Chef Adé Carrena Of Dounou Cuisine On Her Journey Of Reclamation

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4.6 • 592 Ratings

🗓️ 30 June 2025

⏱️ 44 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Today’s guest is Adé Carrena, chef and founder of Dounou Cuisine culinary project and the iLéWA Foods spice blend company. A native of Bénin, Adé was adopted at the age of 10 and grew up with a Puerto Rican family in Connecticut. Today, she calls Raleigh, North Carolina, home, and she’s been on a journey of reclamation ever since, raising her daughter, pivoting from banking to culinary, launching her businesses, and reconnecting with her birth mother. In 2023, she was named North Carolina Chef of the Year. Adé joins host Kerry Diamond to talk about her childhood, becoming a mother, and life in Raleigh. They also discuss her most recent project, a documentary titled “Bite of Bénin,” that details her story. Adé calls herself “a bridge, a dreamer, a healer, a chef, a storyteller, and a nurturer.” At the core, it’s all about heart, she says. Click here for tickets for our Summer Tastemaker Tour. Subscribe to Cherry Bombe’s print magazine. More on Adé: Dounou Cuisine, iLéWA Foods, "Bite of Bénin" More on Kerry: Instagram Past episodes and transcripts

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, everyone. You are listening to Radio Cherry Bomb, and I'm your host, Carrie Diamond,
0:09.4	coming to you from Brooklyn, New York. Today's guest is Adei Korena, from Raleigh, North Carolina,
0:14.9	a chef and storyteller whose work bridges continents, generations, and communities.
0:20.2	Adé is the owner of Dunu Cuisine,
0:22.6	founder of Ilewa Foods, and co-director of the Bait of Benin documentary. You can find a link to that
0:29.0	trailer in our show notes. Adé was named the 2023 North Carolina chef of the year, and when you
0:34.5	hear about Adé's cooking, an incredible story, you will understand why.
0:38.8	She's a force, and I think we will be hearing a lot from her in the near future. Stay tuned for our
0:44.3	chat. I want to thank everyone who joined us in Austin, Texas, for the kickoff of our summer
0:49.1	tastemaker tour, presented by the Visa Dining Collection, by Open Table, and Visa.
0:54.7	We had a great lunch and panel discussion at the beautiful Commodore Perry Estate and caught up with some of our favorite food folks.
1:01.3	Austin is such a great food city, and I am always happy to visit.
1:05.2	Next up on our summer tastemaker tour is Hudson Valley, New York.
1:09.0	Join us on Friday, July 11th at Wildflower Farms,
1:13.0	an O'Baird Resort for a day of food and community. We'll be joined by culinary stars Sohe Kim,
1:19.2	Angie Rito, and Leah Cohen, and we even have a special Foccia-making class with Ashley Napoli,
1:25.0	a foccia florist. It's the perfect summer escape.
1:28.3	I'll be there with Team Cherrybaum, and I would love for you to join us.
1:31.9	Access is available for those with eligible visa credit cards.
1:35.3	Terms and conditions apply.
1:37.2	Learn more at Cherrybomb.com and get your tickets through Open Table.
1:41.2	We can't wait to see you there.
	...

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