EVENT: HOT BREAD KITCHEN’S FOOD ENTREPRENEURSHIP FORUM, 2020
CHALLENGE: Hot Bread Kitchen’s first public virtual event series, supporting the small food business community hardest hit by COVID-19.
MY ROLE: Event concept, art direction, speaker curation, social strategy, project management, accessibility, “Leading With Identity in Small Business Storytelling” panel lead
THE RESULT: With 500+ people registered across the globe, this 3-day event featured educational panels, workshops, pitching opportunities, and cooking classes–all with a focus on uplifting entrepreneurs of color.
Panel: Leading With Identity in Small Business Storytelling
Crafting a meaningful brand story that resonates with consumers is more important than ever. How do small businesses owned by BIPOC & LGBTQ founders lead with identity and leverage their unique story in crafting their messaging?
Panelists: Andre Springer (Founder, Shaquanda Will Feed You) Sana Javeri Kadri (CEO/Founder, Diaspora Co.) Enshalla Anderson (Director, Global Head of Brand Strategy, Google Cloud) Nafy Flatley (Owner, Teranga) Khushbu Shah (Restaurants Editor, Food & Wine Magazine) Moderator: Chef Jenny Dorsey (Founder & Executive Director, Studio ATAO)
“Around 30 hopeful food entrepreneurs—most of them women or people of color—gathered for a Zoom pitch session hosted by Hot Bread Kitchen, a New York City non-profit, for a chance to talk to about a dozen buyers, including representatives of Whole Foods Market and Fresh Direct. There was Caribbean-American hot sauce, jerk chicken seasoning from Harlem, a vegan cheese company from San Francisco, and more. The lucky ones would come away with a distribution deal.” —The Counter