Lokelani Alabanza’s professional culinary journey started in the United States, at the New England Culinary Institute. From there, her love of food has taken her around the world. From her first kitchen job in Denmark to her time working as a private chef in Japan, her travels have expanded her palate and refined her ability to create incredible food.

It was in Los Angeles, under the tutelage of renowned pastry chef Elizabeth Belkind, that Loke’s passion for pastry cooking was ignited. There, she worked with Dahlia Narvaez and Nancy Silverton at the James Beard award-winning restaurant Campanile, before landing in Nashville, as Culinary Director for a local creamery. Lokelani’s time there grew both her passion for ice cream, expanded her experience (where she created over 300 flavors), and her love of integrating nostalgia into her cooking. Today, she creates beautiful flavors that spur the imagination while educating consumers about African American culinary history. She has been featured in Bon Appetit, Milk Street Radio, Wirecutter, Food 52, NPR, Oxford American, The Tennessean, The Sewanee Review and CherryBombe Magazine.