Effen Vodka has partnered with filmmakers Erica Rose and Elina Street to produce a short film about Chef Kia Damon (Day-Mone) for Women’s History Month. The video spotlights Kia’s culinary excellence, explores queer food culture, and shows how she supports her community through her organization, Kia Feeds The People.
Kia Damon is a self-taught chef and proud Floridan woman. While paving her way through kitchens, she launched The Supper Club From Nowhere as a response to the lack of visible Black women in her culinary community. She soon became known as Kia Cooks as she spent her time doing pop up dinners, private cooking and cooking demos. After moving to New York, she took over as an Executive Chef in Manhattan at 24 years old. Next, she became Cherry Bombe Magazine’s first Culinary Director.
Kia Feeds The People Program is a budding non profit, co-founded by Kia, that aims to fight food apartheid by getting quality, organic produce and pantry items to the underserved and the Black, QTPOC communities in Brooklyn, New York, and started as a result of the pandemic and protests over the Summer.
Filmmakers Erica Rose and Elina Street’s mission is to tell queer and female driven stories and, with this piece, they explore the movement of queer food and how it nourishes, feeds and cultivates the LGBTQIA+ community, through the lens of Kia’s personal story – what she serves, her chosen family and her organization’s mission.
Effen Vodka has partnered with Rose and Street, as well as Kia, on this short film for Women’s History Month as well as a specialty Effen Rose Vodka cocktail recipe and Gumbo food pairing. Check out the recipes and the video below
Kia Damon’s Effen Rosé Vodka Grapefruit Cocktail
Ingredients:
- 2 parts EFFEN Rosé vodka
- 1 oz of lime juice
- ½ oz of cane syrup
- 2 or 3 parts grapefruit juice
Directions: Mix the grapefruit juice, lime juice, simple syrup, Effen Rosé vodka and a spoonful of ice in a cocktail shaker. Stir and taste. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with grapefruit, and thyme. Drink responsibly + enjoy!
Kia’s Gumbo Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 oz andouille sausage
- 1lb Boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 large yellow onions, diced
- 4 stalks of celery, diced
- 2 green bell peppers, diced
- 2 cups sliced okra, fresh or frozen
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 cup of oil
- 1 cup AP flour
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 4 tbsp Creole seasoning
- 1 tbsp of fresh thyme
- 1 tbsp Smoked paprika
- ½ tbsp Ground sage
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- Hot sauce to taste
- Black pepper
- Kosher salt
- Fresh parsley
Directions:
- Season the chicken thighs with 2 tablespoons of creole seasoning, salt and pepper. Season well on both sides. Heat a skillet or cast iron to medium heat with enough oil to cover the bottom. When the pan is hot, sear the chicken in batches. Brown the chicken on both sides and set aside. The chicken does not have to be cooked through just yet.
- In a large pot add the oil and heat to a medium high heat. Add the flour and whisk until it begins to cook. Lower the heat to medium low. Keep whisking the roux over a controlled and steady heat until the flour begins to darken into a deep brown. This takes about 30 minutes so pace yourself.
- Turn the heat down on the roux and add in your onion, bell pepper and celery. Stir into the roux, season with a few pinches of salt and sauté until fragrant and translucent. Add in your minced garlic and fresh thyme. Stir for another 2 minutes. Slowly pour in the chicken stock while whisking the roux. Do this part slowly because the roux will begin to thicken. Take your time and continue pouring in the stock until it’s completely incorporated.
- Bring the pot to a boil, meanwhile slice the sausage in ¼ inch rounds on a slight bias. When the pot begins to boil, reduce to a simmer and add the chicken and sausage. Let the gumbo cook on low for an hour. You want time for the flour taste to cook out.
- After an hour, add the remaining two tablespoons of creole seasoning, smoked paprika, ground sage and worcestershire sauce to the pot. Stir and add your sliced okra. Cook for another 10 minutes, add salt and pepper and hot sauce to taste then serve with rice and chopped parsley.
- Enjoy!
Recipe credit: Kia Damon, Kia Feeds The People
Photo credit: Solène Michel