Ghetto Gastro is the Bronx-born culinary collective from Jon Gray, Pierre Serrao, and Lester Walker. The group has defined its own lane, merging food, fashion, music, art, and design. Claiming both the beauty and grit from the streets with the aspiration and aesthetics of the finer things, Ghetto Gastro’s interdisciplinary approach celebrates the Bronx as a driver of global culture. The crew masterfully blends influences from the African diaspora, global South ingredients, and the pulse of hip-hop to create offerings that address race, identity, and economic empowerment.

Osayi Endolyn is a James Beard Award–winning writer, whose work explores food and identity. She’s been published in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the Wall Street Journal, Time, Eater, Food & Wine, Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, and the Oxford American. She’s a regular contributor to food-centered storytelling on various TV and audio platforms. Endolyn is the coauthor of the national bestseller The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food with Marcus Samuelsson.

Since launching in 2012, Ghetto Gastro has gone from hosting underground parties to spearheading large-scale brand campaigns and events with leading fashion designers, artists, and entrepreneurs. Their collaborators and partners include figures like Virgil Abloh, Nike, Cartier, the Serpentine, the Museum of Modern Art, and many more.

During the onset of the pandemic in 2020, Ghetto Gastro prioritized Bronx grassroots initiatives and mutual aid. In recognition for feeding their community, the group was nominated for the Basque Culinary World Prize. In 2021, Ghetto Gastro launched its namesake consumer goods brand of pantry items inspired by ancestral ingredients. The collective released a custom line of kitchen appliances, CRUXGG, across Target stores nationwide and a cookware line with Williams Sonoma. Follow along at [...] on Instagram.

Contents
Foreword by Dr. Jessica Harris
Introduction: Food Is a Weapon

Chapter 1
Welcome to the Bronx

Chapter 2
African Roots

Chapter 3
Bronx to the World: Durag Diplomacy

Chapter 4
Rebels with a Cause

Chapter 5
Dear Mama

Chapter 6
Eyes on the Prize

Chapter 7
Pantry

Resources
Further Reading
Acknowledgments
Index