Solomont Speaker Series: Alexis Nikole Nelson

Meet chef, foraging TikTok star and outdoor educator Alexis Nikole Nelson, better known as the "Black Forager" on social media! With over 5 million followers joining her viral adventures of foraging and cooking, Nelson reframes the worlds of food, botany and nature, helping people make environmentally sustainable food choices while also celebrating the outdoors and changing fraught relationships with food. Nelson's videos shine a light on the historical and cultural roots of foraging in African American and Indigenous food traditions that have traditionally been repressed.

Nelson's work has been featured in places like the New York Times, Bon Appetit, NPR, the Kelly Clarkson Show, and Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and she hosted a 15-episode series on botany for YouTube's educational channel, Crash Course. Nelson received the James Beard Award for “Best Social Media” in 2022, and she was selected for Forbes 30 Under 30, 2025 TIME100 Creators and as a TikTok Tastemaker.

Host or Publisher Tisch College