Sophia Roe Loves the Culinary Industry. That’s Why She Wants It to Be Better.
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Sophia Roe enjoys being busy—to an extent. It reminds her that she’s doing the work that really matters to her. For the chef, culinary TV personality, and writer, that means highlighting underrepresented voices in the world of food regardless of whether industry accolades and recognition come with it.
Earlier this month, Roe pulled double duty, first appearing at the 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards (where she was nominated in the Culinary Host category for her Vice TV series Counter Space) in L.A. on June 7, and then a doing hosting gig on the red carpet at the 2024 James Beard Awards in Chicago on June 10. While the week was jam-packed with bustling energy (“When you have the best chefs in the world all in one place—chefs don’t know how to act!” Roe says), it also gave her time to reflect on the current state of the industry.
“I can always say that I’m a two-time Emmy-nominated woman, which is amazing,” Roe tells Harper’s Bazaar following the whirlwind week. “I was in a category with the Cake Boss and, like, Lidia Bastianich and Valerie Bertinelli and just truly iconic people. My first time nominated [in 2021], I lost to Ina Garten, which, I would gladly lose an Emmy to her again, no big deal. But this one felt a little bittersweet—it was the second season of the show, and since there likely won’t be another, it was a bit of an emotional moment.” (Besides Roe’s nominations for hosting, Counter Space was also nominated for Outstanding Culinary Series in 2022.)
To capture her mood at the Emmys ceremony this year, Roe opted for a black and green color-blocked dress that “almost looked antique” and nodded to the respect and reverence she feels for the first two seasons of her show. For her hosting gig at the Beard awards, however, she opted for a bolder pick: a vibrant red strapless gown from designer Kika Vargas.
“That dress told a really great story,” Roe says, explaining that Vargas is from Peru but attended art school in Chicago. “So it felt for me like a sort of nod to this amazing city that hosts the James Beard Awards every year.”
Both events ultimately reminded Roe how far people of color still have to go in both the culinary and hospitality industries. Does it feel great to be a twice-nominated television host in the Culinary Host category of the Daytime Emmys? Absolutely. Does it feel good to be the only Black woman nominated … ever? Not so much.
“[People] always ask me: ‘How does it feel to be the first Black woman nominated in the category?’ My answer is, it’s really lonely and really weird,” Roe says. “I’m trying to open up doors for other people—I’m trying to create spaces for other people to follow in my footsteps. I don’t ever want to be the only Black person, dot dot dot … ever. For me, it’s not enough to just be there. The culinary category means so much to me, but there’s so much [more] to it than: ‘Hey, guys, we’re making a cake.’ My show is about imagination. It is about solutions. It’s about how we can fix the problems that we have created as humans and how we can help save the planet—and when I look back at what I did, I am so proud of it.”
Going straight from the Emmys to the James Beard Awards allowed Roe to reflect on the community that surrounds her.
“It’s the best feeling in the world seeing deserving people be recognized. I mean, I can cry just thinking about it,” she says of the Beard awards. “There are people that were on that stage that had never been on an airplane before. The big major winners of the night were like Portland, Maine and New Orleans, right? These aren’t places people typically think of as ‘destinations,’ but they really, really are. This is where New York is struggling a little bit. It’s really hard to be innovative here—food costs are high, inflation is crazy. You have a lot of chefs moving out of New York and going to Des Moines, Iowa and Bozeman, Montana. And you’re just seeing this really cool spread-out of talent that I just think is amazing.”
Beard award winners past and present like Gregory Gourdet and Mashama Bailey specifically inspire Roe.
“It’s the most incredible feeling in the world to not only celebrate these people but celebrate these people in a way that isn’t just about their food,” she says. “You’re talking to them on the red carpet; you’re giving them a moment, letting them have a spin. Some of the most fashionable people I know are chefs. It’s really great to see these people show out.”
The experience helped Roe feel ready to embrace what comes after Counter Space and what’s next for her as a chef and a creator.
“For a long time, I did feel like an underdog—I feel like people didn’t see me coming, especially in New York,” she says. “But content creation is such a small part of what I actually do. I see myself diving much deeper into real creative freedom when it comes to how I think about food and how I articulate even the practice of the culinary space.”
She adds: “I think it’s really important to take time to work on your skills. I might not be the best, but I’m telling you, there’s nobody more practiced, more disciplined, and more dedicated than me. I may not be the bitch going viral on Instagram”—Roe laughs—“but my skills are better than they’ve ever been. My food is better than it’s ever been. My confidence is better than it’s ever been. When I get the call, I’m ready.”
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