, that played a part. I had met people before who couldn't handle that. They wanted a woman with a nine-to-five, a teacher, or just somebody with a very strict schedule. But that wasn't me. So I think we were super intentional when it came to dating and making sure we can build and grow together. So, we made that commitment prior to him leaving. He came to LA for a week, and the day before he left, it was like, okay, so this is it.
xoN: I’ve noticed that intention and vulnerability are both powerful words that you two keep using, which I think is essential for any long-term relationship. What are some of your other shared values?
Ryan: Also, we both understood the power of mindset. When you see successful or unsuccessful people, sometimes others will attribute their state to their family or money. And I'm not saying that that doesn't help. But there are a lot of people who have come from very humble beginnings and very troubled past that have gone on to do great things, and it all had to do with their mindset. They had to leave and see themselves doing what they desired to do before it became a reality in the physical realm.
I think a lot of those beliefs and mentalities that we shared was refreshing because, you know, we've all known people that every time you talk to them, something bad is going on. And it's such a drag because they can bring your energy down. We don't subscribe to that. Not saying that we don't go through tough times. But when we do, the question that we always ask ourselves is, what is it that I'm supposed to learn from this? I think those type of elements of just being in alignment mentally about how we view the world definitely help to solidify our relationship and our connection.
Taja: When we met, I was in a headspace of growth. We now call it believe, evolve, become because you have to believe that thing right in order to show up. We both understand that your vibration precedes your manifestation, so you have to vibrate and believe at a certain level. Act as if you have to be in that space, that energy, in order for that thing to come so you can evolve and then become whatever that said thing is. But I was in that headspace before we met, and I was clearing out people in my life.
I was really intentional with finding someone that was in that headspace, too. I was not okay with anyone being stagnant.
Taja Simpson & Ryan Easter
Photo by @jorgemezaphotos
xoN: You two seem so evolved individually and collectively. I'm curious, were there any challenges that you two had to get through together, and what did you learn from that experience?
Ryan: Being parents. And if your partner doesn't have a great pregnancy, then it can be tough, and it stretches you in a lot of ways. But I would definitely say the first five months of being new parents was a lot because we were both exhausted. And she's also trying to heal her body because giving birth puts a tremendous amount of stress on the woman's body. It gives you a different respect for the strength of femininity because I wouldn't want to go through that. And I was there the whole 29 hours.
So during that time I'm getting snappy because I need to rest. I have not been able to rest, and I'm sleep-deprived, and I don't feel like I got my foot in yet. And, and then, on top of that, you have this, this really small human that's completely dependent upon you. They can't do anything for himself, and that, even psychologically, that's a lot to carry. But the thing that I think that has helped us is that we understand that we won't always be on the same page. It's okay to have disagreements, but you always have to lead with love, meaning that if I'm upset with her or she's upset with me, we focus on what the issue is.
Taja: I had a horrible pregnancy and was still feeling like I want to be productive; it’s just part of who I am. And during the newborn phase, like he said, we were exhausted. We were zombies. I'm getting whiny. I need sleep. He's getting snappy and short, and we're having to figure out us. The hardest thing is trying to still learn how to effectively communicate in the midst of this space where you are exhausted; you don't feel good, nothing's going your way.
But I'm a big believer of being accountable, especially for women, because women are not always accountable. But we encourage each other to address the trauma and encourage positive self-thought and talk. Because what you think, speak, and do creates power for better and worse.
xoN: Were there any past traumas you had to heal from in order to love each other correctly, and do you feel comfortable discussing them?
Ryan: For me, the biggest thing was my father’s death at nine. You’re young, and you don’t know how to process the loss. It’s one of those things I thought I dealt with, but when I got into my adult years, I realized it didn’t. I always felt like I had to go above and beyond because I didn’t have my father there to be a man - I excelled in sports and academics, but it was based on an inadequate feeling.
I understand the importance of fathers in children’s life but you still have the power to be the best version of yourself whether your father is there or not. And I believe the almighty Creator will put people in your life to be the best version of yourself. I wanted to be that confident person for her and our children - and I didn’t want to carry that trauma into our relationship or our son. So I worked on it before us and I continue to now.
Taja: Mine was colorism. I grew up where the brown paper bag thing was a thing. There were kids I couldn’t play with because “I was too Black.” I had a family member who called me “Ew.” Like she’d literally say, come here, Ew, you ugly thing. And my family, for a long time, didn’t realize how it was breaking me. But eventually, my mom noticed and taught me more about self-esteem and then I started to do the work. But it still shows its head. I still would have thoughts that I’m not good enough because of how I look. I’ve literally not tried out for roles because of that. One of my friends’ friends has literally called out once that I was the only dark person at an event.
So when I started doing the work, I noticed the ways it showed up, like I just wouldn’t want to be in the sun long. I mean when I was younger, I used to pray to God to make me “better” or lighter. It took a long time to really get over that. There’s a book I wrote called Women Who Shine - where I got my thoughts out about this.
So he knows my sensitive spots and speaks to the little girl in me. It's so interesting how the things we go through when we’re young affect us in adulthood. Mental health is as important as physical health - and I’m grateful that he understands the importance of both of those.
xoN: Thank you for your vulnerability. I hope it helps someone else. Finally, I’ll close with this: what’s your favorite thing about each other?
