The majority of this collection contains detailed information about the various catering jobs and "Open U" YMCA classes that Gary Ann Giovanni handled during her ten years in Blacksburg, Virginia. There is some material related to her sister Nikki Giovanni, most related to various speaking activities or awards. Other items of interest include printed menus and recipes from Giovanni's attendance at the Greenbrier's cooking school, as well as food-related ephemera (pamphlets and other media produced by various food companies or publishers).

Series I: Family contains personal information about Gary Ann Giovanni and her family. The material about her sister, poet Nikki Giovanni, contains information about her activities and awards that she received.

Series II: Community Involvement highlights Giovanni's community involvement in non-culinary activities. Material pertaining to St. Paul's African Methodist Episcopal Church, the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc./Blacksburg Alumnae Chapter, and miscellaneous references to Giovanni's Oakland ties (chiefly with activist Mitch Snyder) make up the bulk of this series. In addition, the material about the AME and the Delta Sigma Sorority contains information of interest to those researching these institutions and their role during the time Giovanni belonged to them. Conferences and projects that Giovanni was associated with are well represented.

Series III: Professional Activity-Culinary contains catering jobs and YMCA Open University Classes, which form the bulk of this series, and recipes, menues, and handwritten notes. Each catering job file is listed by client name and date, and contains menus, recipes, information about clients, grocery lists, and receipts with food prices. Most of Giovanni's catering jobs were for faculty and administration at Virginia Tech. YMCA cooking class files contain student-attendee lists, menus, recipes, and sometimes general information about the cuisine if the class focused on an aspect of international cooking. The series also contains some handwritten recipes and food-related ephemera, the latter of interest to those researching food media and publications/pamphlets. Greenbrier menus and recipes enhance the series.

Series IV: Professional Activity-Non-Culinary contains employment-related materials, primarily from the YMCA.

Series V: Ephemera is contains Black culture and culinary-related materials.