Business – Page 2 – Black Voice

Five Black owned Restaurants in Toronto

By: Lavanya Kathirgamanathan Toronto’s food culture embodies innovation, talent, and unique flavour profiles. The city welcomes a variety of different dishes that offer an invigorating experience. The food scene reflects Toronto’s multicultural population and provides a variety of different options for everyone’s palette. Some of these flavours are unheard of due to their innovative and tasty profiles. In particular, Black-owned restaurants have emerged through the excellence of culinary cooking, demonstrating diversity through the cuisine of the African diaspora. This article acknowledges and celebrates Black-owned restaurants in Toronto that customers can try out and support this summer. Chubby’s Jamaican Kitchen Located at: 104 Portland St Chubby’s Jamaican Kitchen brings flavour to Downtown Toronto with its Jamaican cuisine. This restaurant shares their excellence and unique recipe of jerk chicken and oxtail, catering to a variety of palettes. Chubby’s Jamaican Kitchen shares many traditional recipes that incorporate a modern take to Jamaican cuisine. Their warm and comforting dishes encourage customers to return the next day to enjoy more. This restaurant is one of a kind and will bring a smile to anyone’s face with every savoury bite! Nunu Ethiopian Fusion Located at: 1178 Queen St W Nunu Ethiopian Fusion brings the aroma and essence of Ethiopia to the streets of Toronto. This restaurant creates a homey dining experience offering an adventure of different dishes from Ethiopian cuisine. Nunu serves delicious and rich coffee with an invigorating aroma that customers can smell when they enter the restaurant. This fusion kitchen shares food from different parts of Ethiopia with dishes that include: lentil dishes, chicken or beef tibs, stews, and many more. This Ethiopian restaurant is fitting for those who seek a comforting meal. The Real Jerk Located at: 842 Gerrard St E The Real Jerk in Toronto is one of the most prominent places that is located in a place called flavour town. This restaurant has been established for over 30 years and still brings heat to the kitchen with its aroma, flavour, and energy. The Real Jerk shares various Caribbean dishes such as jerk chicken including goat curry, shrimp dishes, and roti. The Real Jerk is one of the many staples in Toronto customers will not take their eyes off of. The restaurant has incorporated colours including red, green, and yellow that will distract viewers from their current plans and attract them to check out delicious aromas of the islands. Tasty’s Caribbean Cuisine Located at: 405 Spadina Ave Tasty’s Caribbean Cuisine is one of the many diverse restaurants serving authentic Caribbean flavours in Toronto. This Black-owned restaurant creates a variety of dishes inspired by the cuisine used in the tropical islands of the Caribbean. Dishes include jerk chicken, macaroni pie, lentil peas, and roti wraps. These staple foods allow customers to enjoy and indulge in without worry, just simply satisfying and fulfilling vibes! Every bite is packed with flavour, and the restaurant includes an incredible and comfortable ambiance. This restaurant is a go-to for a quick bite, a sit-in, or a take-out meal customers can enjoy at home. Over the past few years, there has been an emergence of Black-owned businesses across different industries. The food industry has been creating an environment for business owners and customers to try new foods and put forth their creativity within Toronto’s food scene. Supporting restaurants within the Black community promotes diversity and inclusion that touches on the importance of recognizing the diverse culture that Toronto embodies. It is important to support local and small businesses, especially those of colour because they offer a new invigorating experience which encourages customers to step out of their comfort zone.

Black Owned Skin Care Brands

By: Lavanya Kathirgamanathan Black owned products are not praised enough for the hard work that goes into perfecting a formula for different skin tones and skin conditions. These formulas include innovation that breaks barriers as healthy ingredients are a central focus. In fact, many Black creators in the beauty community do not get enough recognition for the hard work that goes into revolutionizing the beauty community. In an article by McKinsey & Company, they state that Black owned brands only make up two per cent of revenue within the beauty world. The article also mentions that in the United States, only four to five per cent of employees involved in the beauty industry are Black. This statistic is alarming because it exemplifies the lack of involvement on behalf of the Black community in the beauty industry. This news does not receive enough recognition on how the Black community strives to invent new trends and normalize wearing bold, energetic, and fun colours. Although there is a lack of recognition, given that generic brand-named products have taken over the shelves, Black owned makeup brands are still a viable option and viewed as trendy in today’s society. Outlined are a list of Black owned skin care products that you can support. Black Girl Sunscreen This sunscreen brand is curated exclusively for women of colour. What more could one ask for in extreme heat when you have melanin? This brand is marketed towards all ages, from kids to adults, and emphasizes the lack of white caste shown on skin when applying the product, which is usually the issue for most sunscreens. The brand is working towards their goal of bringing awareness to how essential good skin protection is through their products without a worry of a harmful reaction. Karité Karité’s definition in French means shea butter. This brand focuses on the quality of their product. Compared to drugstore products that carry shea butter, this brand offers a higher concentration of shea butter unlike other generic products. This product can be found at your local Shoppers Drug Mart. In fact, Karité claims that their body cream has one of the highest concentrations of shea butter in its purest form, on the market today. The company partners with women-run farming co-ops in Ghana. Karité also takes proactive steps to ensure they understand where their ingredients are coming from, rather than handing it to somebody in a different country to do all the work, which is what we commonly find with other skin care products. Rosen Skincare Pink and pretty, this skin care brand is transforming the next generation of breakout care. Skin care brands that focus on acne solutions are hard to find. Rosen is not only concerned with creating a product that targets breakouts, but wants to create a space for a diverse community to use. Every skin type is different, but there are not enough conversations that address how dangerous some products can be for darker skin. This brand focuses on the prevention and repair of hyperpigmentation as well as acne for darker tones. Although their skin care products accommodate different skin tones, the goal for Rosen is to make this product less harmful for those with a pigment in their skin colour. 4 5 6 Skin They claim that this product is the science of skin tone. Noelly Michoux, Co-founder and CEO of 4 5 6 Skin, always faced issues with finding a solid skin care routine that was compatible with her melanin. It is stated that FDA regulation for a regular SPF is only tested on limited fair skin, meaning that not all skin tones and skin types have the benefits they need through SPF products. Located in France, this brand has carefully researched their independent laboratory for the past five years to break the barrier of solely testing skin that is considered fair. 4 5 6 Skin is one of the many melanin driven skincare lines that is safe, and allows customers to create a unique formula using AI technology to create a custom product without the worries of using yet another generic product catered towards all skin tones.

