people / black history month
Knowing the Past Opens the Door to the Future Chartwells’ chefs share their thoughts about Black History Month. With a nod to their culinary roots, they are all making significant contributions in our campus kitchens.
#BHMinspiredchefs
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
Partnering with Pie Master of Harry’s Café Maya-Camille Broussard teaches life lessons with pies, tarts and quiches. She tells stories and sells her Justice of the Pies baked goods at Harry’s Café, the Compass Group-managed restaurant at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law. Her business is inspired by her
father, Stephen J. Broussard, a criminal defense attorney who called himself the “Pie Master.” His passions were pies and social justice. A 1973 graduate of Northwestern law school, he was among a group of students who occupied the university’s bursar’s office for 38 hours, demanding better treatment for Black students. As Maya-Camille, who earned a master’s in theater from Northwestern in 2004, says: “People are drawn not just to the product but the why behind the product, the story behind the product and the people behind the product. To be in Harry’s Café felt like it was kismet.” “We are so proud to be part of the story of Maya-Camille Broussard and Justice of the Pies,” says Resident District Manager for the Chicago Campus Kwasi McManus. “Justice of the Pies is much more than a local business. It’s an agent for change with which we’re proud to affiliate.” Broussard says food in crusts surpass class and social status. Everyone has eaten some kind of sweet or savory pie. Mexican empanadas, Indian samosas or Jamaican meat patties are
common foods because they’re portable. And getting food into people’s hands is another part of Broussard’s company mission. During the pandemic, she has been conducting virtual workshops to help teach children about food and combating food insecurities. “I can’t save the world from hunger, but if I can at least just affect a group of kids or show them a way to be self-sufficient when it comes to food, then maybe I can do a small part in eradicating food insecurities in their lives,” she says.
