The 19th Annual Taste of Soul kicked off with a stellar VIP Reception at The Beehive by Sola Impact.
Sponsors, elected officials, and esteemed guests convened over soul food and drinks provided by 1010 Wines.
Brandi Bakewell, Bakewell Media executive vice president, was lauded for planning the festivities. When asked how the Beehive was selected for the event, Bakewell shared, “I wanted to do something different, and when I had a tour, I said, ‘This is amazing, as you’re driving up, you’re like, there can’t possibly be all these things in this warehouse district area, and then you walk in the door, you’re in this oasis in the heart of South LA. [The Beehive] is a really amazing, Black-owned space.”
During the reception, Pamela Bakewell thanked many of the festival’s sponsors, one of which is Metro. Deputy Chief at Metro Rob Gummer shared, “Taste of Soul is an important event for Metro because it supports our community and our riders, so this is something that we feel very strongly about and I’m happy to be here.” Gummer added,
“Bakewell Media has shown to be great partners in the past and nothing brings the community together better than food and culture.”
During the reception, Councilwoman Heather Hutt expressed her excitement for Taste of Soul, saying, “I’ve been coming up for 19 years. This is something that I absolutely adore, and I’m so glad that most of it is going through the 10th district because it’s a destination that’s great for economic development.”
The councilwoman added, “I want the community to know that I support small businesses. And we’re doing things in the district to make sure that people know that the 10th district is a destination that they can feel safe in, one that we could celebrate life in.”
Mario Holton, vice president of Philanthropy and Community Impact at Wells Fargo Bank, said, “Taste of Soul is one of the most impactful cultural events that we have in South L.A., and it always brings out the best of the best when it comes to vendors and community engagement.”
He added, “I’m looking forward to Jon B performing and what excites me are the different vendors we experience walking up and down Crenshaw Blvd. at this peaceful event where we all come together and celebrate together.”
Holton concluded by outlining the additional incentives small business owners receive from being a part of the annual festival.
“We do a post vendor Taste of Soul reception where we try to bring resources to small business owners by finding ways to bridge the gap between them and CDFIs as well as small business development centers that can help them to take their businesses to the next level.”
