S3 EP6: Following Curiosity with Jenneh Kaikai
We start 2023 with a spirited conversation with Jenneh Kaikai, recorded in Accra, Ghana, during the holiday break. This conversation was meaningful to me for a few reasons. First, this recording was done outside of my New York City apartment. Although I have had guests from abroad, including Bali, Luxembourg, and Senegal, this was my first time recording in another country. And to add to that, it was done in the motherland, the home of my oral storytelling tradition, Finah, which is the inspiration for this platform. Second, Jenneh, a fellow Sierra Leonean, is a natural storyteller I have wanted to have on the show for a long time. As fate would have it, we could finally make it happen while we were both back home visiting family and friends in West Africa. Lastly, the interview was recorded with my audio engineer extraordinaire Jaey in attendance. Jaey resides in Accra, and after working collaboratively for nearly two years, we finally met in person. Being in Africa and recording this episode was indeed a full-circle moment.
Back in 2020, when many of us were cooped up at home, Jenneh, an economic development professional by training, leaned into her love of baking, resulting in the creation of Pelah Kitchen. Pelah Kitchen is a bespoke micro-bakery based in Brooklyn, New York, specializing in botanical cake artistry. Pelah means "home" in Mende, a nod to Jenneh's Sierra-Leonean heritage. As a self-taught baker and aspiring recipe maker, she likes to think of sharing her desserts as a way of inviting people into her home and, ultimately, the diverse flavors and ingredients of the African diaspora.
In our conversation, Jenneh speaks candidly about her journey of building a business and brand rooted in her African heritage and investing in the communities there. We explore our identities and responsibilities as people of the African diaspora. Jenneh shares the principle of humility which guides her in all she does. To Jenneh, humility is "being in awe of the grace of God and what is possible." It is the understanding that we don't get where we are on our own.
We hope this conversation encourages you to follow curiosity and alignment in life. Be prepared to savor morsels of wisdom.
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You can find out more about Jenneh here:
Jenneh's Instagram
Jenneh's Website
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Drc. Jaèy is the technical director of this episode. This episode was produced by Kume House LLC and the AMBC.
