Kitchen Alchemy

I am affectionately known as Nana JuJu for my ability to put hearts, minds and bodies at ease. My interest in the connection between health and food was sparked when I saw my father successfully manage high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, and borderline diabetes through diet and exercise. I learned as Hippocrates instructed, “let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”. I took that knowledge with me when I served as a Peace Corps Agricultural Volunteer in Paraguay, establishing a women’s empowerment project which improved family nutrition and their financial independence.  As a stay-home mom, I held Cook Days at my home to teach my girlfriends new recipes.  I'd send out an email with the recipe and the ingredient list and my friends would bring their children over.  We'd cook together all day while the kids played outside. The mamas would then take home a new dish or two for dinner and soon the husbands were asking "When is JuJu having another Cook Day?”

One day as we discussed our eventual return to full-time work, I said "I wish I knew something about politics or education.  Then, I could do something positive in the community."  My girlfriends said "JuJu, you know food!  You know how to teach people to make a feast using simple ingredients." I started doing cooking demonstrations at a Farmers Market in DC, spreading what I call my "gospel of eating well." My philosophy, my "good news," is that healthy eating needn't be expensive, difficult or time-consuming.  I parlayed my knowledge into a successful profession, teaching children and adults in the community at birth centers, in wellness circles, after-school programs, and senior centers. I wrote a successful cookbook (now out of print) based on WIC staples and fresh produce that was given free to farmers’ market clients. My new cookbook, Healthy and Homemade: Eating Well On A Budget is now available for purchase. 

Listen or watch below to find out more about my work. 

Edible Activist Podcast: Plate to Passion: JuJu Harris on Culinary Education & Well-Being

The People’s Market DMV Presents A Virtual Cooking Experience with NanaJuJu