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The quest to find her place and passion led a young Black business major back to the state where she attended college. Keyarna Frederick was unsure how she would make a living when she left West Virginia State University in 2019. Today, she is recognized as the first Black female chef to bring a Juneteenth holiday farm-to-table dinner event to Charleston, West Virginia.
“When I first started the Juneteenth Farm to Table Dinner, I was 26 years old. If I had never come to West Virginia and created such a dinner, we wouldn’t be sitting together celebrating Juneteenth. I’m not afraid to walk in my Blackness and share that with people,” says Chef Frederick.
The Virginia native arrived in the Charleston area during the COVID pandemic. On a drive with a friend, she noticed a banner for the Capitol Market Mac & Cheese Cook-Off and called the phone number shown. “I asked if it was too late to enter the cook-off. They said if you can prepare 16 pounds of macaroni and cheese and come at this time, you can compete, so that’s what I did,” the culinary entrepreneur explains.
A long night of preparing her version of mac and cheese would pay off. The self-taught chef laughingly recalls the experience. “I spent the entire night shredding cheese by hand, something I’d never do again. I’d use a food processor. I came with my 16 pounds of pasta, and I ended up leaving the contest with two out of three awards.”
Juneteenth Farm to Table Dinner
Chef Frederick took home the Judge’s Choice and People’s Choice Awards from the mac and cheese contest. A few years later, in 2024, she hosted the first annual Juneteenth Farm to Table Dinner at the Capitol Market in the same location as her first cooking competition. Charleston has a limited number of places that can seat 100 or more guests, so Frederick thought the market would be a great spot for her event.
“I thought the atmosphere of the Capitol Market was very beautiful. I also know a lot of Black people didn’t come to the Capitol Market, so this was a chance for me to bring in my community,” says the private chef and caterer. “I’ve learned throughout this whole farm-to-table planning thing that you never know until you ask. The worst that someone can say is no. No is not going to hurt my feelings at all.”
The management of the year-round farmers’ market, located in a multicultural community on Charleston’s West Side, said yes and sponsored the June 19 dinner. That decision opened the door for the young woman known as Chef Ke to offer West Virginians an opportunity to celebrate the history and meaning of Juneteenth, which President Joe Biden declared a federal holiday in 2021.
Capitol Market advertises the Juneteenth holiday dinner as “a powerful celebration of freedom, heritage and Appalachian pride.” It brings together local politicians, business owners, interested educators, progressive thinkers and open-minded citizens. The holiday commemorates the June 19 date in 1865 when Union soldiers freed the last enslaved people in Texas, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.
The current head of the Capitol Market explains why the young woman landed sponsorship for a sold-out event that brings people together for food, fellowship and music on Juneteenth in West Virginia, also known as Emancipation Day.
“Chef Ke makes it easy to root for her. She has a big personality, and her enthusiasm is infectious. She is willing to push the envelope and introduce new flavor combinations and dishes to people who attend the Juneteenth dinner,” says Chuck McGill, Capitol Market’s executive director.
GET TICKETS: 2026 West Virginia’s 3rd Annual Juneteenth Farm to Table Dinner
Cultivating a Culinary Career
Chef Ke’s culinary expertise evolved from the opportunities that arose from the mac and cheese competition. Her fan base grew from her mastery of that beloved southern dish.
“There’s a picture that the Charleston Gazette had published, and I mean the line was so far down,” Frederick remembers. “That’s kind of how my name got out there. People were interested in knowing who this girl was. It gave me a platform to start my catering and private chef business.”
Mountain Stage, the public radio station producing two-hour live music shows every week, hired her for a catering job. Frederick was flipping burgers at the Madri Gras Casino & Resort in Cross Lanes when she got her first restaurant gig as a line cook.
The job she later landed at Coco’s Kitchen in Charleston provided much of her on-the-job training. “I learned how to make sauces from scratch, focaccia bread, pickles and a super good waffle. I learned so many things. I tell people that was my culinary school,” says Chef Ke.
Growing up with a mom from South Carolina, who is an exceptional cook, planted the first seeds of Frederick’s interest in cooking. Some of her fondest memories of actually preparing food come from the five summers she spent at the YMCA’s Camp Kekoka on Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay.
“There’s a picture of me from when I was maybe 11 or 12 with this big chef’s hat on at the stay-away camp. It’s something that I’ll never forget,” Chef Ke reflects. “I remember recently finding the young camp counselor who was in charge of cooking. I told her, ‘Thank you so much. You have no idea how inspiring you are to the chef I am today.'”
