À La Carte streams on ALLBLK every Thursday
Imagine if you found the partner of your dreams, but their heart technically wasn’t yours to keep? What would you do? Well, that’s the case for Mahogany Rose, a recent Howard University alumna navigating Los Angeles’ complicated dating scene in the new ALLBLK series ‘À La Carte’. The overachiever with high moral standards is accustomed to being number one in everything. But for the first time in her life, her infatuation with a man named Kaleb has her contemplating taking the backseat. Executive producers Meagan Good and Dijon Talton are among the powerhouses behind this spicy dramedy.
Mahogany’s man may not be available, but thankfully the cast was for a juicy roundtable conversation with HBCU students. Cast members Pauline Dyer (Mahogany), Courtney Burrell (Kaleb), Jessie Woo (Misha Taylor), Jenna Nolen (Shyra), and Kendall Kyndall (Reign) opened up about the series, what it means to date in this day and age, and more. Like Mahogany, three of our HBCU friends hand-selected for the roundtable are all high achievers in their own right. For example, Nakya Carter is a rising Junior and students leader at Shaw University. Senior Jaylin Drewry is SGA President at Norfolk State University. And lastly, recent Morehouse College alum Cameron Markell Nolan previously served as SGA President. The conversation was hosted by influencer and Bowie State University graduate, “Kyle On The Mic.”
The students and alum got a chance to peek into the lives of the À La Carte cast, and the chance to ask a few questions. From relationships at work to having the worst date of a lifetime, the show covers it all! Leading love interest Courtney Burrell simply called it “an experience.” Those who play Mahogany’s friends also had unique angles to describe the show. Jenna Nolan called it “a sexy rollercoaster.” Kendall Kyndall shared that it was “relatable,” as he dropped a few juicy moments from his personal dating experiences. Jessie Woo said “there’s a lot of funny moments from everybody, so it’s hilarious,” and the Wild’n’ Out star certainly adds to the laughter throughout the season.
As the star of the show, Pauline Dyer was also asked what it was like to play Mahogany. As the show progresses, she seems to come out of her prude shell and begins to finally allow herself to live a little. “I’ve learned not to judge yourself so much. I think Mahogany judges herself too much,” she said. “She looks to other people for what they think. And I don’t think she trusts herself to make decisions. It’s like you might make the wrong decision today. But just make one! And it’s gonna be okay, right or wrong.”
Whether you’re in a relationship, looking for love, or good being single for now, this show has a little something for everyone. Truthfully, many things can be learned from the trials and tribulations of the characters on the show, especially for HBCU students. It’s so easy to meet someone new in class, grabbing food, or just at a campus event. People get into entanglements all the time so things can get complicated no matter how big the school is. But an important part of this story is to lean on friends. À La Carte centers around friendships, and how the close-knit friend group can lift each other up no matter what they go through when they’re apart.
Watch it all unfold by streaming À La Carte Thursdays on ALLBLK . Also, catch more clips from the cast on HBCU Buzz social pages, @hbcubuzz on all channels.
