In the latest episode of On the Radar, host Damenica Ellis sits down with Chef Jametta Raspberry, founder of House of Gristle, a culinary brand rooted in culture, resistance, and the art of storytelling through food.
From Corporate to Kitchen
Chef Raspberry’s path to the kitchen was anything but traditional. She left a corporate career at AT&T, briefly chased a music dream, and found herself drawn to culinary school with zero restaurant experience. What she discovered there changed everything. Cooking, she realized, operates like a live performance. You write the recipe like a song, build your team like a band, and when the clock hits 5 p.m., the show begins.
Building House of Gristle
That philosophy became the foundation of House of Gristle, which she launched in 2019 to carve out space in an industry that had never truly made room for her. For 15 years working in professional kitchens, Raspberry was consistently the only Black woman in the room. That reality pushed her to dig deeper into the history of Black women in food and what she found was both inspiring and sobering. Black women, she argues, are the original architects of American cuisine and the cookbook as a concept, and their contributions have been systematically erased and monetized by others.
Centering Black Stories Through Food
Her work is a direct response to that history. House of Gristle centers Black people, Black stories, and Black hospitality in every experience she creates, from intimate pop-ups and curated dinner events to her Nourish Dinner Series, which transforms communal dining into a space for healing, reflection, and cultural expression.
Feeding the Movement
When the murder of George Floyd upended Minneapolis in 2020, Raspberry didn’t march with a sign. She cooked. What started as a batch of oxtails served to protesters on the block grew into a two-week operation that fed over 5,000 people, powered by a network of volunteers and vacant restaurant kitchens across the city.
What’s Coming Next
Looking ahead, she has two projects generating real excitement. Black to the Farm, a late summer harvest dining experience hosted on Black-owned farmland, and a supper club concept launching soon that will offer intentional, members-only dining experiences on a bimonthly schedule.
How to Connect
Listen to the full conversation on On the Radar and follow Chef Raspberry at https://www.houseofgristle.com and on all social platforms at @HouseofGristle. You can also find her on Instagram at @ChefRaspberry.
If you know a Black creative in Minnesota who deserves a spotlight, nominate them at msrmedia.com.
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The art of intentional dining: Jametta Raspberry’s House of Gristle
Chef Jametta Raspberry, founder of House of Gristle, transcends traditional dining by blending French culinary techniques with a deep passion for Black hospitality and community building.