Chef Ke’s reputation and culinary expertise continued to grow when she joined ‘Dem Two Brothers & a Grill as the head chef and kitchen manager. “Now, instead of just a line cook, I’m responsible for the dishwasher, other line cooks, putting out specials for the day, new recipes and upholding the standard of the food at the BBQ restaurant,” says Frederick.
A brunch Chef Ke and the staff put together for a local Restaurant Week earned praise from Charleston Gazette- Mail’s food writer, Steven Keith. “The BBQ restaurant and I did a three-course Asian menu. We did a sticky short rib with fried rice and sautéed cabbage. He named that as the best dish of the restaurant week,” she points out.
When the young chef met Dural Miller, she stepped into her next arena for exercising her cooking talents. Miller, the founder and chief executive officer of Keep Your Faith Corporation, had plans to open Ruby’s Corner Market on the West Side for residents with limited access to fresh food. Frederick accepted the position of market manager.
‘”He said I want you to run the corner market. I want you to run the food side of it.’ I built a relationship with Dural. He’s been to each Juneteenth dinner. The first year, he volunteered to help me,” shares the Juneteenth holiday dinner host.
Miller started an urban garden on the West Side where he grows tomatoes, okra, herbs, collard greens and cabbage. “He was the first person to give me a garden bed and get me into gardening,” says Chef Ke.
The new mother left Ruby’s Corner Market to take care of her now four-month-old daughter. Chef Ke hopes to return when Kenori gets older because one of the things she misses is the special bond she formed with some of the neighborhood kids coming into the store.
“There are five or six of them that used to come to the corner market every single day, and they would tell people they worked there,” Chef Ke says. “I would give them little responsibilities to do, like sweeping or mopping or closing up and turning the lights off. Sometimes I’d give them money. Other times, all they wanted was a bag of chips or a sandwich.”
RELATED: Juneteenth Menu Ideas That Preserve the Holiday’s Culinary Traditions
Juneteenth Holiday: Culture, Community and Celebration
Chef Ke grew up in the city of Alexandria, Virginia, where she regularly attended African American events and supported the numerous Black-owned businesses in the DC, Maryland and Virginia region. She came up with a motto to express her appreciation for Black history, interests and achievements after hosting her second Juneteenth holiday dinner. Chef Ke believes that culture, community and celebration matter most in life.
The farm-to-table advocate describes the meaning behind her motto. “Community comes from bringing all types of people together for the Juneteenth annual dinner. One hundred strangers come together to find fellowship over food. Culture comes from sharing Black culture with people through soulful recipes.”
Frederick continues her explanation with the third component of her motto for living: celebration. “We’re celebrating the history of African Americans. I always tell people there is no American history without Black history. Let’s not forget that.”
The power in Chef Ke’s approach to making the most of her culinary talents was demonstrated during the last Juneteenth holiday. Some 135 people attended her farm-to-table celebration at Capitol Market. It sold out even though West Virginia’s new governor did not acknowledge June 19 as a day off for state employees, reversing the former governor’s 2024 proclamation recognizing Juneteenth as a state holiday.
“No one can stop me, and what it is I want to do, especially when it is about celebrating, advocating and highlighting Black people in West Virginia and all around the Appalachian area. I’m not afraid to use my platform to celebrate my community, whether people in West Virginia want to acknowledge who we are and what we are doing, or not,” declares Chef Ke.
A group of 22 volunteers, from cooks to servers to greeters and cleanup crews, supported the second Juneteenth Farm to Table Dinner at Capitol Market. They helped Chef Frederick present a four-course menu that included a Lion’s Mane fried mushroom on from-scratch focaccia bread, a melon salad with fresh mint vinaigrette, West African-spiced grilled lamb and peach ice cream with a cookie crumble.
“I think last year, people really enjoyed the watermelon and feta salad I prepared. People also enjoyed the third course, which was suya lamb with collard greens and sweet potato mash. A lot of people didn’t know what suya was, so they really enjoyed that,” Chef Ke says.
One guest drove more than seven hours from Maryland to West Virginia to attend the Juneteenth holiday dinner. The celebration ended on an emotional note when the crowd gave Chef Ke a standing ovation. “The dinner happened in June, and in May I found out I was pregnant. At the end of the dinner, I was crying. People were like, ‘Why is she crying?’ They didn’t know I was pregnant, and I was so emotional,” she admits.
