Wednesday, June 24, 2026

Sugarcane to Glass: Rum and the Making of Caribbean Flavor

round white ceramic plate filled with waffle

Join chef and mixologist Nelson German and culinary anthropologist and author Andréa Lawson Gray for a conversation exploring rum, sugar, and the histories that shape Caribbean flavor. Drawing from their book Caribbean Cocktails: Drinks and Bites from the Afro-Latino Diaspora, they will examine how ingredients travel, how knowledge is passed, and how cultural expression takes form through food and drink.

Focusing on sugarcane as a foundational crop and rum as both an industrial product and cultural practice, the conversation will trace the movement of plants and people across the Caribbean and the African diaspora. Grounded in both scholarship and lived experience—including German’s Afro-Latino upbringing in New York’s Washington Heights—the discussion will consider how systems of trade, labor, and exchange continue to shape contemporary flavor.

Together, the speakers will introduce the concept of “Distillery Justice” as a framework for thinking about authorship, value, and cultural memory in food and beverage today.

Museum of Food and Drink

55 Water Street, 2nd floor | Brooklyn, NY 11201

Wednesday, June 24, 2026

7 - 9 PM (doors open at 6)

Purchase Tickets

PURCHASE TICKETS HERE!
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Tickets include access to Street Food City from 6 to 7 PM, bites, and refreshments.

Courtesy of our partner bookseller, copies of Caribbean Cocktails: Drinks and Bites from the Afro-Latino Diaspora can be pre-purchased for a discount in a ticket bundle and at full price during the program.

Museum of Food and Drink

55 Water Street, 2nd floor | Brooklyn, NY 11201

Wednesday, June 24, 2026

7 - 9 PM (doors open at 6)

Purchase Tickets

PURCHASE TICKETS HERE!
(above button does not work)

Tickets include access to Street Food City from 6 to 7 PM, bites, and refreshments.

Speakers

Chef Nelson German

is the Executive Chef and Owner of Oakland’s acclaimed Sobre Mesa and alaMar Dominican Kitchen & Bar, and Executive Chef and Partner at Meski — the Afro-Ethiopian-Latin restaurant in San Francisco co-founded by Draymond Green and Guma Fassil. A proud Dominican-American born in Manhattan’s Washington Heights, Chef Nelson tells the story of the African and Caribbean diasporas through soulful, modern cuisine that blends ancestral flavors with global technique.

Trained in some of New York City’s top kitchens, Chef Nelson has become a leading voice in Afro-Latin cooking since relocating to the Bay Area. He competed on Top Chef Season 18 and has been featured in Food & Wine, The Washington Post, Glamour, and more.

A James Beard Foundation–recognized chef and one of Plate Magazine’s “Chefs to Watch,” Chef Nelson is also known for his community-driven approach — using his platform to uplift others, foster connection, and bring people together through food. Whether through a cocktail, a tasting menu, or a neighborhood gathering, his work invites guests to experience culture, story, and belonging in every bite.

Chef Nelson German

Andréa Lawson Gray

is a chef, writer, and James Beard Award–winning cookbook author known for bringing the flavors, history, and energy of Latin America and the Caribbean to contemporary audiences. With more than two decades of experience in professional kitchens, she collaborates closely with chefs to translate culinary tradition into bold, accessible food and drink.

She is the co-author of the award-winning Convivir: Modern Mexican Cooking in California’s Wine Country (Abrams, 2025) and Celebraciones Mexicanas: History, Traditions, and Recipes (Rowman & Littlefield, 2013), which is held in more than 350 libraries, including Harvard and Cambridge.

She divides her time between San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York City.