On any random day, you may find Davon Kane twerking alongside Janelle Monae in West Hollywood, beating a client’s face in Atlanta, doing eyebrow tints or lashes in his home studio, or keeping his body right with his booty boot camps. But sprinkled in between all of that is his popular cooking series, which he shares across his social media platforms. In it, he provides healthy yet tasty alternatives for those looking to eat clean but eat well. 

The Philadelphia native/Baltimore transplant didn’t grow up cooking. Instead, he turned to culinary when the world was shut down and shut in during the COVID-19 quarantine. “What changed my perspective on cooking was during the pandemic, I was constantly ordering meals from Uber Eats and DoorDash. I got tired of that. So instead of ordering everything online, I decided to start making my food and going to the market, experimenting on things that I've never heard of or haven't thought about and then just incorporating it into my daily lifestyle,” he recalls. Luckily, cooking came naturally to him. 

“When you’re hungry, it’s easy to get your quick fix from whatever fast food joint or local restaurant on a food app. But within a few hours, you’re starving again. Instead of just being lazy, I just started to dive into cooking, and I just started falling in love with different cuisines I also started meal prepping and then during that time. I am more of a healthier eater, so I was also heavy into smoothies at that time as well,” he explains. I was also trying to incorporate fruits into my meals. That’s when my passion for cooking really began.”

Soon, he began sharing his recipes online. Because he cooked natural and hearty meals rather than the typical soul food or comfort food trends you see online, people gravitated toward his cooking series.

“Cooking With Kane sort of fell into my lap. I was working with a nutritionist during that time who was educating me on expanding my pallet. I got tired of eating chicken and rice and broccoli all the time. So I just started trying other forms of protein, vegetables, fish outside of the usual salmon,” he remembers. “Being in the beauty industry, your content is centered on that. But my followers were interested in my overall wellness journey. People were inspired because I wasn’t just trying to lose weight, I was just trying to find a better way of living and being mindful of what I putting into my body and that registered with people. My followers enjoyed me taking them step by step on my journey with my recipes and the trial and error of it all. They especially loved my voiceovers. And it grew from there.”

With Thanksgiving near, he finds himself being split between dinner and celebrations with his family, and Friendsgiving events. He jokes that historically, he was the cocktail king of the family, known for making a delicious libation. But since his cooking journey began, they’re requesting much more these days for the holiday. Last year, they tried an Asian-infused menu, which he says he enjoyed. He loves contributing seafood dishes for Friendsgiving, such as snapper with veggies, a cauliflower mash, or a butternut squash. He even opts for a salad.

“I know it sounds simple, but salads can be so underrated,” he warns. A salad is easy to mess up. I make a good salad. I make my own croutons and my own dressing so that whoever is eating it can get a different experience of what I think a salad should be.”

As for what his must-haves are for Thanksgiving, he has a few. “There definitely has to be some sort of like a turkey, whether it’s a turkey breast or turkey wing. I love sweet potatoes. I would say I only eat mac and cheese during Thanksgiving. Greens are a necessity. And a good biscuit,” he says.

While he’s never made a whole turkey, he knows how to keep turkey products moist, as he prefers turkey as it’s a healthier protein. “I just made turkey quarters and those turned out pretty good. To avoid dryness,  I always say wrap everything up in aluminum foil or some type of container when you are cooking. Sometimes when the aluminum foil gets off, it gets dry and nobody has time for that. But what I do is as I am cooking, I am constantly basing and flipping and juicing the turkey to keep the seasonings marinated. That’s the easiest way,” he suggests.

He doesn’t like to prepare too far in advance for Thanksgiving and Friendsgiving.  “Honestly, I hate to pre-prepare meals for big occasions. I like to just go in the market and if I get inspired, then I'm just basing a meal off of how I am feeling. If I see salmon or some snapper in the seafood section, I'll start there as my base and expand with complimenting sides from there. I don’t have a pre-set menu most times. The market is where I get my ideas. I’m not into the traditional meals for Thanksgiving, or any day. I like to mix it up.”

And as for leftovers, that doesn’t exist in his house. “If you can’t freeze it, just throw it out,” he jokes. “Please move on.”

His family makes Thanksgiving a big deal not just because it’s an annual holiday centered on gathering but also because it’s his grandmother’s birthday. “We make it a moment to go just to see my grandmother and hang out with her. She always makes this whiskey sour, that’s a chef kiss. It’s our tradition. I can drink that all day,” he gushes.

His cooking series caught the attention of a Black-owned coffee and sandwich shop in Baltimore. He partnered with them to cook and sell a custom breakfast bagel with turkey sausage, eggs, and a specialty curated jam. The partnership picked up this summer and is currently on hold due to his busy schedule. But after the holidays, things will pick back up.

Kane aims to host a cooking and conversation series, expanding on his love of food and good chat. “I want it to be about friends and food, and having intentional conversations over good food,” he says. “Last year, I started doing networking sessions and I want to continue in that realm where I bring Black-owned businesses, entrepreneurs, influencers, and the movers and shakers that I know where we talk about how much of an impact that we have on our culture, but over good food.”

Eventually, he’d like to take his food on the road. “I don’t know about a brick and mortar, but I’d love to do pop-ups in different cities since I already travel so much for my beauty business,” he says. “I’d love to go to different environments just to get a different perspective on how they prepare food and share my ideas as well.”

See the recipe below to try Kane’s popular cabbage recipe this Thanksgiving. Follow him on Instagram @davonkanebeauty

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add julienned carrots, and green peppers and saute until caramelized (about 5 mins). Stir in slicked cabbage and cook until it softens but retains a slight crunch (5-7 minutes). Season with cumin powder, black pepper, and Old Bay seasoning. Mix well. Serve warm as side dish or main.