Tembi Locke

Tembi Locke is a writer, entrepreneur and thought-leader in creativity and resilience. She is a New York Times best-selling author, actor, screenwriter, and TV producer with a passion for connecting with her audience both on the page and on the screen. In partnership with Hello Sunshine, Locke served as co-creator and executive producer for the adaptation of her memoir, From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home, for Netflix. The series, “From Scratch,” became an instant global hit, spending weeks on Netflix’s Top Ten List in over thirty countries around the world and earning six NAACP Image Award nominations and the prestigious Los Angeles Film Italy award. Her aforementioned memoir was also a Reese’s Book Club pick and an instant bestseller. From Scratch, published in 2019, begins with how Locke met her husband, a Sicilian chef, on a street in Florence during a study abroad program, and follows their cross-cultural love story over the next two decades. Although it was love at first sight for Locke and her husband, Saro, his family did not approve of him marrying a Black American woman. Reconciliation with his Sicilian family begins just as Saro is diagnosed with a rare cancer and Locke becomes his primary caregiver during his final years. The bestselling memoir also chronicles the three summers that Locke and her daughter spend in Sicily following Saro’s death as they begin to piece their lives together again. Finding solace in her mother-in-law’s presence and nourishment at her abundant table, Locke is able to reflect on her and Saro’s incredible romance and forge a new relationship with his family. In addition to her accomplishments as a writer and producer, Locke is an accomplished actor with over sixty film and television credits. She most recently held a recurring role on Netflix’s hit show, “Never Have I Ever.” Offscreen, she is a nationally recognized speaker, delivering keynotes on resilience, loss, creativity and the power of storytelling. Her TEDx talk has been viewed by individuals and nonprofits around the world. She launched her podcast, “Lifted,” which features dynamic women sharing their stories of what and who have lifted their lives. Through her work Locke aims to inspire people to embrace resilience, love, and the power of community.