Vy Higgensen

Vy Higginsen, noted author, playwright, radio and TV personality, has garnered an excellent reputation and won many awards for providing excellent products and services to African-American audiences.

After a decade of being behind the microphone and on major New York stations (WBLS-FM, WWRL-AM, WRKS-FM), Vy published and edited Unique NY, a lifestyles magazine designed for African-Americans and tourists.  In 1983, Vy co-wrote, produced and directed the classic black Gospel musical Mama I Want To Sing!, which ran for eight years and 2,200 performances at the Off-Broadway Heckscher Theater in East Harlem. 

In March 1986, Mama began a national tour of the USA, playing two consecutive years throughout major cities such as Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles/San Francisco, Philadelphia and Washington.  International tours include Austria, Japan, Germany, Greece, Italy, Switzerland, and Yugoslavia. Mama also played for six months on the West End of London. 

In March 1988, Vy co-produced Joe Turner’s Come and Gone by August Wilson on Broadway. In 2002, Vy was ordained as an Interfaith Minister. Led by her passion for the sounds and music she grew up hearing, Vy conceived and created Alive! which documents the sounds, music, and stories of our black American musical landscape.

Vy continues to write and produce original work as the executive director of the Emmy Award-winning Mama Foundation for the Arts in Harlem, New York.

DJ Stormin' Norman

Dj Stormin' Norman originally hails from East London, UK and is now a resident of Harlem, USA. In the 90's, he was part of a groundbreaking DJ collective who brought the Thunderstorm Mix on WBLS 107.5FM NYC, introducing live mixing to daytime radio previously reserved for weekend nights broadcasted from night-clubs, setting a new precedent in national radio. For over 20 years, he's played major New York clubs, exclusive downtown spots, elite private events and world touring.  Currently dj & produces the most anticipated event of the Summer Season in New York City Sundae Sermon, bringing over thousands of attendees per event together in Harlem parks termed by many “the Woodstock of Harlem”.  Continuing his brand Dj Stormin' Norman Host his own show entitled Sundae Sermon Radio on WHCR 90.3fm, a record label Sundae Sermon Recordings and for 2015 the non-for-profit Sundae Sermon Foundation. Dj Stormin’ Norman is also the DJ resident of Marcus Samuelsson’s Red Rooster in Harlem.

Marcus Samuelsson

Red Rooster Harlem/Ginny's Supper Club

Marcus Samuelsson is the acclaimed chef behind many restaurants worldwide including Red Rooster Harlem, Red Rooster Shoreditch, and Marcus B&P. Samuelsson was the youngest person to ever receive a three-star review from The New York Times and has won multiple James Beard Foundation Awards including Best Chef: New York City. He was tasked with planning and executing the Obama Administration’s first State dinner honoring Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Samuelsson was also crowned champion of television shows Top Chef Masters and Chopped All Stars, and served as a mentor on ABC’s The Taste. Samuelsson’s TV series titled No Passport Required with VOX/Eater and PBS has been renewed for a second season, which is scheduled to air Fall 2019. He currently serves as Executive Chef-in-Residence of Buzzfeed Tasty’s newly launched talent program. A committed philanthropist, Samuelsson co-produces the annual week-long festival Harlem EatUp!, which celebrates the food, art, and culture of Harlem. Samuelsson is co-chair of the board of directors for Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP). In May 2016, he was inducted into the James Beard Foundation Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America; he is the recipient of the 2019 Vilcek Foundation Prize in Culinary Arts. He is the author of multiple books including The New York Times bestselling memoir Yes, Chef, the young adult version-- Make It Messy, Marcus Off Duty cookbook, and his latest book-- The Red Rooster Cookbook: The Story of Food and Hustle in Harlem. In addition, he is one of the founders of the website Food Republic. Recent restaurant openings include: Red Rooster Shoreditch in East London; Marcus B&P in Newark, New Jersey; and Streetbird Express at the world-famous Madison Square Garden. He announced the opening of his newest restaurant, Marcus, coming to Montreal in Spring 2019. Follow him on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter at @MarcusCooks.

Jake Timmons

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que

At Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, fresh, homemade, and high-quality aren’t just catchwords, they’re our foundation. Our commitment to food quality and genuine hospitality is unyielding. We pride ourselves on our loyal guests, employees, and being a great place to have fun and while sampling some of the best bar-b-que in the country. Our menu is firmly rooted in the traditions of Southern bar-b-que, but there are other influences that shape our flavors and give our food its own distinctive character. That’s one of the secrets of great bar-b-que -- staying committed to tradition, but finding your own stamp and signature.

Kwame Onwuachi

Kith/Kin

KWAME ONWUACHI is the James Beard Award-winning executive chef at Kith/Kin, Esquire Magazine’s Chef of the Year, and author of Notes from a Young Black Chef, published by Alfred A. Knopf. He was born on Long Island and raised in New York City, Nigeria, and Louisiana. Onwuachi was first exposed to cooking by his mother, in the family’s modest Bronx apartment, and he took that spark of passion and turned it into a career. From toiling in the bowels of oil cleanup ships to working at some of the best restaurants in the world, he has seen and lived his fair share of diversity. Onwuachi trained at the Culinary Institute of America and has opened five restaurants before turning thirty. A former Top Chef contestant, he has been named one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs, Esquire Magazine’s Chef of the Year, and a 30 Under 30 honoree by both Zagat and Forbes.