This Women’s HERStory Month, I’m celebrating trailblazing women who are reshaping the way we think about food, community, health, and inclusion on the Eating at a Meeting Podcast.

This week, I’m introducing you to Jin-Ya Huang—a social entrepreneur, artist, and community leader using food to break down barriers and build bridges.

A social practice artist turned “accidental entrepreneur,” Jin-Ya is the founder of Break Bread, Break Borders (B4) — a catering social enterprise empowering refugee women through food, storytelling, and economic opportunity.

Inspired by her mother’s resilience and shaped by her family’s immigrant journey from Taiwan to Texas, Jin-Ya combines her experience in global branding with a deep commitment to equity and inclusion. Through B4, refugee women share their cultural recipes and personal stories, transforming community dinners into platforms for understanding and empowerment.

Jin-Ya’s work has been featured by TIME Magazine, NPR, TEDx, and more — but what drives her most is her mission to remove barriers, uplift voices, and build bridges through food.

In this episode, we’ll explore how she’s rewriting the narrative around refugees, redefining what it means to serve your community, and how she continues to honor her late mother’s legacy by creating space for others to thrive.

In celebration of Women’s HERStory Month, I’m honored to highlight Femeika Elliott, a powerhouse in food justice, maternal health, and community empowerment, on the Eating at a Meeting podcast.

How do we reclaim access to fresh, nutritious food and create healthier futures for our communities?

Femeika is on a mission to transform food justice, maternal health, and sustainability in Knoxville and beyond. As the founder of Meik Meals, the Lotus Program, and Rooted East Knoxville Collective, she is breaking down barriers to healthy eating, postpartum wellness, and land justice—one meal, one garden, and one conversation at a time.

From launching over 130 raised garden beds across East Knoxville to championing Black maternal health statewide, Femeika’s work is reshaping the way we think about food and equity. Her initiatives don’t just nourish bodies; they empower communities to reclaim traditions of self-sustainability, wellness, and collective strength.

With food apartheid and health disparities affecting countless lives, Femeika’s impact is a powerful reminder that access to nutritious food is a right, not a privilege. Her grassroots leadership is inspiring systemic change—proving that the future of food is local, just, and deeply rooted in community.

“Femeika isn’t just providing meals—she’s planting seeds of empowerment, ensuring communities thrive for generations to come.”

🌟 Women’s HERStory Month on Eating at a Meeting 🌟

This Women’s HERStory Month, I’m celebrating trailblazing women who are reshaping the way we think about food, community, health, and inclusion on the Eating at a Meeting podcast. Follow along as I honor changemakers like Femeika and many others who are leaving a lasting impact.

Food has the power to nourish, heal, and connect—and this Women’s HERStory Month, I’m honored to celebrate Ally Smith, a woman making a profound impact at the intersection of food and foster care. As Development Director at Partnerships for Children, a private chef, and the creative force behind the “Gather With” cookbook project, Ally is redefining what it means to support vulnerable children and families through the power of food.

Her journey has taken her from case management in the foster care system to a farm-to-table apprenticeship in Italy, where she deepened her understanding of sustainability and food as a tool for connection. Today, she channels that passion into teaching cooking classes for foster children, organizing chef-driven fundraisers, and crafting a cookbook featuring diverse voices in Austin’s food scene—all to ensure that every child has a seat at the table.

In this LIVE episode of Eating at a Meeting Podcast, Ally and I will discuss how she’s using food to create community, empowerment, and healing for children in the foster system, the importance of food security, and why her work is a game-changer in making the food world more inclusive and impact-driven.

🔗 Tune in for this extra episode of Eating at a Meeting for Women's HERstory Month and join the conversation! 🎙️