The Black Food & Wine Experience to Host Events throughout Bay Area June 11-18

The Black Food & Wine Experience to Host Events throughout Bay Area June 11-18 for its Sixth Celebration

Highlights include a Grand Tasting in the Ferry Building and Food & Beverage Summit hosted by the James Beard Foundation, Afro-Caribbean Experience, and Winemaker Dinner Series

For the first time ever, the Black Food & Wine Experience—a mission-driven event that bridges food, beverage, education, health, and Black culture—will return for its sixth celebration from June 11-18, 2023, expanding beyond Oakland to locations throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Throughout the weeklong event, attendees of all backgrounds are invited to sample a range of food and beverages that span the African Diaspora; meet industry veterans as well as up-and-coming Black chefs, winemakers, and spirit makers; learn about the latest trends; and network among their fellow foodies. Founded by Aminah “Chef Mimi” Robinson-Briscoe, the Black Food & Wine Experience provides a space where Black excellence and hospitality are cultivated, celebrated, and explored by everyone. Highlights include a Food & Beverage Summit, Winemaker Dinner Series, and Afro-Caribbean Experience—not to mention a Grand Tasting at the historic Ferry Building in San Francisco.

“It is a joy and privilege to showcase the rich food and beverage culture and incredible hospitality professionals of the African Diaspora in the Bay Area, arguably one of the best

culinary destinations in the world,” said Chef Mimi. “This experiential escape for foodies into a world purveyed by Black culinary creatives, chefs, restaurants and vintners is a wonderful way to highlight often overlooked Black industry talent allowing them, too, to inspire, share and to grow in these challenging times.”

Part of this year’s Black Food & Wine Experience is the second annual Black Food & Beverage Summit, which is aimed at supporting BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) Food & Beverage entrepreneurs. The Summit will be led by Colleen Vincent, vice president of community for the James Beard Foundation on June 15, 2023 at 1955 Broadway in Oakland. In addition to opportunities for community building and recruitment, this industry-focused event will feature educational panel discussions addressing topics ranging from access to entry and funding, business resources, and navigating the food and beverage industry.

2023 speakers include:

● Julia Collins, founder and CEO, Planet FWD

● Sheila Hackbarth, director of sales and business development, Moët Hennessy US

● Fern Stroud, founder, Black Vines

● Kai Nortey, CEO and co-founder, kubé Nice Cream

● Dr. Chris Wachira, owner of Wachira Wines and Karibu Wine Lounge

● Chadwick D. Spell, chief operating officer, Wachira Wines

● Alicia Kidd, Coco Noir Wine Shop & Bar

● Julian Peebles and Tory Brown, Common Ground Spirits

● Lamont Perriman, owner, Montperi Catering and Events

More Program Highlights

● The Afro-Caribbean Experience (Sabor Caribe) - June 13 (5 or 7 p.m.) - Lita's Restaurant

& Bar

Nourish your soul and appetite as we welcome Juneteenth with Sabor Caribe, an extraordinary epicurean adventure honoring the African influence in Caribbean culture. In partnership with Gabriela Fernandez of The Big Sip and Lita Walnut Creek, The Black Food and Wine Experience invites everyone to immerse themselves in a joyous Afro-Caribbean celebration where Chef Sean Streete will bridge his Trinidadian and Tobagonian heritage alongside Latin spices and flavors with a four-course dinner and cocktail pairing.

Of course, no feast is complete without entertainment! Sabor Caribe will feature dancers, live music, and iconic Black & Latin community members from the greater Bay Area. Get a full taste of Afro-Caribbean culture fused with upscale Miami vibes as we come together in the heart of Walnut Creek. Two seatings are available at 5 and 7 p.m., respectively.

● Black Wall Street Dinner – June 14 (7-10 p.m.) - Oakland Museum of California

Guests will join Chef Mimi and Chef Michelle of Town Fare at the Oakland Museum of

California for an intimate, candlelit Tastemakers dinner to celebrate diversity,

Juneteenth, and the legacy of Black Wall Street.

● The Grand Tasting - June 17 (7 -11 p.m.) - San Francisco Ferry Building

Sample the food, wine, and cocktails of the African Diaspora at The Black Food & Wine Experience's Grand Tasting in the famed San Francisco Ferry Building. Celebrate Black culture and excellence with your fellow foodies, while tasting from celebrated and rising chefs, restaurants, winemakers, and spirit purveyors. The event will feature limited available wines, barrel samples, and culinary concepts with incomparable flavor, not to mention live entertainment and activations followed by an afterparty at the exclusive members-only SF Battery.

Sponsors for the Black Food & Wine Experience include Treasury Wine Estates, Barcardi, J- Harden Wines, San Francisco Ferry Building Marketplace, Visit Oakland, ESO Ventures and the Oakland African-American Chamber of Commerce. For sponsorship inquiries and full program details, please visit www.thechefmimi.com/bfwe. To purchase tickets, click here.

About Chef Mimi

A proud Oakland native, Aminah “Chef Mimi” Robinson-Briscoe is the founder of the Black Food & Wine Experience. She is passionate about bringing Black culture and food together for the most amazing culinary experiences. For more than a decade, she has focused on the often-overlooked intersection of food, social justice, and entertainment. In her article “Black Girls Don’t Eat Avocados: A Holistic View of Food Disparities in the Black Community,” Chef Mimi shares her own personal food journey and the philosophy that informs her work.

Through Chef Mimi LLC, Chef Mimi has brought to life three distinct brands: The Black Food & Wine Experience, an interactive annual event that bridges food, beverage, education, health, and Black culture, "Bringing It to The Table," the first culinary competition show highlighting the talent and passion of Black chefs, and Chef Mimi Catering, a boutique catering company that services Bay Area tech companies such as Facebook, Slack, Twilio and Lyft as well as non-profits and cultural events like the Coalition of Black Excellence and ESSENCE Festival.

A graduate of the California Culinary Arts Academy in San Francisco, Chef Mimi is an active board member of the Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce, Diablo Valley College’s culinary and wine program, and the Eventbrite Creative Collective. Most recently, she was recognized as a 2023 Comcast Bay Area Icon, one of Wine Enthusiast's Future 40 Tastemakers 2022, and on the list of 2021 Forbes Next 1000, which highlights entrepreneurial heroes who are redefining what it means to build and run a business today.