I'm Here for The Food

Ariane Davis first came to the public’s attention on Love & Hip Hop, the Atlanta franchise.  As tumultuous as the show and all of its characters  were, Ariane seemed to breeze past the drama, maintains an air of mystery.  On today’s episode of I’m Here For The Food, she gives a more revealing look into her time on the show, what talents she’d really like to be known for and the role God has played in her life and what’s gotten her through this crazy year 2020.

On today’s episode of I’m Here For The Food we catch up with the multi hyphenated and multi talented singer Mya Harrison, otherwise known as Mya. She’s not only an award winning singer and songwriter, who produces and distributes her own albums, she’s an accomplished dancer and choreographer, actress and philanthropist. But what’s most notable about Mya is how fiercely private she is. Rarely does she give interviews or divulge tidbits about her personal life.  Tune in to find out what Mya reveals, from her thoughts on being a veteran of 20+ years in the Entertainment Business, hard lessons she’s learned and what passions fuel her drive. You don’t want to miss this!

Trigger warning: The following episode may be difficult to listen to. It’s no secret to the HFTF family and friends that our host Melyssa lost her mother this year, after a short but aggressive battle with Colon Cancer. She publicly shared her pain and mental anguish, knowing that by sharing her experience, others in similar pain would feel seen and understood.   On the premier episode since her return, along with a surprise guest, find out the ways that Melyssa is learning to cope with her new normal and the things she’s learned about Love, Loss and the ways in which to live a fully examined LIFE along the way. (Bring a box of tissue with the wine, folks)

This episode is dedicated to Oksana Barbara Raisa Ford, Melyssa’s mother. She passed at 12:45pm on Tuesday May 19th, 2020. This episode is to update the Foodies and loyal listeners on the status of the show, pending Melyssa’s return. Thank you ALL so much for your tremendous support in this journey.

We are living in strange times these days. Sheltering in Place, forced to quarantine while watching a constant news cycle of a rising death toll due to a virus we are receiving so much conflicting information on. Our “fight or flight” instinct we all have is on high alert. With so much to worry about I ask you this: How much time are YOU devoting to caring for YOURSELF? It’s a natural instinct to want to help others, love others but sometimes to your own detriment. My guest on this episode is Mercedes Coffman, psychotherapist and Licensed Marriage and Family therapist. May is National Mental Health Awareness Month so I couldn’t think of a better time to unpack this loaded subject with an additional discussion about love and the development of healthy relationships.  Links mentioned: 3 Day Water Fast: https://www.whitneyerd.com/2020/01/i-did-a-3-day-water-fast-the-how-why-tips.html Check this out on Insight Timer! https://insig.ht/dGKXSAC5e6 PROMOS: Stamps: https://www.stamps.com/ Promo code : FOOD Cloud Water : https://www.cloudwaterbrands.com/foodie Policy Genius : https://www.policygenius.com

Anyone else getting a case of cabin fever? Has your relationship held up during the Shelter in Place Mandate? Or, If you’re single, have you been Quarantine and Chillin’ or just phone boning? These are just some of the topics covered on today’s episode of I’m Here For The Food. Melyssa is joined by long time friends rapper/actor Maino, VH1 LAHHNY Star Tahiry Jose and Po Johnson from the VH1 hit series LaLa’s Full Court Life. Nothing is left off the table as this group of friends commiserates about what most of us are feeling these days. Tune in for some major laughs! 

Elise Neal is a household name. She’s been a fixture on our TVs and the Big Screen for 30 years. From roles on TV shows like Fresh Prince of Bel Air to All of Us to blockbuster movies such as Logan and Hustle and Flow, she has endeared herself to us through an incredible range of talent and grace. Since turning 50, she has become the epitome of lifestyle and body #goals, maintains a physique that rivals women half her age. Sit down and have a glass of wine with Elise as Melyssa dives beneath the surface of this fabulous woman.

A personal message from Melyssa to YOU lovelies!

