Our Team

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Joe G. Thomas is a respected Black Elder, farmer, author, and plant-based wellness educator with more than five decades of lived experience rooted in food, culture, and community care. Born in Trinidad and Tobago and now based in Ontario, Canada, Joe’s journey bridges ancestral foodways with modern plant-based science. Certified in Plant-Based Nutrition through Cornell University’s T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition, he brings both academic grounding and deep cultural wisdom to his work—teaching that health is not a trend, but a return to what our bodies and communities have always known.

As founder of the Black Plant-Based Health Network, Joe leads initiatives that center dignity, access, and intergenerational healing—most notably programs serving Black Elders through plant-based meals, wellness education, and community support. His work reflects a lifelong commitment to service: from farming and product development to coaching, writing, and public education. Joe is the author of Let Food Be Your Medicine Today and Afro-Veganism: A Plant-Based Lifestyle for Black People, and continues to mentor younger generations with a steady, compassionate voice. His message is simple and enduring: food is not just nourishment—it is memory, medicine, and a pathway to collective well-being

Naza Hasebenebi is the Eritrea-born visionary behind CHIC PEAS VEG, a vibrant plant-based food and learning hub rooted in culture, intuition, and care. With more than 20 years living a plant-based lifestyle, Naza brings together ancestral wisdom and a deep, global understanding of herbs and spices—guided by her signature philosophy: “add a little of this, a little of that.” The result is cuisine that is bold, nourishing, and unmistakably soulful, drawing inspiration from Eritrean and Ethiopian foodways while welcoming influences from across the Afro-diaspora.

Beyond the plate, Naza is a passionate educator and community builder. Through catering, pop-up brunches, and hands-on cooking classes for individuals, community groups, and corporate teams across Toronto, she empowers people to cook delicious vegan meals with confidence and creativity. You’ll find Naza every Saturday at The Stop Farmers’ Market (Wychwood Barns)—and at festivals year-round—sharing comforting stews and soups, aromatic spice blends, fresh injera, baked goods, vibrant salads, and more. Her work is an open invitation to reconnect with food as culture, medicine, and joy—one lovingly seasoned dish at a time.

Bashir Munye is a Somali-born, Italy-raised, Toronto-based chef, educator, and food advocate whose work treats food as far more than sustenance—it is a living bridge between culture, identity, and possibility. Rooted in the traditions of Somali pastoral nomads and shaped by years living in Italy, Bashir’s culinary journey reflects the layered realities of diasporic life, where heritage and innovation coexist. These experiences inform a deeply reflective practice grounded in the belief that food is not simply what we eat, but a powerful expression of who we are and how we belong.

In Toronto, Bashir’s work spans the kitchen, classroom, and community. As a chef-educator, he uses food as pedagogy—inviting learners to explore history, creativity, and cultural meaning alongside culinary technique. As a food advocate and consultant, he collaborates with organizations and communities to design equitable, sustainable food systems that honor cultural relevance while imagining new futures. Central to this work is his exploration of Afro-Culinary Futurism, a forward-looking framework that blends ancestral African knowledge with innovative practices to reimagine food systems built on equity, sustainability, and cultural celebration—where food becomes a tool for empowerment, connection, and collective transformation.