About
Kiano
Kiano Moju is a Los Angeles-based food writer, culinary producer, director, and video host.
Kiano’s culinary identity draws on her Kenyan and Nigerian heritage, her upbringing in the melting pot of California, and her travels abroad.
After working as a video producer for BuzzFeed's food video vertical, Tasty, where Kiano directed and starred in various recipe and lifestyle videos, she founded her own culinary creative studio, Jikoni Studios, in 2019.
Jikoni Studios features multiple unique kitchen sets and an in-house props and cookware collection, all carefully curated by Kiano. The space is not only used for video production, but also for hosting private events and cooking classes.
Kiano began ideating the blueprint for Jikoni Studios after finishing her Masters’ dissertation, which analyzed the rise of Digital Food Media while identifying the imbalance of culinary representation in media. Kiano's passion led her to teach a course on food media at Syracuse University in 2022/23.
Her first cookbook, Afri-Cali, will be released in 2024 with Simon & Schuster.
BsC in Communications and Rhetorical Studies from Syracuse University
MA in Publishing from the University of the Arts London
Selected for James Beard Foundation Awards voting body
Jane Walker X IFundWomen First Women Grant Program Recipient
BeyGOOD Foundation Grant Recipient
100+ million cumulative video views across YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram