In the second installment of our series with the incomparable Tia Mowry, we’ve had a heart-to-heart with Tia herself. As a leading lady, cooking master, and the architect of a warm and loving home for her and her kids, Tia shares insights into her personal sanctuary.
Join us as we bring the series to a close with this exciting opportunity to not only hear Tia’s perspective but to actively participate in crafting a virtual haven that embodies the essence of her style. Let your creativity soar as you become a part of Tia Mowry’s home in the Redecor universe!
Q: Tia, this month we got to know about your design style favorites and your black history inspirations, but now we really want to talk about YOU. You have so many other issues and causes that matter to you. Is there any other topic you would like to raise, in our final session?
A: Women’s health is a really important topic to me. When it comes to wellness a lot of black women are ignored. You hear about the substantial percentages that are connected to women dying during childbirth. women not being properly diagnosed with their diseases, their illnesses. I had just read an article talking about how a lot of people within the black community aren’t supported when they’re experiencing pain. Overall, we’re just not being taken seriously. So when we are sitting down talking to a doctor, it’s almost like there is no power or there is no trust in whatever’s going on. So, I love when there are organizations, activists within the community, putting a spotlight on these unfortunate circumstances.
And when I visit the doctor’s office for myself and my children, I always have the awareness that I have to be an advocate here. But you know, we’re working on it.
Q: As a mother, how do you approach discussing Black History Month?
A: I think the first thing ever since they were little was books and reading. Whether that’s a book that specifically talking about Martin Luther King or Rosa Parks, getting them to understand our history on that kind of level, on how they grasp information.
It’s more about me, telling them how important they are. And even Cairo like how beautiful she is, and smart, I always work on instilling some sense of confidence about who they are. So I definitely start that way with them identifying themselves as black. And letting them know how wonderful, smart, beautiful, handsome, they are. Because it starts with self-love first and how other people speak to them or what they say about them, which does happen in a negative way. Because that’s just unfortunately our world and what little brown or black boys and girls will go through. I find that if I give them strength and confidence in who they are, then they’re not as triggered when they’re out in the outside world. Then we’ll talk about our history and the struggles that we’ve gone through, and they get an understanding of not just their struggles, but more what we have gone through as a culture. But let’s also talk about the positive things, the things that we’ve done as a culture and the incredible breakthroughs we’ve made and coming back to us being able to be a successful black family because of these breakthroughs.
Q: What’s the boldest / most fearless move you’ve made, that really impacted your life?
A: I’m being really honest, it was taking on the food entertainment industry. It was around the time I introduced myself as a home cook, and then as a chef to the world. It really wasn’t necessarily seen, especially being black. There’s really was no one out there that was an actor/ entrepreneur/ author and then also a home cook chef that had broken into the culinary scene.
So with that said, I was the only one. I didn’t have anybody to look at to be inspired by, doing what I was doing. I remember being on set for the first time being produced by the same person that produces Giada and Bobby Flay, on The Food Network, and I’m like, here I am. I remember that first take I was sweating bullets because I’m so used to having a script. When you’re cooking in the kitchen, there is no script, you have to talk and cook at the same time and make sure you’re not burning anything. I was so nervous and new to this world. When I conquered it, I was like hell yeah. I was so proud of myself and to still be in the culinary world today, and having my own YouTube channel, Tia Mowry’s Quick Fix and television shows like Not Like Mama, that touch on the culinary experience, I’m very proud.
Q: Given your mastery in cooking, are there culinary traditions or recipes that you associate with black history, or just a favorite dish you want to tell Redecor players, maybe from one of your recipe books?
I would say collard greens, and the reason why I say that is because this recipe has been passed down from generation to generation. I loved when my mother told me the story about how when she was with her grandmother, my great grandmother who’s since passed on, and she lived a beautiful long life, she was in her mid 90s. My mother told me how when she would make the collard greens, how they would actually go to the field to grab the collards, like, grocery shopping was actually going to the farm. And just hearing that is just like, wow, what actually went in to making this dish? And then, of course, she made it for my grandmother, then my grandmother made it for my mother, and then my mother made it for me, I’m making it for my kids. So it’s just such a staple signature dish within my household.