Ryan: Definitely her mindset. She doesn’t have a victim mindset; she’s empowered. That’s so attractive. I believe that she prides herself on being a good, great communicator. She moves with integrity, you know, I think that's important. And you know, she also understands the importance of taking care of her physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing.
Taja: There’s so many. Where do I start? My husband is supremely supportive. I absolutely love that about him. Also, I love his intention. I love how effectively he communicates. I love how he fathers our child. I love how he looks. Because, praise God. Okay, I'm just gonna put that out there.
But you know what, my favorite thing about him is that I love that he's a man of integrity.
Integrity was the highest things on my list when I’d write out what I wanted in a partner. Because it’s everything. And so I love that I feel the level of safety that I feel with him, that I can completely be my 100% authentic self. I know that he's taking care of me, my heart, and our family. We're good.
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Feature image by @jorgemezaphotos
6 Chef-Approved Dishes That Will Level Up Your Thanksgiving Dinner
Thanksgiving is around the corner, and if you're looking for some food inspiration, we got you. We chatted with the folks over at The Vault Hidden Inside The Bank, which is a popular Atlanta restaurant located inside the event center, The Bank.
Founded in 2020, the Black-owned spot, which sits along Donald Lee Hollowell Pkwy in the Bankhead neighborhood, has been frequented by many important names, from Hollywood stars like Denzel Washington to local politicians. However, the event center and restaurant were created to give back to the community.
Will Platt, who is also from the area, is the visionary behind The Bank. The Bank is an acronym for Blessing All Neighborhood Kids, which is an excellent description of the work Will and his team do. They host many community activations, such as back-to-school bashes, and are preparing for their third annual Banks Giving, which includes a fresh produce and turkey giveaway.
"I'm from this side of town, so I was born over here, and I knew most areas that you go in that's underserved, you're not going to find a 10-star restaurant nowhere," Will said.
"So, even the people that have been in the area for quite some time, you have to travel north to Cobb or south to Camp Creek to get a decent meal. So I wanted to reinvest into my community."
When it comes to the food at The Vault, it is truly a delectable experience. Chef Kevin heads the kitchen and gives patrons a variety of dishes inspired by his Caribbean and Southern upbringing and his 30 years in the food and beverage industry, working for British Airlines and a five-star resort on Kiawah Island, which is located off the coast of South Carolina.
He shared a few flavorful Thanksgiving dishes that are perfect for families, potlucks, or Friendsgivings. And I can attest that these dishes are delicious.
Fried Turkey Wings
Courtesy
"We have turkey wings on the menu. So what we did is, I actually didn't cook it all the way. I usually hold back a couple pains, and cook it 75% of the way. And we actually batter it in the same batter as chicken batter, so it can actually adhere to the skin, and then we actually deep fry it, which gives it a different taste," Chef Kevin explained.
"During the holiday times, a lot of people are now going away from regular big turkeys and they're just going straight to fried turkey. So fried turkey is something we serve all the time, but it 's always gonna be a holiday treat."
Shepard's Pie
Courtesy
"I just took a lot of parts of turkey (breasts, loins, etc.), and I sautéed it down until it's nice and tender, and actually finish it off in the oven with some herbs like rosemary, oregano, sage, and thyme," he said. "And on the bottom of it, I have all the vegetables; I got carrots, I got peppers, onions, celery, some peas, and some corn, and also have some mushrooms inside of it."
He added, "Shepard's pie is something that you can basically take to wherever direction you want to take it with. Here, I used red potatoes because it's more flavorful than just regular white potatoes because, actually, red potatoes, the skin is still on it. Inside the potatoes, I have cream, butter, and I add a little bit of parmesan to actually give it a crisp for the crispness of the inside of the mashed potatoes."
Collard Greens
Courtesy
"I spin it a little bit with the collard greens. I add both a sweet to it, and then I add a little bit of acid inside of it, so there is some vinegar inside of it. I also have a little bit of brown sugar inside of it. For the heat, I add a little bit of traditional hot sauce. And then once you let it cook out, all it's gonna do is just jelly, make a nice flavor."
Southern Deviled Eggs
Courtesy
"Cajun sautéed shrimp is on it, and it has crab meat on it. That's Backfin crab meat, so it's really tasty crab. And, of course, the regular filling for the deviled eggs. I don't use regular mustard. I use Dijon, so it gives a better flavor because it has the white wine in it and actually brings it out. We put pickled relish inside of it to keep it Southern but infuse it with a little bit of high-end stuff."
Cornbread
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"This is our house recipe of our cornbread. We actually sell cornbread muffins. So for, aesthetically, I just put it inside this cast iron pan and make it seem like we at grandma's house. And then cooking in a cast iron pan tastes much, much better. My cornbread muffin is actually served with one of our dishes. We have what you call a southern plate, and it comes with four chicken wings, a piece of that cornbread, some of that collard greens, and some candied yams."
Cabbage
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"We push our cabbage a little bit further. That's why you see the color on it because we actually sautéed it to a point 'til it brings out the flavor of it. We leave a little bit of crunch to it, but we sauté it really, really, really hard so you can have those nice flavors inside of it. And it has the red peppers and green peppers, onions inside of it as well."
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