Welcome to Black Tastemakers, an occasional series that highlights African American excellence and influence on the Fayetteville-area food scene. Nominate Black culinary professionals and entrepreneurs by emailing tshook@gannett.com. 

At Popcorn-Is-Us in Fayetteville, an unassuming storefront gives way to a cozy interior, where the walls are a warm yellow, the air is filled with the aroma of popping kernels and caramelized sugar, and ‘80s music plays softly on the radio. 

Behind the counter is Faith Tucker-Bassett, shop owner and one-woman force who keeps childhood memories of her late father, Trillier “TJ” Tucker, alive with fresh popcorn and warmhearted charm.

Tucker-Bassett, 62, said her father died decades before she opened the shop in Rosehill Shopping Center about three years ago, but she knows he would love it.