Changemakers: Chef Amber Williams on Food Justice, Empowerment, and Community Gardens

A food desert is an area where residents have little to no access to food that’s healthy, fresh, and affordable. According to the USDA, about 19 million people—6.1% of the population—live in low-income areas where they have trouble getting to a grocery store. With a disproportionate impact on communities of color, food deserts are the result of a broken food system that places profit ahead of people, animals, and our planet.

Chef Amber Williams sat down with us to share some of her tips for healthy eating while living in a food desert—and her hopes for how we can build a fair, nourishing, empowering food system that works for all of us.

Can you share what inspired you to write your book?

I was born and raised in Dallas, Texas, in an area called Oak Cliff. It’s known as a large food desert or food-insecure area here in the southern sector of Dallas. For those who don't know, a food desert is any space that doesn't have ready access to healthy, affordable food. This project is very near and dear to my heart, because I’ve lived a lot of the realities that this book is speaking to—and I still face some of those barriers as well, because I still live in this area by choice.

Surviving the Food Desert was birthed out of the pandemic. I didn’t start writing it as a cookbook, but as a writing medium to help me cope during the pandemic when business was shut down. In that moment, I found myself going right back to the food drives that I was very familiar with as a child. I noticed that although I was going back to these food drives, I also had the availability to drive to one of the big retailers if I wanted to, while some of my counterparts in the community probably didn’t. So what did the same scenario look like for them? (Without even adding kids to the mix, and transportation issues, and budgets, and all those things!) So then I started to connect with my purpose for the book: The purpose of building a platform of hope.

Surviving the Food Desert is a compilation of recipes that I created within the pandemic—again, just out of trying to be creative and trying to survive. Some of the recipes were created then, and some of them are from my childhood; a lot of recipes that my mom used to cook. It includes a resource guide and a nationwide list of organizations that people can look up and hopefully volunteer for, with their time or their money. Or, if you need resources, you can get them from the book.

Can you share a bit more about your personal background and how it influenced your values and purpose today? What kinds of foods did you grow up eating?

A lot of people in this area are either depending on food drive banks, food drive boxes, or places like convenience stores that just don't have the most sustainable practices for what they offer their community. So that's kind of what you're stuck with. Although I had those things growing up, I also had a mom who was very creative and used a lot of her ingenuity to “make something out of nothing,” as people would say.

As an adult, I use those same tools and tricks—not only in my personal life, but in my business life, too. I wanted to share my own experience with other people who find themselves in a sticky spot, because we can't fold when the resources aren't here yet. We can't crumble while we're waiting. I try to motivate and empower people to push through that space.

While your cookbook is omnivorous, you draw on plant-based recipes and values as well. How can plant-based eating be a path to eating more healthy, accessible, affordable foods?

I went through my own health battles within the pandemic. I'm a really active person, but I found during the pandemic that I kept gaining weight. I did some research on the symptoms that I had, and I actually found out that I had adult-onset food sensitivities to a lot of the foods I was eating every single day. That propelled me to research more about what food sensitivities are, what they do for your body, and how to alleviate them.

I ended up doing an elimination diet, and after I looked at everything my body was responding to, I was left with a vegan diet. During the pandemic, I went vegan for almost a year. I'm no longer vegan, but if I could show you pictures of what a more plant-based diet has done for me physically, and tell you how I've been affected mentally and emotionally…! It has been monumental.

I know that’s education that food-disparaged communities might not have. (Plant-based eating) could easily be a key component of adding years to your life, and just exposing you to a better lifestyle. Incorporating more plants into your diet is super, super important. You have to make a choice at some point to take care of your body and steward it in a better way.

How are your values reflected in the recipes you created?

I wanted the recipes to be easy and adaptable. In my business, I always tell my clients, “Anything you see on our menu can be adapted to any dietary restrictions.” We can cater to anyone and everyone. You hate going to an event and it's like, “oh, I'm vegan!” but there's nothing for you. I try to think about that person and make sure everyone can have an equal dining experience.

The other unique thing about the book is that it's translatable. Although it's talking about how to survive a food desert, it also talks about how to survive any “desert” in your life. Whether you're in a career desert, a relational desert, or a financial desert, those tips are meant to speak to every single area. That was a way that I was speaking hope into myself during the pandemic—which created droughts in several places for many of us.

Food is so closely intertwined with community. Do people in your family, friend group, or wider community have eating habits similar to or different from yours? Does that impact your choices, and if so, how?

With my dietary changes, sometimes I'm sitting there looking at the menu like… “can't eat that, can't eat that, can't eat that.” I've had to wrestle with my reality and culture and how I want to fit in that space. And I think that can be hard for a lot of people. We all need accountability or a support system when we’re trying to do better, and sometimes those have to be other people than our family and friends. But I think community is important for support—telling people that it's okay to switch grandma's recipe to something a bit healthier than what she used to make. But we can’t do it alone. That's what I do know. We can't do it alone.

Let’s talk about community gardens! How can they play a role in food empowerment?

When I looked at the different resources around me, I think community gardens were probably my biggest reward. (I'm trying to grow my green thumb as well!) So it was exciting to find not only community gardens, but organizations creating community garden volunteer opportunities to allow other people to get their hands dirty.

There's an organization here called Oak Cliff Veggie Project, and they go around to different community gardens and do whatever the garden needs. If it's harvesting time, we’ll harvest that Saturday. If it's time to clean things out, or we just had a freeze, then we're cleaning things out. What's so great is that you get to work side-by-side with master gardeners, so not only are you doing the work, but you're learning a lot—so you can go home and try it out yourself.

There are people of all ages, cultures, races, and backgrounds out there getting their hands dirty. The education piece—knowing where your food is coming from, being knowledgeable about that process—it gives you a sense of empowerment. It allows you to take the power back. If you know where the seed came from, you planted it yourself, and you got your hands dirty, you can breathe a little easier because you created your food with your own hands.

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“Knowing where your food is coming from, being knowledgeable about that process—it gives you a sense of empowerment. It allows you to take the power back.”

What are some of your tips for folks who face barriers to healthy eating?

One, pay attention to your body. I know the lay of the land or the culture says there are all these diets that you can choose from. But even a specific diet may not speak directly to what's going on in your body. Listen to your body first and foremost, and then look around and see what you can do.

And two, start simple! I'm a professional chef, but when I teach people to cook, I emphasize that food does not have to be fussy. Just get creative, grab some simple ingredients, and explore. I know it’s a little daunting, but try starting out with meatless Mondays! Just start where you can and slowly begin to pay more attention to what's on your plate.

What are your hopes for the future of our food system?

I think there are large educational gaps in our food culture, and we have these great disparities. Once we can bring everybody up to the same playing field, we can all have an equal chance. You should be able to choose whether you want to grow your food, or if you want to try a new diet, or things like that.

I've had people ask me, “What is a spaghetti squash?” Or, “I've never seen a green bean outside of a can.” If you go to a store, or go to a farmer's market, you can give people access to the food—but if they don't have the education behind it, they're going to resort back to what they know.

That's what the Surviving the Food Desert project is here for; to bring that educational piece and share resources that are already accessible. So I hope we can level that playing field.

Keep up with Chef Amber Williams and learn more about the Surviving the Food Desert project on her website! And for more tips on healthy, affordable plant-based eating, download our free Path to Plant-Based Starter Guide.