What happened next made Chef Ke truly proud. “I was just so happy because people started line dancing. They were having such a good time, they still wanted to enjoy each other’s company.”
Supporting Blacks in Food
Giving guests a joyful and memorable experience is not Chef Ke’s only goal. She cares just as much about celebrating the talents of Black West Virginians. Her Juneteenth holiday dinners showcase Black artists, singers, musicians and photographers, as well as African American chefs and cooks.
However, putting a spotlight on Black farmers, gardeners and food producers is one of her primary goals. “I try to work with as many African American, minority and small-owned farms as possible. There are over 30,000 farmers in West Virginia. Of those, fewer than 30 are African American or minorities,” Frederick states.
Chef Ke makes a point of telling her Juneteenth dinner guests about the ingredients she gets from local Black farmers and gardeners to create her dishes. One of her suppliers is Jason Tartt, Sr., the owner of T&T Organics. He is also the founder of American Youth Agripreneur and co-founder of the Economic Development Greater East.
The McDowell County farmer is devoted to building nutritious and sustainable food systems with the fruit trees, honey, maple syrup, goats, poultry and forest medicinal products on his land.
“Jason Tartt was able to attend the dinner last year. Visiting his farm was such an eye-opening experience. It was so nice to see an African American man farming on 300 acres. I was even able to pick my own lettuce. He said I was the first chef to come and harvest your own produce from the farm,” says Chef Ke.
The West Virginia businesswoman produces more than the Juneteenth holiday dinner to build support for Black farmers and hospitality workers. Last February, she organized her third Black History Month Farm to Table Dinner at the J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works in the Kanawha Valley. She seasoned the dessert for the five-course meal with salt from the land where enslaved Black people once harvested the valuable mineral.
“Nancy Bruns, who runs the company, is a seventh-generation owner. She actually used to be a chef. The first year of the dinner, she came out and spoke about the farm’s history. She knows how many Black people sacrificed their lives making the salt farm such a success,” the dinner’s founder discloses.
Proceeds from the 2026 Black History Month event were donated to the founder of Mear Mae’s Meadow. The African American entrepreneur grows microgreens and organic products that Chef Ke serves at her celebrations.
“These dinners are not about me. I want to share my time and spotlight with people who are into agriculture, Black people who own businesses. I want you to support them daily. Black history is every single day. If we don’t support one another, what makes us think the next person will want to come shop or celebrate our business or product?
Some other Black-owned businesses Chef Ke supports with her dinners are Browntown Farms, Shroom Traders, My Greens are Bomb and The Saucepot. She also invites culinary creators to her dinners, including one of West Virginia’s best-known chefs, Otis Laury, the former owner of Laury’s Restaurant. Laury served as executive chef for three West Virginia governors and was honored with the Distinguished West Virginian Award for his contributions to the state.
“He is like my idol. I feel like he lights up the blueprint for me to cook for all kinds of people and share my love for food with others. Any dinner I have, I always tell Chef Laury, ‘I have a free ticket for you. Can you come?'”
Juneteenth Farm to Table Dinner 2026
Inspiration for the menu Chef Ke is planning for this year’s Juneteenth Farm to Table Dinner came from her visit to a celebrated Black chef’s restaurant in Washington, D.C. She raves about Eric Adjepong’s Elmina, praised in the Michelin Guide and Washingtonian Magazine for its modern Ghanaian and West African cuisine.
I went to Elmina for my birthday in April. I loved it and was so inspired by the menu. I had this bone marrow with smoked goat. It was just so good,” Chef Ke exclaims. “It’s not just African or African Americans wanting to try this food. It’s all different types of people.”
Chef Ke hopes an increasingly diverse crowd attends her annual Juneteenth holiday celebration, which is likely to sell out for the third time. She is choosing West African and Haitian recipes and acknowledges Adjepong’s influence on one of her dishes.
“I’m doing my own take on his appetizer and kicking off the dinner with it. The first course will be smoked bone marrow with crispy smoked goat. I’m going to make my own pickles and focaccia bread to go with it.”
The meat is coming from T&T Organics, Tartt’s McDowell County farm. “I remember him calling me and asking whether there was anything I could do with goat meat? I was like, ‘Jason, I just went to this Michelin Guide restaurant. I know what I can do with that goat!”
