Heritage
Hearth& Heritage Foodways is dedicated to preserving ancestral culinary traditions through education and community engagement.
Shawn Steven Clark: Founder & CEO, Hearth & Heritage Foundation
Shawn’s journey began in the world of technical support and infrastructure, where he built a career spanning roles at Apple, the Department of Veterans Affairs, Microsoft, Yahoo, AT&T Wi-Fi Services, and Netspend. Across these environments, he mastered the art of troubleshooting, systems deployment, and operational resilience—consistently delivering high-quality service desk support, hardware diagnostics, network configuration, and remote systems management.
With a foundation in hands-on technical problem-solving, Shawn brings a rare blend of operational rigor and user-centered empathy to every project. His deep familiarity with both legacy and modern software ecosystems has made him a trusted resource across diverse teams and industries.
Now serving as the Founder and CEO of Hearth & Heritage Foundation, Shawn channels his technical acumen into building a nonprofit dedicated to preserving culinary heritage through immersive education and digital storytelling. His leadership is grounded in authenticity, transparency, and a commitment to honoring cultural memory. Drawing on his experience in systems design, documentation, and cross-functional collaboration, he is architecting a modular, inclusive platform that uplifts community voices and fosters intergenerational learning.
Beneath the technical expertise lies a deeper passion—for legacy, education, and community empowerment. Shawn envisioned a nonprofit that could preserve culinary heritage through immersive learning and digital storytelling, anchored in strong governance, modular systems, and ethical recognition for all contributors.
His journey reflects a lifelong dedication to service, problem-solving, and cultural preservation. Shawn’s work is guided by a belief that legacy deserves infrastructure—and that every story, like every system, deserves to be built with care.
Natalie Wright-Moore Clark:
Chef de Cuisine, Culinary Historian & Cultural Steward
Chef Natalie’s path began with a reverence for food and a creative mind. Raised in a family where cooking was storytelling, she pursued formal training in the culinary sciences with studies focused on food science, menu planning, and five-star wine service. Her credentials from the International Wine Guild complement her degree from the University of Texas in Applied Learning & Development, with a focus on youth and community engagement.
Over two decades, Natalie has cultivated a multifaceted career as a chef de cuisine, pit master, executive sommelier, and culinary historian. Her expertise spans both technique and tradition—merging academic insight with lived experience to create food that educates, heals, and connects.
Her work extends beyond the kitchen into cultural preservation and public history. Through collaborations with the State of Texas, Texas Historical Commission, and Levi Jordan Plantation State Historical Site, Natalie has helped revive and reintroduce food traditions rooted in African American, Indigenous, and immigrant communities. She has led historical retreats, curated culinary presentations, and designed immersive food experiences that center authenticity and ancestral memory.
As Chef de Cuisine and Cultural Steward at Hearth & Heritage Foundation, Natalie leads the foundation’s public-facing programming, including workshops, retreats, and culinary storytelling events. Her philosophy—“start with something real, build layers of flavor, and create positive food memories”—is the heartbeat of her teaching and outreach. She brings warmth, depth, and cultural fluency to every plate, ensuring that each dish tells a story worth remembering.
The Birth of Hearth & Heritage Foundation(Hearth & Heritage Foodways)
Hearth & Heritage Foundation was founded by Shawn Steven Clark to bridge the worlds of technical infrastructure and culinary heritage. Inspired by a lifelong dedication to service, systems design, and cultural preservation, Shawn envisioned a nonprofit that could preserve ancestral foodways through immersive education and digital storytelling—anchored in strong governance, modular systems, and ethical recognition for all contributors.
As the foundation took shape, Shawn invited Chef Natalie Wright-Moore Clark to serve as its cultural and culinary lead, which makes her an essential and vital part within the foundation. Her deep expertise in food traditions, historical preservation, and community engagement became central to the foundation’s public-facing work. While not a founder, Natalie’s role as Chef de Cuisine and Cultural Steward ensures that every workshop, retreat, and culinary archive reflects the authenticity and flavor of lived experience.
Today, Hearth & Heritage offers workshops, digital archives, and immersive experiences that reconnect people to their roots. Every dish taught, every story shared, is part of a larger mission: to honor the past, nourish the present, and inspire the future.
Nonprofit 501(C)3 status
Hearth & Heritage Foundation is a nonprofit organization incorporated in Texas with a mission to preserve and teach culinary heritage through immersive education and storytelling.
We are currently in the process of applying for federal 501(c)(3) tax‑exempt status with the IRS. Until approval is granted, donations may not be tax‑deductible. Once recognized, our exemption will be retroactive to our incorporation date, allowing eligible contributions to be deductible as permitted by law.
We believe in transparency, accountability, and community trust. Our board and founding team are committed to building programs that honor tradition while embracing innovation.
Our Vision
We envision a world where culinary heritage is honored as cultural wisdom, where communities gather to learn, share, and heal through food, and where every recipe becomes a bridge between generations.
Hearth & Heritage Foundation strives to be a national model for preserving foodways, fostering intergenerational learning, and cultivating inclusive spaces that nourish both body and spirit.
Our Mission
To preserve and celebrate ancestral culinary traditions through immersive education, storytelling, and community engagement—empowering individuals to reconnect with their roots and contribute to a living legacy of food, culture, and resilience.