Have you ever met someone who, after speaking to them, you’ve realized it was almost predestined for you to meet? That your lives have seemingly been running a parallel course for years up until that moment? Intersectionality is a common theme in all of our lives and on today’s episode, Melyssa walks down memory lane with the editors of King Magazine and discusses the cultural impact the magazine had on young black men and the world. Joining them is Shaka Senghor, who speaks from the perspective of a young man in prison during King’s heyday, and how for black and brown men like him in prison, it was one of their only lifelines to the outside world. Promos: Stamps: Get a 4-week trial, FREE postage AND a digital scale without any long-term commitment by visiting www.stamps.com. Simply click microphone at the top of the homepage and type in FOOD Policy Genius: Compare insurance quotes side by side to find the best option - and save money doing it by visiting www.policygenius.com.

Promo Links: Skillshare: Get TWO free months of unlimited classes by visiting http://skillshare.com/Food Liquid IV: Get 25% off your order by visiting https://liquid-iv.com/ and entering promo code FOODIE at checkout! Imagine this: a pandemic hits the globe and the citizens of every state and country are told to quarantine themselves at home, in order to stop the rate of contagion. Government officials issue a Shelter in Place mandate and you and/or your spouse have been laid off from your jobs.  It’s unbelievable but here we are. But what happens when you’re forced to stay inside in a home that is so abusive that your life is more at risk there than going outside and facing a virus whose mortality rate is steadily creeping up?  On this episode of I’m Here For The Food we talk with former Chief of the Detroit PD and current Chief of Detroit Public Schools Ralph Godbee and Kalyn Fahie, a domestic violence Survivor, Advocate founder of SAFE (Sisters Acquiring Financial Empowerment) to discuss the rise of Domestic Violence complaints during mandatory quarantine and, with all schools adjourned for the rest of the year, the possibility of unreported child abuse with a lack of mandatory reporting.  Promo Links: Skillshare: Get TWO free months of unlimited classes by visiting http://skillshare.com/Food Liquid IV: Get 25% off your order by visiting https://liquid-iv.com/ and entering promo code FOODIE at checkout!

How does one go from being an honor roll student, living in a middle class household in Detroit to a 19 year old crack dealer/user, tried and convicted of 2nd degree murder and sentenced to 17-40 years? New York Times best selling author and prison reform activist Shaka Senghor can tell you, since this is his story. Join us as we take a break from discussing all things #coronavirus and discuss the real life story of life, death and redemption inside of an American Prison with the author of Writing My Wrongs. It’s an episode you DON’T want to miss.  http://www.shakasenghor.com/ Link to purchase Shaka's book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1101907312/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_49cGEbRRC0FNN

Flattening the Curve. Pandemic. Social Distancing. Self Quarantine. Just a few weeks ago, these were words and phrases not often used by most of us. Now, they are mainstays in the public’s lexicon. Most of us don’t know what to believe, mainly because Trump’s greatest accomplishment seems to be conditioning the public to question news reports from even the most reputable media sources. So what do we do, to separate fact from fiction? We ask a couple of experts! On this episode of I’m Here For the Food me and @bluecentric sit down (at home) and remotely interview 6 time author, TV host & Political Correspondent Dr. Marc Lamont Hill and Dr. Bernard Ashby, a Vascular Cardiologist and founder of Comprehensive Vascular Care Clinic.

Coronavirus. Covid 19. A few weeks ago, these terms meant nothing to us. Now, they represent fear, widespread panic, unknown financial repercussions on a global level… and toilet paper 🤷🏽‍♀️😷 It seems the entire world is reacting to what we are being told which appears to be changing hour by hour. Which news source is giving us facts versus manufacturing mass hysteria? On today’s episode of I’m Here For The Food we bring in Dr Noelle Reid from Trinity Health and Wellness to discuss the steps to keep yourself and your loved ones healthy and safe, and to separate the facts from the frenzy. 

Laz Alonso. Mention his name and women collectively start swooning like the heart eyes emoji! One of the stars of the new Amazon Prime series “The Boys”, Laz has graced our TV and Cinema screens for the last 20 years. Charismatic and wildly talented, it seems like the older he gets, the easier he is on the eyes. So why is he still a bachelor? On today’s episode we get all up in his personal business, in addition to discussing the success he has found in his career. Laz is full of energy and surprises so this is definitely an episode you don’t want to miss and may want to WATCH rather than just listen!