Guests at the Juneteenth dinner in Charleston will also get to taste a grilled jerk octopus salad, grilled salmon and brûléed plantains with vanilla bean ice cream. “I’m so happy that I’m able to bring back something for the 3rd annual event. It really shows me that people are open-minded and want to celebrate African Americans. They are interested in agriculture and interested in trying new foods,” says Chef Frederick.
Capitol Market Connections
The measure of success for this Juneteenth Farm to Table Dinner goes beyond exceeding last year’s record of 135 guests. Chef Ke wants to see more Black agricultural entrepreneurs selling their products at Charleston’s Capitol Market.
“I have a farmer friend who has chickens and sells honey. Licia Pannell actually set up a table a couple of weeks ago. I was telling her as long as I’ve been in West Virginia, you’re probably the first African American female vendor I’ve seen at this market,” remarks Chef Ke.
The market’s executive director agrees with the need for the nonprofit organization to be more inclusive. He spent time listening to recommendations for building relationships with more minority businesses.
“Capitol Market wants to support small business owners and local growers, but we also take seriously our mission to provide a community gathering space for all, says McGill. “I talked with local leaders, like Dr. Shanequa Smith. In the wake of meeting with Dr. Smith, we had our first Black pop-up vendor, Unity Sisters, set up at the market.”
Chef Ke explains how the arrangement with her friend Pannell, the founder of Unity Sisters Farms, works for a small urban farmer. “A lot of these vendors have a contract where they are at the market every day for the entire summer. She’s only coming when she wants to or can. She’ll pay a $50 fee for the day to sell her products.”
The market’s leadership is also planning to reshape the financials for the Juneteenth dinner to benefit Chef Frederick, provide more free tickets to community residents, and donate some of the proceeds to Charleston’s Juneteenth Committee.
“It is easy to talk the talk, but when our community sees a cherished place like Capitol Market walk the walk, it is a benefit to all of us,” McGill emphasizes. “Every human being deserves to feel comfortable and welcomed in all spaces, and Capitol Market will continue to pursue events and invest in people who underscore our mission to be a place for all people.We hope the Juneteenth dinner applies that love even more as the years pass.”
Dreaming of a Farm to Table Future
The visionary chef behind Charleston’s Juneteenth Farm to Table Dinner is receiving recognition for her culinary contributions and community food advocacy. She is a 2026 Appalachian Foodways Practitioner Fellow, an honor awarded to her by Grow Appalachia, the Appalachian Studies Association and the Mid Atlantic Arts Central Appalachia Living Traditions program.
WV Living magazine selected Chef Ke as a 2025 West Virginia Wonder Woman for using her superpower to bring people together through food. The award is bestowed on women who are light bearers, “forcing change for the greater good.”
The founder of the Keekreationzzz catering company dreams of expanding her reach by purchasing land to host farm-to-table dinners every month. “I just hope I can continue to build on this business plan and potentially bring people to my own farm. It would not be just for dinners, but to teach people how to self-sustain through food, to encourage and inspire young African American children interested in the culinary industry and to build up the next generation of chefs in the Charleston area,” Chef Ke comments.
At present, the 28-year-old chef is relishing the time she spends with her baby girl. She also preps meals for a local couple. The owner of Atlanta’s WNBA team, Renee Montgomery, hired Frederick to pre-cook healthy meals for her parents.
Chef Ke hopes the former basketball standout and other West Virginia celebrities like Harvard professor Dr. Henry Louis Gates will attend one of her Juneteenth holiday dinners. “I remember inviting him last year. Of course, he’s a busy man, but it was so nice of him to write back and congratulate me on starting something that is the first of its kind here in West Virginia,” she adds.
Capitol Market’s executive director is pleased that Dr. Dennis Floyd Jones, his college advisor and head of an inner city youth program, plans to travel from Pittsburgh to experience Chef Ke’s Juneteenth farm-to-table celebration. “She is a person who deserves the water to blossom into who we all know she can be. She has big dreams, ones which she wants to accomplish here, and we want to support her in that endeavor,” McGill emphasizes.
The drive and determination Chef Ke already demonstrates make the market’s support of her a sound investment. “I am disciplined in what I want to do. I have a clear vision of who I want to be and what I want to share with my community. As long as the Capitol Market allows me to host this annual dinner, it is something I want to do.”
Pictured: Main course served at Chef Ke’s 2nd Annual Juneteenth Farm to Table Dinner in West Virginia | Photo credit: Minimah Sports Photography
