About Us

Our History

Cuisine Noir is the country’s and world’s first culinary lifestyle and news narrative media outlet that connects the African diaspora through food drink and travel.  The original concept was founded by Chef Richard Pannell in 1998 as a newspaper insert in Los Angeles and later reimagined into an digital outlet under the ownership of V. Sheree Williams on September 1, 2009. Cuisine Noir is the first to pioneer Black food media at a time when Black food stories were essentially nonexistent in mainstream media. The outlet unapologetically lifts up people of African descent and their contributions and accomplishments that have shaped American and global food cultures and histories, past and present.

Since 2020, Cuisine Noir has been published under the ownership of The Global Food and Drink Initiative, a James Beard Award-winning nonprofit.

For press inquiries, please email press@globalforgood.org.

Our Team

Publisher and Editor-in-Chief: V. Sheree Williams

Core Contributor Team: Jocelyn Amador, Phyllis Armstrong, Quia Bethea, Marcus Avery Christon, Nicholas Carr, Mira Cassidy, Shanessa Fenner, Wanda Hennig, Stephanie Teasley and  Kalin Thomas.

We also work with freelance writers and journalists for individual assignments.

For freelance opportunities and to pitch stories, email hello@globalforgood.org.  Freelancers should have 2 – 3 years of digital and/or print experience writing for a traditional media outlet such as a magazine or newspaper.

Content Integrity

As a media outlet, Cuisine Noir is committed to delivering original content that is truthful, accurate and trust-worthing.  We will always lead with integrity when informing communities about stories that represent our past, celebrate our present and look forward to the future. Prior to publishing, all stories are fact checked for accuracy, reinforcing our high standards of journalism.

Cuisine Noir’s content is constantly evolving to ensure editorial brand alignment, therefore we occasionally review, and if necessary, remove content that no longer meets current standards.

Advertise With Us

Cuisine Noir offers digital and print advertising packages tailored to advertisers needs to reach our audience of diverse readers. For inquiries, email hello@globalforgood.org.

Content Reprint and Photography Use

Any unauthorized duplication, download, reprint of images and content from this website for promotional, commercial or personal use is strictly prohibited without written permission and/or payment to The Global Food and Drink Initiative. Violators will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

For Inquiries, email hello@globalforgood.org.

Affiliate Links

Cuisine Noir is part of affiliate advertising programs as such as the Amazon Influencer Program and Food 52 which means that if you click and/or make a purchase through certain links on this site, The Global Food and Drink Initiative may receive a commission from the referred sale. All sales help us as a media outlet to share and amplify Black food stories.

We cannot be held responsible for anything on external websites that are linked from this site. Our goal is to align ourselves with partners and programs that will enhance our readers’ experiences. Please note, we do not disclose or sell any information to third party companies.

If you have any questions about these disclosures, please contact us at hello@globalforgood.org.

Cuisine Noir is published by The Global Food and Drink Initiative, a 501c3 nonprofit.  Donations from our supporters help to fund our passion and committent to telling Black food stories.  All donations are 100% tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.  Our EIN is 85-3525143. To make a donation, visit this page.

Privacy Policy

Cuisine Noir and The Global Food and Drink Initiative are committed to upholding the privacy of our readers.  To read our full privacy policy, please visit this page.