DeVonn Francis’ simple recipe for spicy watermelon salad

Chef DeVonn Francis has been named among the Wallpaper* USA 300, announced in the August 2023 issue of Wallpaper*.

When we first spoke to Francis back in 2020, describing Yardy – his performance-based culinary event company in New York City – was akin to listing activities that the year had rendered near impossible; public performances and dining out were pretty much at a halt due to the pandemic. But rather than deter the young creative studio, 2020 highlighted the relevance of the Yardy project in a new, post-Covid world.

Francis founded Yardy in 2017 as a series of pop-up diners that served artistically plated, Caribbean-influenced food to a rotating group of creatives. For Francis, a queer, first-generation Jamaican-American, Yardy was a way of exploring his own Caribbean identity, while simultaneously creating welcoming spaces for other people, particularly those who identify as Black, brown and queer, to celebrate their own personal histories. 

Celebrating diversity is at the heart of the Yardy ethos, and every event featured collaborators with the same mission – from music curated by Papi Juice, an art collective dedicated to the celebration of queer and trans people of colour, to dishes made with ingredients such as Shaquanda’s Hot Pepper Sauce, created by the drag queen Shaquanda. 

Post-lockdown, Francis found new ways to feed conversations and stomachs. With Yardy, he has raised thousands of dollars for the free-meal relief programme in his native Crown Heights, Brooklyn neighbourhood and partnered with Food Issues Group and Partnership with Children to deliver groceries to Brownsville families.

Meanwhile, Francis’ ‘Living Room’ videos on Instagram saw him hosting video interviews with the likes of artist Jacolby Satterwhite and writer Kimberly Drew. Now, Francis is a video host and chef for Bon Appetit magazine, while still spearheading Yardy. 

Here, as we celebrate the chef’s inclusion in the Wallpaper* USA 300, find his recipe for spicy watermelon salad. A perfect treat for hot summer days. 

Yardy World Herb & Spice Watermelon 

Ingredients
1½ cup watermelon, diced into medium-sized cubes
juice of one lime
2 tsp of scotch bonnet vinegar 
1-2 tbsp of Tajín
mint leaves, torn into bite-sized pieces 
culantro, torn into bite-sized pieces 
pinch of Maldon salt 

Method 
Assemble the watermelon onto a plate, and dress with lime juice and scotch bonnet vinegar. Sprinkle mint and culantro over the watermelon. Sprinkle Tajín evenly over the top and unto the sides of the watermelon. Finish with a pinch of Maldon salt.

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