Muloma Heritage Center is a non-profit organization that is an educational, culinary and pastoral destination exploring the African Atlantic culture.
Our Plan
Location
Muloma Heritage Center is working at the crossroads of culture, cuisine, sustainability, agriculture, and ecology. Based on 38 acres on historic St. Helena Island in the South Carolina Lowcountry, we are creating a mindful and reverent space where all parts of the Diaspora can break bread and share ideas. Muloma honors the richness of our past and its ties to the present while protecting that legacy and its role in future innovations and evolving stories of African Atlantic culture, cuisine, and traditions.
Initially, we will address a segment of the St. Helena market known for its stable, family orientation, and for its willingness to support and patronize local institutions. In addition, we will look to gain support from the Beaufort County and South Carolina community, both its residents and businesses while building partnerships with local organizations, educational institutions, and culinary schools. Once established, we will expand our focus to include the entire regional, national, and international market.
Our Plan
Muloma Heritage Center strives through food and agriculture to create a unique environment in which people of all ages, ability, and experience can feel free to imagine, create, and welcome an African centered approach to food culture. This environment will appeal to a broad cross-section of all families, without regard to cultural, racial, educational, or economic background. The takeaway from a visit to Muloma Heritage Center is that the visitor will better understand the culture and contributions that emerged from Africa and her Diaspora.
The focal point of the property will be three kitchens that represent the evolution of Black cooking- the Ancestral Kitchen, Heritage Kitchen, and the Legacy Kitchen. Various farms will connect the kitchens. An outdoor dining area will be located in the center of the land dedicated to educational and social programming. Each kitchen will be used as educational and practical tools for visitors.
Muloma Heritage Center has been invited to apply for a sizable Humanities Grant funded by the Mellon Foundation. More information will be announced soon.
Objectives:
Culinary – Build relationships with culinary schools to work with the next generation of chefs, cooking classes, cooking demonstrations, food history, tastings
Culture – Educate on the history of the African Atlantic influences around the world
History – Archiving past and present foodways of the Diaspora
Eco-tourism – Farmstead, gardens and greenhouse
Destination – Weddings, reunions, special events
Community – Partnerships that enrich and support the local area
We are committed to making St. Helena Island an Eco-Tourism destination and promoting the African Atlantic culture worldwide.
Products/Services
Muloma Heritage Center will provide a multitude of products and services, to include: cooking demonstration, cooking classes, tastings, exhibits, tours, educational programming, interactive hands-on activities, family and youth activities, souvenirs, special events, and lectures.
Visitors to the property will be:
1. Foodies:
Food lovers can take cooking classes taught by award-winning chefs, or they can simply relax while being served traditional Black foodways and African Diasporic cuisine in the outdoor dining area, with live oak trees covered in Spanish moss in the distance.
2. History enthusiasts:
Whether a visitor is an academic or a casual history buff, they will get a deep dive into the unique history of foods that traveled across the Atlantic and have become the cornerstone of American foodways. Taught by culinary historians, chefs, and experts directly connected to the community.
3. Students:
a. Those enrolled in culinary school looking to perfect their skills and deepen their knowledge of regional cuisines and their connection to foods throughout the country and the world, by studying with a master chef or food historian.
b. College students and other adults looking to learn more about the American connection to the African Atlantic foodways, history and culture.
c. Students visiting for a school trip to enhance their classroom experience.
2. Tourists to Charleston and the Sea Islands:
Visitors to the region will experience the unique natural beauty, history, and culture of St. Helena Island, and learn of its undeniable influence on and it’s connection to world cuisine.
3. Special Events:
Muloma Heritage Center will be a destination for special events.