For over three decades, Tamela Mann has captured audiences’ eyes, ears, and hearts with her powerhouse vocals and beloved performances in Tyler Perry’s film and TV universe. Now, the Grammy-winning multi-hyphenate—who is currently nominated for her third golden gramophone—is after their palates. Following the debut of the latest season of her popular YouTube series, “Mama Mann’s Kitchen,” which has been churning out episodes for three years now, the actress is launching her very own line of seasonings, inviting fans to savor the flavors of her home-style cooking.
The Mama Mann’s Kitchen Seasoning Blend Collection, developed in partnership with Food Network’s “BBQ Brawl” Season 5 winner chef Erica Barrett, has arrived just in time for Thanksgiving and features four blends that can cover any and everything on holiday menus. “These are my staples,” says Mann. “We have seasonings galore because we like to try different things when we’re cooking. So I have everything that you could probably think of in my kitchen, but these seasonings are the ones I reach for time after time.”
The collection includes For Everything, a mix of spices that can elevate just about any dish, from hearty and lean meats and fish to roasted veggies, dips, and spreads; Garlic Mix, Mann’s favorite seasoning; All Things Blackened, a spice blend that brings a racy edginess to a variety of dishes; and Just For Pie, which Mann insists, despite the name, is not just for pie.
“I make baked yams with the Just for Pie seasoning. I even put it in my coffee. It works for several things besides desserts,” says Mann.
Fans of her YouTube series are familiar with the star’s appreciation for seasonings. She uses them generously while whipping up dishes on the show, sometimes with the help of her husband, actor and fellow gospel singer David Mann. “After the meats, the seasonings are the most important. It’s the taste that matters,” she says.
A self-proclaimed “chemist in the kitchen,” Mann has a penchant for experimenting with her own seasoning blend. She leans on these personal creations to bring depth and flavor to even the simplest dishes—an instinct that ultimately inspired the Mama Mann’s Kitchen Seasoning Blend Collection.
“I like to try things. I’ve tried things even from the cans and just doctored it up with the seasonings. It works, especially if you’re in a hurry. I just did something with Glory Greens. People were like, ‘We don’t eat greens out of a can,’ but when you’re in a hurry, you don’t have time to clean ’em, pick ’em, do all the things. It’s a quick avenue to having a good meal, and that’s what Mama Mann’s Kitchen is about. It’s to get people back in the kitchen to enjoy cooking,” she says.
In the era of DoorDash and countless food delivery apps, Mann hopes that her collection of seasonings makes cooking a little less stressful, especially for those who may not have the time to spend hours making dinner. Her flavorful blends are perfect for elevating simple meals, but they’re just as helpful for adding depth and sophistication to more complex dishes, too. No matter how you use the seasonings, though, the key to a more seamless cooking experience, says Mann, is to have everything prepped and ready to go before turning on the stove. That’s her biggest home-cook tip.
“If you prep, come up with the ideas of what you want to make and have everything you need ready when you make it. I promise you, it’ll be much more enjoyable when you get around to fixing it,” she says. “If you pull all the seasonings and ingredients you’re using, that’s going to make the process of cooking much easier for you.”
Another cooking gem from her artillery: “You can’t be in a rush. You have to be attentive. You can’t be on the phone, moving around, because that’s how you burn things.”
While Mann is mainly known for her voice and role as Cora Brown, the devoted, spiritual, and often comedic daughter of Mr. Brown (who is hilariously played by her husband) in Tyler Perry’s Madea and Meet the Browns franchise, cooking is her longtime passion. “[My mother inspired] my love of cooking,” she shares. “I come from a big family. I’m the youngest of 14, and so she was always cooking; something was always brewing. If she didn’t have a pot of beans, she was doing neckbones. She was doing something. My aunts cook, my uncles barbecue. So my family, a lot of ’em were cooks and loved it, and I’ve found a pleasure and excitement in cooking, and I think I just got it from them.”
For Mann, a mother of four with a growing crew of grandchildren, cooking for her family is one of her greatest expressions of love. She hopes her seasonings carry a bit of that love to other kitchens and foster deeper family bonds over food.
“It’s so good to have that connection where you separate from everything else and you come together as a unit,” Mann says. “And that’s what Mama Mann’s kitchen is about.”