ALL BARK, NO BITE (THE POWER)!

Turning lemons into lemonade in the 6!

(Left to Right) Ameera & Michael from ACE HOTEL in Toronto and Sadiya Ansari.

Hey, y’all! This will not be a long message: I had to cancel the Toronto stop of the BITE THE POWER™️ tour. While both Charleston and Brooklyn sold out in a matter of hours, that was not the case in Canada. With all that promotion, including a great selection of speakers and a beautiful venue in the ACE Hotel, we only sold 2 tickets!

TWO. DAMN. TICKETS.

While I’m disappointed, I do not feel defeated. If anything, this is proof that relationships matter. Toronto was always considered an “experiment” for this concept, mainly because I don’t have a huge following in Canada. The belief was that I could find 40 people who wanted to come see what BITE THE POWER™️ was all about.

Survey said, [INSERT ANNOYING BUZZER SOUND FROM FAMILY FEUD]

But it’s not all bad. The ACE HOTEL was kind enough to still honor my stay and I’ve had the most amazing 24 hours hanging out with Ameera and Michael, who both work for the Toronto location of ACE HOTEL. They are teaching me so much about the city and look forward to building actual relationships with people both within and outside of the food space. I’m sure that whenever I try to bring BTP to Toronto, I’ll be able to sell more than two tickets! 🤣 #FingersCrossed

WHAT’S NEXT?

First thing on the menu: enjoy everything that Toronto has to offer. When I get back home, I’ll be sending an email to everyone who got a ticket to either the Charleston and/or Brooklyn stop to invite them to a brief “Here’s what I learned” presentation. The people on that call will then be able to give me feedback on their experience and, hopefully, they’ll share what they’d like to see in future iterations. With that feedback, I’ll start planning for BTP 2025! So, IF YOU THINK THAT BTP SHOULD COME TO YOUR CITY, SPEAK NOW!

What makes a city a good location, *you ask? Here are five things to keep in mind:

1. Are there Black people making moves in the food scene?

2. Does that city have a visitor’s bureau that would be interested in supporting an event that uplifts Black men and women in the food space?

3. Would 50 people in said city pay for a ticket to this type of event?

4. Are there venues that could host an intimate (100 people or less), presentation-styled, storytelling event that also had a food element to it?

5. Is that venue wheelchair accessible?

And a bonus question, which should probably be a requirement, so let me just add it as the final bullet point:

• Is there a Black person, in that city, connected to the food scene with experience (or a desire to gain experience) hosting events?

If you think your city applies, let me know! I’ll it to the list of places I’d like to see this concept expand to, which include (but is not limited to):

• Detroit

• Charlotte

• Richmond, VA

• Chicago

• Baltimore

• Washington, DC

• Philly

• Memphis

• Dallas/Ft. Worth

• Houston

• Atlanta

• Oakland

In fact, once I add Charleston and Brooklyn back in the mix, this might be a strong enough roster of cities as is. But I’m also open to hearing your ideas as well.

Canada is serious about their anti-smoking packaging.

In conclusion, I didn’t get what I wanted by coming to Canada. Instead, I got so much more than I could have anticipated! And I still have a few days left in town so there’s no telling what I am going to experience when it’s all said and done. And to the two people who purchased a ticket, thank you very much. You’ll be automatically added to the list when I return!

* If you didn’t ask, I apologize for projecting that question on to you!

— LOVE, KJ.