DeVonn Francis is a queer, first-generation Jamaican-American artist, model and chef with a background in design and performance studies. He founded Yardy in fall 2017 as a way to investigate his own role in Caribbean culture and to encourage others to seek joy and celebration in their own identities. Since then, Yardy has gone on to create brand campaigns, develop activations, and redefine and reaffirm the importance of food and culture. He has blended his wide range of experiences to build a company that engages important issues through both food and design. Francis is currently the food media director at the Food Education Fund, a nonprofit supporting culinary-focused public high school students in New York City.

Join us in conversation with DeVonn Francis about what it means to create focused and uplifting spaces for Black and brown people within the North American food system — and what it means to throw a damn good party.