"I first read this in college. I’m really into short story collections and essays, they’re my jam. I talk a lot and I’m very verbose in my writing, but she’s very much the opposite. Sometimes she’ll have a short story that is a page and it’s brilliant, and you’re like, ‘Oh, you can do that, cool.’ A phenomenal book. I usually don’t reread books, but I’ve reread this one."

"This woman was the real deal. She paved the way for Leah Chase during the ‘50s and ‘60s, and she paved the way for women in restaurants today. The amazing female chefs in my own restaurants look up to these strong women of the early 20th century. Her recipes are nothing but good old fashioned comfort food, which I use a lot of in Red Rooster and Streetbird, my Harlem restaurants."

"It’s really Brene Brown’s body of work. Her work around vulnerability and shame, that has truly changed my life. Shame has been such a huge story in my life. As a black trans woman I’ve internalized a lot of shame around those identity groups. This book, and her entire body of work, has been crucial in getting me to rethink shame in my life and build shame resilience."

"They’re a 1970’s California band with great haircuts. My mother used to play me this song when we drove to school every day. It’s the only CD we had in the car, so I heard it every morning for two or three years on repeat. It reminds me of my childhood. The melodies in this song are so incredible, and I feel like they subconsciously inspired me a lot."