Spotlight: African- American History Month

9301 East 147th Street,Kansas City MO 64149

20 February, 2022

Description

A night of cultural storytelling through food at the farm. Come for the food, stay for the art and music! Spotlight is a cultural dinner series that will feature different cuisines, chefs, and artists to celebrate, honor and appreciate diverse cultures that make up our Kansas City community and reflect the background of many of the boys that go through the BoysGrow program. We are excited to announce the first dinner of the series spotlighting African-American History Month. Below is the Chef and artist lineup for the night. Featured Chefs:Chef Shanita McAfee-Bryant Chef Dwight Tiller II Chef Erika Dupree KlineFeatured Artists:Spoken Word Poetry by Melissa FerrerVisual Artist Nikita Vonee from Calming CanvasMusic by DJ RocEach ticket is inclusive of food and drinks for the night. Tickets are sold as 2-top and 4-top reservations. Tickets are for parties of 2 or 4. Please email [email protected] with any questions or concerns. Read more about our guests below: Long before Chef Shanita was winning nationally televised competitions like Cutthroat Kitchen, or competing in Food Network’s BBQ Blitz, she was checking out cookbooks and training manuals at the library. From her room, 13-year-old Shanita was already putting together ideas for innovative dishes on her way to becoming more than just a dreamer. Chef Shanita opened her first restaurant, Magnolia’s, to rave reviews. She then launched a successful food truck, and eventually came back to her passion of using food to help and inspire others. Along the way, Chef Shanita has been featured in large media outlets like NPR’s How We Eat, Recommended Daily, Ebony Magazine, Honest Cooking, Broadway World, and Feast to name a few. She has also been invited to The Test Kitchen, was awarded the prestigious “Midwest Tastemaker” title, is a member of the distinguished Les Dames d'Escoffier International, and has served on the board of the National Minority Chef’s Summit. Chef Shanita is the founder and executive director at The Prospect Urban Eatery, who’s work providing real world training and community programs has been recognized for its impact on under-resourced individuals. With more than 20 years of experience in the culinary field, Chef Shanita is passionate about helping others achieve their culinary dreams, and believes that with authenticity, passion, and drive, you’re capable of anything. Over the past 20 plus years, celebrated pastry chef Erika Cline has crafted some of the country’s most scrumptious desserts and chocolates. Cline’s grand career started in Detroit, Michigan as a pastry cook under the country’s first master chef, Milos Cihelka. These days, Cline is living in the British Virgin Islands with her own chocolate boutique called Bleu Chocolat. Bleu Chocolat is a bean-to-bar chocolate boutique that has more than five origins of cocoa.In July 2012, Cline opened and developed the chocolate program for Graycliff Chocolatier in Nassau, Bahamas. Cline was one of the original 2010 contestants on Bravo’s Top Chef: Just Desserts. She has been featured in the Huffington Post, the Pastry Arts Magazine, Afar Travel Magazine, Black Enterprise, and other publications. Cline has also made numerous television cooking appearances and has served as a judge for the Food Network’s Rock n’ Roll Pastry Challenge. In 2008, Cline created a non-profit organization called Culinary Wonders USA. Culinary Wonders USA’s mission is to introduce, share, and cultivate the culinary arts to minorities. As president of CWUSA, Cline believes that mentoring, scholarships, and volunteerism are all great avenues for providing direction in the culinary world. Cline’s long-standing motto is "A day is never good without chocolate.” Chef Dwight Tiller II "Chef D" is the owner of KC Mac N' Co. at the Parlor in Downtown KC. Melissa Ferrer & (she/they) is a multidisciplinary artist, poet, educator, organizer and friend living in Kansas City, MO. She lives chanting hallelujah into the liminal spaces of life. She is a Poetry MFA Candidate at Randolph College. Her work can be found in Fahmidan Journal, ZinDaily and elsewhere. She was long listed for the 2021 Palette Poetry Emerging Poet Prize. And she has competed at the National Poetry Slam, Rustbelt Regional Slam, Texas Grand Slam and countless other slams across the nation. She is a lover of Asian dramas, rapture, and you. Find out more: www.melissaferrerand.com Nikita, A Kansas City native, is a self-taught visual artist and published author that enjoys writing and painting ethnic art that reflects who she is as a Black woman. Her words and art embody femininity, grace, vibrancy and a unique abstract perspective. Outside of being a business owner, she is also a Mother, writer, Registered nurse, mental health advocate, and a classically trained singer. She began painting as a therapeutic outlet for creative expression, and later coined the name “Calming Canvas” for her art business. Being an advocate for mental wellness, she was passionate about providing a space for people to come and relax, tap into their inner artist and have fun! In the fall of 2017, Calming Canvas LLC was established and had it’s first vending event at a local women’s conference. After traveling the Kansas City metro area for 1 year, the mobile paint party business then acquired the art studio space in the historic downtown Grandview, located at 820 Main St. The in-studio experience allows guests to join with their friends and families, while enjoying music, food and fun. You may check out their event schedule and book your paint experience by visiting calmingcanvas.com. BoysGrow is a local nonprofit that uses farming and agriculture to teach entrepreneurship to Kansas City’s urban male youth. The program gives young men an opportunity to earn a paycheck while working on a functional farm. Our boys essentially run a small business, by selling their value-added products to local restaurants and grocery stores around town. Through BoysGrow, the young men learn critical vocational skills and experience an array of different potential careers including Agriculture, Culinary Arts, Construction and Sales. Today, BoysGrow produce is currently available in more than 30 Kansas City-area locations.  www.boysgrow.com