Natalie Wambui is a remarkable young woman who has done remarkable things over the 16 years of her remarkable life.
Right now, this rising senior at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS) is cooking up a storm with Natalie’s Kitchen, which she is producing at the MVTV studios with the guidance of access coordinator and instructor Michelle Vivian-Jemison. Wambui is also an intern at the MV Times and will head up the high school’s newspaper this fall.
“We’ve done a couple of podcasts,” Vivian-Jemison explains. “Natalie’s taken our videography and editing courses. She’s about to start an oral history project we are doing to highlight African Americans who have done amazing things in the community and the greater good. She’s just phenomenal.”
Wambui was born and raised in Kenya until she was 13. However, Wambui had already distinguished herself. At the tender age of eight, she published a book of poems, following it up the next two years with volumes one and two of “Extraordinary Kenyans Doing Extraordinary Things: Kenya My Country, My Story.”
Her renown spread, and Wambui, at 10 and 11 years of age, and her mother traveled to the United States several times to attend conferences. “I was the keynote speaker. I would be invited because I was inspirational and a young figure who people would look up to,” Wambui says.
Stemming from the desire for better educational opportunities, Wambui and her mother emigrated to the Vineyard, having learned about it through a previous connection.
Reflecting on what relocating was like as an eighth grader, Wambui shares, “It was a culture shock. Switching your whole life is a big challenge, especially if you come from a whole different continent.” She cites getting used to a new school system, expectations, food, and how people communicate as examples. “It’s hard to have a conversation with someone when they keep interrupting you, asking if you can repeat that.”
“I had to find a new version of myself because I couldn’t bring my cultural norms to a new country,” Wambui continues. “I am an observer and just watched how people do things differently here. It is not that you have to change your authenticity, but being a teenager also impacts that because you don’t want to be an outsider. You want to be appreciated and welcomed as you’re growing. I felt like I had to change aspects of myself to be welcomed.”
Wambui found the first two years exacting. “But as I got increasingly involved in school activities, I started finding myself. I can say I’m perfectly fine now, and this year, I wanted to branch out. I was already used to being on camera because of being a young author in Kenya. I heard about MVTV and, curious, reached out to Michelle. She welcomed me with open arms and taught me everything there is to know about editing and cameras.”
The two ruminated on creating a show authentic to Wambui and her story. “My biggest thing is that I’m Kenyan. That is what I identify with most. We had this back and forth about culture and what it means to us because she is from LA, and that was a certain culture she was used to before coming here.”
They decided that food unites people, no matter their culture. “Because we live on Martha’s Vineyard, I wanted to highlight people with different backgrounds, talk to them about their cultures, and have a conversation while making a dish that is special to them,” Natalie says.
She grew up around women who loved to cook all their lives. “Watching my mom and grandmother cook was always very special to me. I love cooking.”
Vivian-Jemison and Wambui drew up a list and decided to start close to home with Wambui’s best friend, fellow MVRHS student Nyoka Walters, an artist, jeweler, and curator of the recent exhibition “Soulful Showcase” at the Galaxy Gallery.
The episode begins with the two inspiring young women sharing about their heritage and how growing up as a minority on the Vineyard has been a challenge and a blessing. “As Black women,” Wambui explains, “we are underrepresented. The second we find something that we love — like I love writing and she loves art — we have a drive to pursue that and make the people who came before us proud. Being Black kids in school can feel a little isolating at times.”
The episode includes the two friends cooking a personal favorite: homemade spaghetti and meatballs. They take us step by step from start to finish, keeping up engaging banter throughout.
Wambui selected Chef Deon for the second episode because, she says, “He’s a great chef and does a lot for this Island and gives back.” Instead of cooking something from his Jamaican heritage, Chef Deon was curious about Wambui’s Kenyan roots and preferred to learn how to make something special to her. They made a Swahili dish native to Kenya called biriyani, which was brought over by Indian and Arabic settlers, who introduced it to East Africa.
There are eight more episodes to come. With all her activities and entering senior year, Wambui already has a lot on her plate, but she, unsurprisingly, has plans. “I want to get into international relations and cultural anthropology. That would include working in the UN and being a human rights activist. It’s about giving back.”
“Natalie is a magnanimous young lady,” Vivian-Jemison said. “She is so well-spoken and accomplished. She is destined for greatness.”
For the first episode of Natalie’s Kitchen, visit bit.ly/natkitch.
