About Jikoni Studios
Jikoni - (n.) kitchen
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In Swahili, Jikoni means kitchen.
At our core, that's what we are.
A space to cook, to create, and to share.
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Kiano Moju
Founder & CEO of Jikoni
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About Us
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Founded in November 2019 by former Buzzfeed Tasty Producer Kiano Moju, Jikoni Studios continues to be a powerhouse in the food content creation world. Transitioning away from kitchen studio space rentals, we're now laser-focused on bringing our expertise and passion directly to your projects through our comprehensive production services.
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We remain your one-stop shop for culinary excellence, from concept to capture:
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Consulting: Strategize your next food content masterpiece with expert guidance on concept development, budgeting, and execution.
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Culinary Producing: Mastermind every ingredient and recipe, ensuring accuracy, visual appeal, and mouthwatering storytelling.
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Food Styling: Transform dishes into the vibrant stars of the screen, capturing their essence and deliciousness in every frame.
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Mobile-Forward Production: Craft content that shines on any platform, optimized for engagement and reach across the digital landscape.
Our experienced team thrives on collaboration:
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Culinary Assisting: Lend a helping hand in the kitchen, ensuring smooth workflows and seamless shoots, wherever they may take place.
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Set Design: Collaborate with us to create the perfect backdrop for your story, drawing inspiration from our experience in crafting purpose-built modern English townhouse aesthetic kitchens, or bringing your unique vision to life.
Whether you have a fully formed vision or need a creative partner, Jikoni Studios is here to bring your food content to life, anywhere, anytime. We take pride in our expertise, our passion for food, and our commitment to making your project a success.
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Our Founder
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Kiano Moju, founder and CEO of Jikoni Studios, is a Los Angeles-based culinary producer and on-screen personality. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications and Rhetorical Studies from Syracuse University and a Master of Arts in Publishing from the University of the Arts London.
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After learning the ropes of studio production in London, she joined BuzzFeed’s food video vertical, Tasty, where she produced such viral successes as Party Rice Around Africa, How to Make Moist Carrot Cake, Making Rainbow Croissants, and Making a 4 Flavor Cheesecake. In 2019, Kiano departed BuzzFeed and launched two sister companies: Jikoni and the Jikoni Recipe Archive.
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The Jikoni Recipe Archive is a non-profit organization that is creating a space for Black and under-represented voices in food media to tell their own stories, by highlighting African and Black cuisines while preserving the continent's traditional recipes fading to oral tradition.
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Kiano's debut cookbook, Afri-Cali, is due to publish with Simon & Schuster in 2024.
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Our Non-Profit
The Jikoni Recipe Archive is a non-profit organization that celebrates the rich heritage of African and Black cuisine by documenting the legacy of cooks both traditional and modern, while amplifying its vibrant food culture.
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Our mission is to curate a digital recipe platform that will document traditional and modern recipes from Africa and its diaspora communities, addressing the decline of oral tradition in home kitchens, and fostering a space where community members around the world feel their cultural heritage is respected and valued. By promoting approachable home cooking in growing urban communities where the fast food boom has had drastic consequences for those leaving traditional diets, we aim to create Healthy Living Resources for the continent and beyond.
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We began our work in 2019 with our Experiences program, which involved food creators and chefs teaching the foods of their upbringing in classes held in Jikoni Studios. When COVID-19 hit, we pivoted to content creation and began sharing these same stories online. Despite having limited resources, we used this as an opportunity to experiment and create the content that people weren't paying for.
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We relaunched our Experiences program in 2023 with our event series called Expand the Menu. The series aims to increase the visibility of African and diaspora cuisine in the mainstream through interactive cooking classes and multi-course dining experiences.
