If you missed out on the recent BayHaven Food & Wine Festival … well … you missed out. The inaugural event at Charlotte’s Camp North End gave all the homecoming, family reunion, day party, let’s celebrate Black excellence vibes we needed to coast into the last couple of months of 2021.
Husband and wife team Greg and Subrina Collier had a vision of a food and wine festival that would honor Black culinary diaspora in the way it deserves. In the end, more than 75 Black chefs, artisans, farmers, brewers, distillers and other hospitality industry experts participated in #bfwf. The three-day celebration of Black Foodways was aimed at raising awareness of Black culinary experts and creating opportunities for newcomers in the hospitality industry. It was the first event of its kind in North Carolina.
True to their roots, the festival name combines the two Memphis neighborhoods where the Colliers grew up. Subrina is from Frayser, also known as “The Bay,” and Greg lived in Whitehaven, informally known as “Blackhaven” because of its history of predominately Black residents.
Since opening their first restaurant, The Yolk, in 2012, the Colliers have taken the culinary world by storm, all while helping give opportunity and access to people of color in culinary arts, restaurant and hospitality industries. Their newest concept, Leah & Louise, opened last year.
Take a look back with us at the BayHaven Food & Wine Festival, and be sure to keep up with Greg and Subrina on Instagram.
Photos by Alvin C. Jacobs Jr. (Instagram: @acjphoto).
