ISSUE ONE

Taste is Political

A meditation on discernment as power—who gets to define “good taste,” how Black women’s authority is questioned, and why pleasure, culture, and politics belong in the same conversation.

ISSUE ONE: TASTE IS POLITICAL

Taste begins as instinct and becomes discernment — shaped by memory, geography, longing, and lived experience. In our debut issue, we consider what it means to claim our preferences without apology. Taste Is Political explores the quiet architecture beneath what we love: the histories embedded in food, the coded language of luxury, the politics of who is permitted to curate culture and who is told to consume it quietly. This issue is for the woman who understands that refinement is not pretension, but practice — cultivated through travel, study, pleasure, and survival. Inside, you’ll find essays that linger, interviews that illuminate, and cultural reflections that invite you to slow down and look again. PALATE is an offering: a space to sharpen your instincts, honor your desires, and move through the world with intention.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

A look at what’s inside

At the Table (Editor’s Letter)

An intimate opening meditation on why taste is never trivial — and why claiming our preferences is an act of cultural authority.

Who Gets to Be Called a Tastemaker?

An examination of cultural authority, gatekeeping, and the unspoken politics behind who is deemed refined — and who is overlooked.

Five Things That Earned My Yes

A curated selection of thoughtfully chosen objects and experiences that met the standard — and why discernment matters.

At Tatiana, the Journey is the Point

A richly observed dining experience at Tatiana that reveals how memory, migration, and ambition can converge on a single, unforgettable plate.

The Luxury of Moving Slowly

A reflective essay on unhurried travel, intentional living, and the radical act of choosing depth over speed.

Aging Is Not a Crisis

A reframing of midlife as expansion rather than decline — an invitation to see growing older as refinement, clarity, and earned confidence.

American Sublime: Amy Sherald’s Perspective on Black Interior Life and the Politics of Stillness

A meditation on Sherald’s luminous portraiture and how her work reshapes visibility, beauty, and American iconography.

NoName, No Apologies

An intimate conversation with Jonene Lee of NoName Gallery on hip-hop roots, artistic conviction, and creating space without waiting for validation.

The Black Girl’s Guide to Art Collecting

A smart, empowering primer on building an art collection with intention, instinct, and cultural awareness — without waiting for permission.

And more…

READ A PREVIEW

Begin with two Featured essays from Issue One.

The Table is Set (Editor’s Letter)

An intimate opening meditation on why taste is never trivial — and why claiming our preferences is an act of cultural authority.

[READ PREVIEW]

Who Gets to Be Called a Tastemaker?

An examination of cultural authority, gatekeeping, and the unspoken politics behind who is deemed refined — and who is overlooked.

[READ PREVIEW]