Garnet James

Garnet James is a Detroit-based entrepreneur, educator, and community development professional whose relationship with food began long before it became her career. She got her start in the kitchen alongside her mother, learning not only the craft of baking, but the power food has to bring people together. Those early experiences eventually led Garnet to take the helm of her mother’s culinary business, becoming the legacy owner of Terri’s Detroit.

For more than a decade, Garnet has blended entrepreneurship, culinary education, and community engagement—teaching cake decorating and baking, mentoring aspiring entrepreneurs, and creating programs and experiences for youth and adults. Her broader career spans more than 15 years of program management, community development, education, and partnership building throughout Detroit.

Her career has also included community-focused roles with Gleaners Community Food Bank, Focus: HOPE, and the Detroit Tigers, where her work has centered on connecting people to resources, creating opportunities, and strengthening Detroit communities.

A graduate of Spelman College with a degree in Psychology, Garnet brings to Detroit Food Academy a unique perspective shaped by both sides of the food entrepreneurship journey: growing up in a family food business and later becoming responsible for sustaining, growing, and reimagining its legacy.

As Program Manager, Garnet is excited to help young people see food as more than something we make—it can be a pathway to creativity, entrepreneurship, leadership, community, and opportunity.