16 Jun 2024 3 min read Event Recap

Juneteenth with Nicole Taylor & BEM Books (2024)

The Juneteenth spread. Photo by Jenn de la Vega

For a special collaboration with BEM, an online book merchant for black food literature, Nicole Taylor curated a summer afternoon celebration at the historic Akwaaba Mansion in Bed Stuy. Nicole is the author of the Juneteenth cookbook Watermelon & Red Birds, and is a close friend of ours.

🍉

[Watermelon & Red Birds] is a testament to where we are now. It’s an attempt to synthesize all the places we’ve been, all the people we have come from, all the people we have become, and all the culinary ideas we have embraced. It’s an attempt to fashion a Juneteenth celebration for the twenty-first century.

She called on us to style a large buffet furnished by Peaches Hot House. We augmented the display with a selection of colorful pickles from her book as well as fresh farmer's market produce to celebrate the culinary history of Juneteenth.

Vendors

Venue: Akwaaba Mansion

Food: Peaches Hot House

Ice cream: Sugar Hill Creamery

DJ: Quiinnette

Culinary Management & Food Styling: Family Party Catering

Before the event started, Danielle and Gabrielle Davenport (the owners of BEM) welcomed guests to the space. Nicole made opening remarks and read a passage from Watermelon & Red Birds. We fashioned a platter of offerings to the ancestors: watermelon, black-eyed peas, rainbow chard, sunflowers, and edible marigolds.

Danielle, Nicole, & Gabrielle. Photo by Jenn de la Vega.

Naturally, it was time to eat! Peaches Hot House delivered a selection of dishes inspired by Watermelon & Red Birds. Crispy catfish sliders , mini shrimp po' boys, peach molasses wings, Southern-ish potato salad, carrot and mustard flower salad; as well as summer pea green beans and corn salad.

We filled the table with fruits and vegetables from the Juneteenth pantry, our favorite piece was the baby yellow squash with the blossom still attached. We styled it with a jar of black eyed peas to symbolize a guiding light. The fabrics we used were ombre golden yellow, orange, and red for the fiery summer heat and passion for celebration.

At the bar, guests could choose from a maroon margarita spiked with coconut and strawberry and nonalcoholic watermelon ginger beer.

Strawberry sumac ice cream, yum! Photo by Jenn de la Vega.

For dessert, Sugar Hill Creamery wheeled out their ice cream cart with custom ice cream flavors: General Order No. 3 (strawberry sumac, pictured above), Pon De Replay (vegan toasted coconut), and Sweet Socialism (dark chocolate sorbet).

A Party Tip

In June, it can get really hot midday. This event was scheduled for 5pm to 7pm on a Sunday, right after the peak sun and just before sunset. It's late enough to beat the heat, but early enough for guests to have most of their evening to rest up for the upcoming week.

If you need culinary management for your next event, please visit our inquiries page.