Communal Table Podcast: Devita Davison

The FoodLab Detroit Executive Director talks about food apartheid, farming, and fixing a broken system.

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Updated on March 4, 2024

Chefs and restaurant workers take great care of everyone else, but often they need a little help themselves. Each week, Food & Wine senior editor Kat Kinsman talks with hospitality pros about they manage their business, brain, and body for the long haul. Is there a topic you'd like to know more about or a guest you'd love to hear from? Tell us at [email protected] or tweet to Kat @kittenwithawhip, and subscribe to the weekly Food & Wine Pro newsletter. Subscribe to the new Communal Table YouTube page and never miss an episode. Catch up on previous episodes here.

Episode 73: Devita Davison Talks About Food Apartheid, Farming, and Fixing a Broken System

In her work as the Executive Director for FoodLab Detroit, Devita Davison has been laser-focused on making sure that residents of her beloved city have access to and equity in the systems that bring healthy food to their tables. In the era of COVID-19, with Black and brown people bearing the brunt of the illness, this public scrutiny and solution seeking is more important than ever. Davison took the time to sit down with Food & Wine to talk about why she uses the term "food apartheid" rather than "food desert," reclaiming farming in the Black community, and why a life of service is in her blood.

Note: This was recorded several days before the George Floyd protests began which is why the conversation does not explicitly address them.