Alexis Nikole Nelson

Alexis Nikole Nelson (born March 27, 1992) is an American forager, cook, and internet personality. She is professionally known under the username alexisnikole, on TikTok and BlackForager on Instagram and YouTube, where she shares videos about foraging, cooking, and food history.

In 2022, Nelson won the inaugural James Beard Award for Best Social Media Account.

Early life and education Alexis Nikole Nelson grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. She is of Cape Verdean descent through her mother's side, and Iroquois ancestry on her father's side. Her mother first showed her how to forage at the age of five by introducing her to onion grass. She graduated from the Ohio State University in 2015 with degrees in theatre and environmental science. Nelson began actively foraging in 2015, as a cheap way to obtain food.

Career Nelson posts videos of her foraging finds on social media accounts. Her videos are informal, playful, humorous, and express a long experience with and encyclopedic knowledge of foraging. She has maintained the Instagram account "blackforager" since 2019, and created the TikTok page "alexisnikole" in 2020, followed the same year by the YouTube channel "BlackForager". Nelson's posts concern such topics as the indigenous roots of foraging in America, the history of American foraging laws, and sustainable ways for her viewers to include wild plants and mushrooms in their diets, with a focus on vegan recipes. She also discusses the cultural and historical context surrounding foraging, especially in Black and Indigenous communities. Her videos often end with the semi-serious warning "happy snacking, don't die".

In April 2022, Nelson attended the 2022 TED conference in Vancouver, the first since the COVID-19 pandemic began. At the conference, she gave a TED Talk about her foraging work, and cooked sweet-and-salty seaweed chips using Vancouver-foraged bull kelp. In June 2022, she won the James Beard Award for social media influence. Her accounts at the time had a cumulative 4.8 million followers.

In January 2023 Nelson appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. In 2023, Nelson joined the YouTube channel Crash Course, where she hosted a 15-episode series on botany. In December, 2023, an episode of Eat This with Yara featuring Nelson titled "The Awful Truth About ‘No Trespassing’ Signs" won "Outstanding Lifestyle Program" at the 50th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards.

Nelson is working on Happy Snacking, Don't Die!, a cookbook that will be published by Simon & Schuster in September 2026.

Influences Nelson attributes her interest in foraging to both natural inclination and her family's African and indigenous heritage. 2025 Dr. Maria Montessori Ambassador Award from the American Montessori Society

Personal life Nelson lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her fiancé and several pets. She practices a vegan diet.