Toronto, Ontario – Following the success of its first installment, BLACK FOODIE is happy to announce its second BLACK FOODIE Picnic Day (BFPD) to be held on August 22, 2020. Endorsed by Mayor John Tory and several Black chefs, food bloggers, and business owners, the first BFPD reached tens of thousands of food enthusiasts, and there is no doubt the second will do even better! Notably, the second installment will feature the saucy and talented Chef Kelis Rogers. She will be joining BLACK FOODIE Founder Eden Hagos for an Instagram Live cooking demo of a summer recipe, perfect for a picnic and featuring a few of the many goodies in her upcoming Gold Mine Box from her farm-to-table food brand Bounty & Full. The Live will be held on Wednesday, August 20th at 4 pm, EST.

This social media campaign showcases not only several easy-to-make recipes and picnic-friendly take-out from Black businesses, it also encourages Black foodies to enjoy their favourite African, Caribbean, and Southern dishes in the great outdoors. Most importantly, it provides a much-needed positive, community-based activity in a time where COVID-19 is limiting the ways for us to enjoy the summer and the current political climate weighing heavily on Black people.

This second installment of a three-part series, BFPD will highlight the versatility of these foods and their uniqueness as picnic staples through a campaign focused on (safe) outdoor eating and picnicking with friends. By connecting brands, food industry partners and creative talent to execute content, the series will push the food industry to rethink what it means to have a picnic.

“What we’re really trying to do is create an appreciation for Black food through the universally-known activity that is the picnic”, explains Ellen Asiedu, Strategy Lead and Producer at BLACK FOODIE. “While we’ve all eaten outside at one point or another, few outside the Black community know the joys of eating pholourie and pelau warmed over a camp stove at Niagara Falls or suya andmandazi at a park for a church picnic. This campaign helps foodies worldwide tap into the deliciousness of Black food culture through recipes and recommendations for Black-owned restaurants serving these culinary delights”.

The series introduces those within and outside the diaspora to various Afro-Caribbean finger foods — moving foodies away from sandwiches and towards suya — while empowering food bloggers to share their picnic must-haves, and encouraging foodies everywhere to order picnic-suitable cuisine from local Black-owned restaurants.

 By using the hashtag #blackfoodiepicnicday, the brand aims to create a social media movement that highlights Black joy and continues to shift the way Black food culture and Black food businesses are covered in mainstream media. BLACK FOODIE invites all foodies to participate and share their participation via social media on the day by using the hashtag.

This campaign comes at a time when anger, frustration and despair dominate the minds of many in Black communities. Eden Hagos, Founder of BLACK FOODIE notes, “There’s a lot of angst and unrest in the world right now, and as Black people, we’re carrying the weight of it. Encouraging our fans to ground themselves by basking in nature and enjoying their favourite comfort foods safely, with friends or in their own backyards, is an effective way for us to prioritize our joy and peace.”

This second installment of the series will take place on Saturday, August 22, 2020 and the third and final installment on Saturday, September 19, 2020.

BLACK FOODIE is a versatile media platform dedicated to amplifying Black voices and experiences in the food industry.