Wanda's Story
My Missions
Wanda delivers culturally-affirming meals, desserts, seasonings and pepper relishes that honor and celebrate the unique histories, traditions and customs embedded in each dish. Through valued industry partnerships and attentive stakeholder care, Wanda enables the community to embrace these cultural messages of shared love and unity.
Wanda Blake: Wanda's Cooking from Centro Community Partners on Vimeo.
In 2015, I started Wanda’s Cooking as a Pop-up Restaurant event for me to share and express my passion for food culture. I wanted to cook and come out of the kitchen and be close and personal with my guest. The Pop-ups became an intimate series of curated restaurant experiences. It gave me an opportunity to take people on a food adventure, gain exposure, and re-introduce dining traditions with updated flair. Pop-up themes included – Sunday Cooks and Church Ladies (Grandma’s house on Sunday), Wanda’s Cooking loves New Orleans (Valentine weekend), Black Eyed Pea Festival and Gumbo Trinity.
My cooking apprenticeship started in my mother’s kitchen and extended to the kitchens of great Aunts, Aunties, Grandma, Cousins and the Mothers of friends. Professional training took place in 1981 at City College of San Francisco, Hotel and Restaurant Management Program.
When I'm not cooking I enjoy the food passion of others – Chefs, Pit Masters, Family and Friends. My food journey travels include: New York, New Orleans, Texas (east-west), Brazil, Cuba, Nigeria and all of California. Tell me where you've been and what you ate – I want to share with you places to eat and food to cook. Remember Wanda’s Cooking.