Take a Look: Black Authors You need to Discover

By: Lavanya Kathirgamanathan In life, we all have a unique story to tell. Our stories are what shape the plot authors get to write about. Globally, in just a year, over 500,000 to 1,000,000 books are written from a variety of different genres including horror, mystery, thriller, humor, and action. These genres cater towards a variety of different audiences that allow reading to be enjoyable. Books also offer different lengths. Many books require a whole series to execute a complex plot. Every book has a beginning, middle, and an end that carries the reader through a series of events filled with entertainment. In the world, many Black authors gain inspiration to write through their own personal experiences and creativity. In society, Black authors and people of colour are unrecognized compared to White writers, yet each story shares who they are and what they want the readers to comprehend. Outlined is a list of authors who create unforgettable storylines and bring an engaging experience to the Black community. Ashley C. Ford is a Black American writer and educator who writes with a focus on race and sexuality in her publications. Sites like The Guardian, Buzzfeed, and Elle are where people can read some of her written work. Ford is most famous for her book Somebody’s Daughter, an exclusive memoir that illustrates her childhood. Ford transforms the world of literature as she uses her skills and personal experiences dealing with an incarcerated father to highlight the reality of success being a Black author. For Ford, her sense of freedom is achieved when writing pieces of literature that advocate for racial inequalities. Books are a powerful mode of resistance against oppression as our opinions and ideas are what shape and influence our audiences to behave and think differently. Books allow us to reflect on our own privilege and make use of the resources we are offered to share our voice wholeheartedly. Chelene Knight is a Canadian writer and poet who was born in Vancouver. Knight is the author of the poetry book Braided Skin, which shares the experiences of mixed-race ethnicity, growing up in poverty, and urban childhood. Knight transforms literature by discussing the reality of growing up poor. She addresses that in circumstances where an individual is confronted with poverty there can be greater opportunities for success. These themes shape how individuals view the term “Braided” as it can refer to an intertwining of races and blending to achieve cohesion and conformity. The book unravels concepts that can allow one to recognize symbolism of unity and hope to achieve equality. Kern Carter is a Toronto author and freelance writer. He created a novel called Boys and Girls Screaming, which unveils the concept of how family trauma and sisterhood coincide. Carter hoped to create a storyline that sparked conversations in the community and wanted it to be an entertaining, eye-opening story. Kern’s vision is to encourage academic institutions to adopt practices in facilitating emotional support groups to those who suffer from trauma. This book highlights that schools have a responsibility to provide additional services to students. These services allow students to interact and form close relationships with those who face similar struggles. Angie Thomas is a Black American author born and raised in Mississippi. Thomas is known for her award-winning novel, The Hate U Give. The Black Lives Matter movement played a role in the inspiration for the novel. This novel is important because it addresses issues of inequalities in the criminal justice system. When Khalil, who is unarmed in the novel, is shot by a police officer unjustly it creates stereotypes that place Black people at a disadvantage for being labelled as a criminal. This novel highlights the reality between Black people and the way they are perceived in the criminal justice system that demand reform. Octavia E. Butler was a Black American science fiction writer raised in California. She was recognized as one of the best science fiction writers in the community. Butler illustrated Parable of the Sower, which takes place in the future and focuses on a teenager who suffers from hyper-empathy. This condition means that in circumstances where individuals face hardship their emotions are weak. The story addresses this issue, while trying to navigate in a society that is slowly collapsing. Butler’s story line incorporates the history of how society views White people as wealthier and “more safe,” while racialized people were not treated with respect or safely. The story also focuses on Black communities futuristically, and how it might be. Alexandra Elle is a Black American author who lives in Washington, DC. She is a bestselling author and wellness educator. Elle is known for her guide, How We Heal: Uncover Your Power and Set Yourself Free, which offers techniques on self-healing, mindfulness, and activities involving journaling.This is a space for readers to express the oppression and discrimination that they have been through for decades, and gives them a place to open up about their personal feelings. As individuals are confronted with different lives, circumstances, and roles these healing practices are illustrated to provide a sense of direction in times of disarray. This can be useful when we go through stress and grievances that cannot be dealt with appropriately through health care services. More often, the natural route to healing is in our best interest to adopt independent practices that are healthy and positive.