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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Our Studios
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Jikoni Studios was founded in November 2019 by former Buzzfeed Tasty Producer Kiano Moju. Her diverse team of experts specialize in consulting, culinary producing, food styling, and the production of mobile-forward recipe content.
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We are food video experts, building a space to create high-quality cooking content, from food or kitchen product advertisements to functional sets for filming cooking shows. Jikoni Studios is a one-stop shop that houses all the pieces of your next food and kitchen-related project; come with your ideas, cameras, and groceries, and we’ll cover the rest!
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As content creators ourselves, we purpose-built the space to meet all the needs a shoot could have. All our kitchens are fully-functional, and our studios are thoroughly equipped with props, cookware, and kitchen set decor. From tabletop props for beauty shots to pots and pans for functional recipe videos, our props and cookware collection has been carefully selected from local artisan ceramicists, international cookware merchants, and individual craftsmen while traveling abroad.
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Our rentable studio sets are inspired by the homely and grand aesthetics of modern English townhouses, evoking expertise and reliability in all our work. Studio features include all-day natural light and weathered exposed brick walls.
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Alongside our studio space, we also offer add-on culinary production support, utilizing our experience to work alongside our studio clients in food styling or overall culinary production.
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Consulting
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If you’re new to the world of food content or just need a helping hand in the right direction, our approach to consulting is through educational workshops with your team to create, revise, or refine how you’re creating your food content.
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With the ever-changing content landscape, and more people turning to social media to find what to cook than ever before, our approach isn’t to simply create a general social content template, but rather to teach foundational, evergreen social content principles that won’t go out of date after the next algorithm update or online streaming shift.
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We are also at the forefront of tech and food news, bringing commentary to one of the least discussed niches in media: food media. Our articles combine our industry knowledge with new and exciting developments in the niche, so be sure to keep up with them on our Medium page and our Resource Center.
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Our founder, Kiano Moju, now teaches her industry expertise to bring new voices and opportunities to the niche through holding an Intro To Food Media course at Syracuse University and networking events at our studios in Los Angeles, California.
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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 Studios 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 the food of Africa and its diaspora while preserving the continent's traditional recipes fading to oral tradition. Fundraisers for the charity are frequently held at the studios, so be sure to check out the Experiences Calendar for upcoming events.
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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 cuisine of Africa and its diaspora 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 Flavors Unveiled: African & Diaspora Culinary Experiences. The series aims to increase the visibility of African and diaspora cuisine in the mainstream through interactive cooking classes and multi-course dining experiences, held in Jikoni Studios after hours.
