This weekend, the entire Stackt Market activation space will be taken over by COMEBACK: a new three-day festival highlighting an incredible array of local businesses and the industrious community that has bonded together to survive through the pandemic.
The festival will feature an impressive lineup of musical guests, a full city block of local pop-ups, as well as a curated dinner series by some of the city's best BIPOC chefs.
Jessica Lynch, vice president of strategy and development at Stackt says, "COMEBACK is a moment to recognize the strength and resilience of our community. It's been a tough year, and we are looking forward to activating the entire space with some creative and inspiring programming."
The Chef Dinner Series has been organized with the help of Quell, a unique talent management agency with the purpose of amplifying the underrepresented voices and leaders in our food and beverage industry.
Co-Founder Stephanie Lui-Valentim says, "For too long there has been a lot of inequity specifically in hospitality, and it's pretty clear. You always hear and see the same faces and stories. We represent chefs, beverage experts, and content creators, to give these unique individuals a space to share their craft, who they are, and what they are passionate about."
The inspiration behind the Chef Dinner Series, in particular, is the intersectionality of locality and diversity. Lui-Valentim says, "In Ontario, we grow a lot of diverse and international crops with vibrancy, that most people aren't aware of. It's the ability to now bring these foods that might not be as popular to the forefront, and being able to share them in a meal that represents our two chefs."
All of the food being served has been hand-selected from local farms, including 100KM Foods, The Afri-Can Food Basket and FoodShare, three establishments paving the way for proper food equality in the GTA.
In the outdoor restaurant Pavilion, the pop-up experience will feature star BIPOC chefs: MasterChef Canada’s Marissa Leon-John, and Globe and Mail’s list of “Canada’s Next Star Chef’s” for 2020, Bashir Munye.
Chef Bashir was born in Somalia, raised in Italy, and came to Toronto around 20 years ago. He is a professor at George Brown, and is an activist and advocate for food sovereignty in our city.
Chef Leon-John is a self-taught home cook from Montreal. Having come off her two seasons of MasterChef, she is becoming a force in the culinary landscape. She was the head chef for Pride Montreal, and has started her own business with a focus on inclusivity in the industry, where she works closely with BIPOC entrepreneurs.
These two have come together to create a collaborative menu that will showcase five items. Each dish is a culmination of their experience, providing them with a way to share their stories through food on a plate.
Lui-Valentim says, "This is a well-rounded five dishes that are going to be a new palate for many people, and that is the whole purpose of the entire activation."
Without giving away the entire menu, expect to see some unique and flavourful dishes like Monk Fish, "Scallop" Tajine, and Beet "Tartare," with a sprinkling of Chef Marissa's secret house-made spice blend that she likes to call, 'fairy dust.'
Check out the full menu on the COMEBACK Eventbrite page, where tickets can be purchased in tables of 2, 4 and 6. There will be two seatings on Friday the 22 (5:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.), two on Saturday the 23 (1:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.), and one at 12:00 p.m. on Sunday the 24.
To get the full scoop on COMEBACK, feel free to check out the Stackt Market website, where you can read up on the other festival offerings, as well as purchase tickets for the concert series showcasing a lineup of local and rising musical talent.
Feel free to also stop by the QUELL Agency booth, where co-founders Trevor and Stephanie will share the good word and be happy to chat with anyone eager to learn more about their fabulous initiatives.