When the Fabulous Miss Toccara Jones walks into the room, it’s as if a category 5 hurricane just swept through the place. Trailblazing, charismatic, drop dead gorgeous with an even more beautiful personality, Toccara’s self imposed break from social media and the industry has officially ended and she’s back like she never left… but boy, was she missed!  Toccara sits down in the rotating 3rd chair to talk about the 4 years leading up to the  launch of her custom Intimate Apparel Line “Toccara’s Intimates” which can be found at www.IAmToccara.com ; the ladies also chat about everything from the challenges of entrepreneurship, transitioning from being a model to a businesswoman and those pesky couple of times she and Melyssa dated THE SAME GUYS! Having been one of Melyssa’s closest friends for over 15 years, see how the ladies discuss handling situations that would have challenged other friendships but only  proved to strengthen their bond as Sister Friends.

Amber Rose’s Slut Walk and Face Tattoos. Kobe Bryant’s Legacy. Gayle King’s Mea Culpa. Snoop Dogg's apology. These are just some of the subjects the ladies cover during another episode of “Girl Talk.” Today’s episode brings Melyssa’s friend Actress Skye P. Marshall into the 3rd chair. Not one to suffer fools, Skye offers her spirited take on the following subjects and it’s safe to say the ladies' conversation got a little SPICY! 🌶 🌶🌶🔥🔥🔥 Link to the study referenced in the conversation:  https://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/single-black-females/story?id=9395275 https://thegrio.com/2020/02/06/what-the-response-to-gayle-kings-lisa-leslie-interview-reveals-about-dragging-culture/ https://thegrio.com/2020/02/10/ta-nehisi-coates-addresses-men-too-weak-to-disagree-with-gayle-king-respectfully-istandwithgayle-trends/

Valentines Day may be over but we may have found the secret to long lasting LOVE. Meet the Kinsey’s: Bernard and Shirley met at Florida A&M University and have been married for 53 years. They’re as much in love today as the day Bernard laid eyes on his leading lady. In addition to that, in recognition of Black History Month, they also own the largest collection of African American Art and Historical documents, which they’ve loaned to museums around the world. This is an episode that will pull on your heart strings, give you HOPE and empower you all at once. Review The Kinsey African American Art and History Collection at www.thekinseycollection.com

Valentine's Day is fast approaching and love is in the air! But what do u do if it seems like Cupid’s arrow couldn’t find your ass if you had a bullseye painted on it? No, you don’t spend February 14th curled up in a ball on your living room floor; you call up your gal pals, plan a nite out and give Cupid the finger on your way out the door! Joining Melyssa and Blue for some “Gal-entine’s Day” fun is a gorgeous trio of Melyssa’s pals: actress Parker McKenna, TV personality Rocsi Diaz and Model-preneur Rosa Acosta. Grab some goodies, like the ones featured from www.thegoodgoodla.com to go with your wine (and don’t worry about the calories, they don’t count this week 😉)sit back and indulge in some raunchy and hysterical girl talk!

They say Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus; well, on today’s show the hosts decide to battle it out with two of the funniest guys around! Comedian Spank Horton, of the famed Kevin Hart crew called Plastic Cup Boy’s and “Hollywood Hino” a Nigerian born former heavyweight boxer turned trainer to the stars sit with Melyssa and Blue and share laughs over their combined confusion as to how to make peace with the Opposite Sex! Don’t spill your wine from laughing too hard! Find I'm Here For The Food here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/im.herefort... Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ImHereForThe...

Season 17 of NBC saw the return of Gwen Stefani as a judge and she was quick to turn her chair once she heard the powerhouse voice singing with a voice gifted by God herself. Meet Rose Short, one of this seasons finalists who many say was robbed of the top spot. Rose sits with the hosts to discuss her upbringing in a small town in Texas and how she has never suffered from a Dream deferred. She knows exactly where she’s going and nothing will stop her. Sit down and listen to a future STAR in the making!