The founders

Built from two kitchens.
Two cultures. One conviction.

Amara was not built from a research paper. It was built from lived experience and from a belief that a mother’s nutritional plan should include the food she actually cooks.

East African food traditions

Juanita Ndyamukama

Co-founder · MSPH, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Juanita grew up in Tanzania, where food was grown close to home and shared at every table. Mchicha, tender amaranth greens. Ugali, the maize staple at the heart of every meal. Maharage, slow-simmered beans, along with fresh fish from the coast. These are the foods that have nourished East African mothers and families for generations.

Her path to Amara began at home. When her sister was pregnant, she received nutrition advice from her nutritionist, her community, and their mother, and none of it agreed. She is passionate about bridging the gap between science and culture, so that as health care evolves, the traditions families live by are part of that change. She co-founded Amara Health to bring culture into the conversation, so that no mother has to choose between the food she loves and the guidance she needs.

Black American food traditions

Erica Stephens, MPH

Co-founder · MPH, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Erica grew up on a tobacco farm in rural Virginia, eating the foods of the South. Collard greens slow-cooked with smoked turkey. Black-eyed peas, sweet potatoes, butter beans. Food grown, shared, and passed down through generations.

Her love of health, nutrition, fitness, and motherhood eventually became part of her work in public health. At Hopkins, she focused on health systems, policy, data, and digital health. She co-founded Amara Health with one conviction: everyone deserves access to nutrition guidance that reflects their culture, circumstances, and everyday life.