On Thursday, Dec. 6 Food Before Love is teaming up with Essex Street Market for a new event series called Roots and Vines. This event, titled Food of the Diaspora: The Unfolding of African Foodways will feature three panelists from across the industry. The Roots and Vines panelists will talk about where our favorite foods from the diaspora originate and a sommelier will be on hand to suggest the perfect wine pairing for your favorite dishes.
Meet our esteemed panelists below!
Vonnie Williams
Vonnie Williams is a first-generation Ghanaian-American and food writer. Williams was excited to dive into the world of food media and PR, but quickly became frustrated with the lack of minority representation in the industry. She founded sincerelyvonnie.com, a food and culture website that serves as an unapologetic and sincere space to talk about her experiences and represent marginalized voices. In her free time, Vonnie loves to cook the easiest dishes from her cookbooks, eat copious amounts of ice cream and perfect her jollof rice recipe.
Cha McCoy
Cha McCoy is the Chief Visionary Officer and Founder of CHA Squared Hospitality LLC. CHA Squared is a lifestyle company with a focus on Tourism and Gastronomy. In 2012, she earned her MBA in Italy; an opportunity which led her to drink and eat in almost 20 countries. Her admiration for wine lead her to study as a wine professional. She is currently a Certified Sommelier.
McCoy is a public speaker, curator and host for intimate wine experiences. She has a stellar track record of supporting and building with small business owners in gastronomy. This is what ignited the idea behinher event, THE COMMUNION. A pop up wine tasting and food pairing experience that led the invitation to prepare the wine menu for the James Beard’s House, Thanksgiving Dinner in 2017. She also co-founded The Culture Bazaar, a blog whose mission is to connect people through culture immersive experiences.
Ysanet Batista
Chef Ysanet Batista is a queer Black-Dominican woman. She was born in Harlem, New York and raised in between the Dominican Republic and Florida. She graduated from Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island and spent a couple of years working in major hotel companies before transitioning to community based work. When she is not cooking or developing Woke Foods, Ysanet is helping other people start their own worker-cooperative businesses at Green Worker Cooperatives as the teaching assistant for their Coop Academy. Her passions include holistic cooking, farming, writing, community organizing, and spending time with her partner. She is inspired by the power and magic of Black and Brown people, the ocean, and the Now. She is currently a student at Farm School NYC earning a certificate in Urban Agriculture.
The event is free to the public, so register today! Join us Thursday, December 6, 2018 at Essex Street Market from 6:30-8 p.m. for food, wine and lots of knowledge being dropped.
