Today we’d like to introduce you to Samantha Carrie Johnson.
Samantha Carrie, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’ve always had a passionate love for food. For me, it’s a pathway to having universal connect and understanding with people.
When I was a kid in elementary school, I was in the garden club and later graduated from an Agricultural High School as a member of the FFA (Future Farmers of America).
I opened my first restaurant in my hometown of Philadelphia two years after being crowned Miss Pennsylvania USA and used that platform to connect with young people on the benefits of “real” (unprocessed) food and its effects on at-risk youth and low-income families.
In the years that followed, I began to write, produce and star in reality-based lifestyle content for NBC, MTV, OWN, Hallmark and Lifetime. Between modeling and gigs in entertainment, in 2010, after working in hospitality for almost ten years, I began to cook full-time as a line cook for Top Chef’s first African-American winning Chef.
In 2012, I created Eat Real or Die® a call to action for healthy food initiatives and taught a farm to school curriculum within inner-city high schools. In 2014, I became certified in plant-based nutrition and shifted my focus to work with clients privately with a focus on holistic healing and started a plant-based meal delivery service. In 2016, I worked as a political organizer for Tom Steyer’s PAC Next Gen Climate further advocating for my stance on climate change, food insecurity, inequality and the environment.
In 2018, I traveled to India to continue my studies of holistic Ayurvedic medicine and received my teacher’s training in Ashtanga Yoga. I’m beyond grateful to be able to combine my personal and professional passions and knowledge into the work that I do today as an entrepreneur, chef and lover of humanity.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Lol, nothing about my career has been smooth and rarely is the journey of the entrepreneur or the free spirit. I’ve learned that it’s all about riding the wave of that journey with grace.
I’ve been told many times that I was too smart for my own good, and also that my presence as a black woman, working in food and having a voice on agriculture or anything “farm to table” or plant-based is a red flag in mainstream food media. My voice in this space is revolutionary in its own right.
Environmental injustice, food insecurity is an insidious threat to every shade of humanity and just as significant if not greater than the racial prejudices and violence that are protested globally today because this violence is much more covert and can span generations.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Eat Real Meals (ERM) 4th Street – what should we know?
I’m the chef and Founder of Eat Real Meals™ monthly delivery service available to Greater Los Angeles and ERM 4th Street Cafe and Market located in Boyle Heights. All recipes for the monthly delivery service and cafe are globally inspired and plant-forward made with local and seasonal ingredients. All animal proteins used are Wild, Organic and Kosher. I’m most proud of the market component of ERM 4th Street as it was created as a pathway for our local community of Boyle Heights to have access to healthy, unprocessed foods for their families. We proudly accept EBT at this market and carry staple culinary provisions.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
At the top of this list are my family — parents (both “retired-ish” my mother is a classically trained chef and restauranteur, my father is a sculpture and industrial designer), brother, step-father and grand-parents. Never yielding on their expectations and always supportive, I couldn’t be more grateful for them.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2635 East 4th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90033 - Website: www.eatrealordie.com
- Phone: 323-406-2106
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/erm4thstreet
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