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ABOUT
US

Kenyan Market Stall in Nairobi_Jikoni Recipe Archive

The Jikoni Recipe Archive is a non-profit organization that celebrates the rich cuisine of Africa and its diaspora by documenting the legacy of cooks both traditional and modern, while amplifying its vibrant food culture.

 

We are currently curating an Experiences Program that gives our supporters a hands-on taste of the foods and cultures we want to preserve. Our focus has always been on sharing the rich culinary heritage of Africa and its diaspora; with this archive, we hope to expand our work beyond our team's passions. Check out our full Experiences Calendar here.

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The Jikoni Recipe Archive is currently fundraising to grow our team and launch our Food Ambassador Program, which will help us develop our digital archive platform.

OUR
BEGINNINGS.

We began our work in 2019 with our Experiences program, which involved food creators and chefs teaching the foods of their upbringing in classes held in Jikoni Studios, our sister company.

 

When COVID-19 hit, we pivoted to content creation and began sharing these same stories online. Despite having limited resources, we used this as an opportunity to experiment and create the content that people weren't paying for.

Jikoni Recipe Archive Deck_projected timeline.jpg
Kiano Moju, an author, producer, professor, video host, and culinary creative is similing for a company headshot in a red shirt. She is the Jikoni Recipe Archive founder and the Jikoni Studios founder

OUR FOUNDER.

Based in Los Angeles, Kiano Moju is an author, producer, professor, and video host.

 

Kiano Moju's culinary identity combines her Kenyan and Nigerian heritage, Californian upbringing, and travels abroad.

 

After working as a video producer for BuzzFeed's food video vertical, Tasty, where Kiano produced and hosted nearly 100 recipe and lifestyle videos, she departed in 2019 to found her own culinary creative studio, Jikoni Studios. Since opening, Kiano has produced cooking videos for the Food Network, Tastemade, and the USDA, to name a few.   

 

Following her Masters' degree dissertation, which analyzed the rise of Digital Food Media and representation within the niche, Kiano wrote the first blueprint for Jikoni, which later evolved into The Jikoni Recipe Archive.

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  • BS in Communications and Rhetorical Studies, Syracuse University

  • MA in Publishing, University of the Arts London

  • Adjunct professor teaching Introduction to Food Media, Syracuse University '23

  • Cookbook Author, Simon & Schuster (Publishing Spring 2024)

  • James Beard Media Awards Judge 2022

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