Krystal C. Mack is a visionary designer and artist who highlights food and nature’s role in collective healing, empowerment, and decolonization, shifting society's understanding of food consumption.

Proudly born and raised in Baltimore, Mack has transformed her passion for African diasporic foodways into a dynamic and thought-provoking body of work rooted in a framework she has developed called New Diasporic Comestible Design. Through her progressive design practice, she invites a variety of communities to engage with food, culture, and the more-than-human world in multidimensional ways, eliciting a sensory call-and-response that acts as a transformative tool for all.

As a neurodivergent Black woman, Mack brings a unique perspective to her craft, drawing inspiration from her own experiences and heritage. With her Autism, she experiences impaired interoception, which affects her ability to identify physical pain, hunger, and thirst. Interestingly, this has shaped her wildly original relationship with food and nature, one that wholeheartedly embraces the layers of her identity. She is self-taught and has honed her skills through years of dedicated study and experimentation. 

Formerly a baker, Mack now primarily works as a food designer, as well as a social practice artist and kitchen herbalist. Her innovative approach to food and design has captured the attention of media outlets such as The New York Times, NPR, Food & Wine, and MOLD magazine. These profiles have shed light on her work and her commitment to exploring food and nature beyond the limits of traditional consumption.

In 2023, Mack was awarded the United States Artist Fellowship in Architecture & Design, becoming the first artist in the history of the USA Fellowship to be honored for their work with food as an artistic medium.

Mack's work is a powerful expression of her vision and creativity, inspiring and connecting people across cultures and backgrounds. Through her art and design practices, she is leading the way in reimagining the very concept of food consumption, helping to create a much more inclusive and sustainable food web.