Virgo Ash Essential Oils Room Spray

By Ashley Harrington 

Ashley Harrington started Virgo Ash as a personal project for me which was created while working from home since March 2020 due to COVID. I started using essential oils, which is a more holistic method to promote sleep, relieve stress, and create a positive environment to be more productive and find peace during such a crazy time in the world. After seeing posts from a few of my friends and family and coworkers with the same struggles I decided to develop Virgo Ash and make room sprays infused with essential oils. Each spray serves a purpose and can aid in so many areas. For example: Lavender was my original spray to assist with a good night's sleep and aiding in relieving for tension headaches which I tend to have.

Sage spray cleanses and purifies negative energy, it is also a smokeless option to burning sage.

So You Want To Talk About Race Book 

By Ijeoma Oluo 

Widespread reporting on aspects of white supremacy — from police brutality to the mass incarceration of Black Americans — has put a media spotlight on racism in our society. Still, it is a difficult subject to talk about. How do you tell your roommate her jokes are racist? Why did your sister-in-law take umbrage when you asked to touch her hair — and how do you make it right? How do you explain white privilege to your white, privileged friend? 

In So You Want to Talk About Race, Ijeoma Oluo guides readers of all races through subjects ranging from intersectionality and affirmative action to "model minorities" in an attempt to make the seemingly impossible possible: honest conversations about race and racism, and how they infect almost every aspect of American life.

Brown & Balanced "Normalize Black Bartenders" T Shirt

By Josh Davis

Josh Davis is an industry veteran with over 15 years of experience and he is also the founder of Brown And Balanced which started as an event at Portland Cocktail Week and Camp Runamok and has since built into a stand-alone entity. At the core of Brown and Balanced is the mission to share talents and stories of Black and Brown food and beverage professionals and the projects they’re developing through digital content.

The Bitters Reality Leather Coaster Set crafted by Didaa Handcrafted and an Invitation to Subscribe

By Mirian Hubbard and Ijeoma Onu

The Bitters Reality

Creativity doesn't happen in a vacuum. Sometimes you must be faced with alternative tastes, textures, flavor expressions, and ideas to jumpstart your creative juices when it comes to concocting cocktails and mocktails at home. As a BarStarts graduate, Mirian honors that process and provides seasonal ingredients and helpful gifts and tips to help you expand your palette.

Through her attention to detail and care, each season, subscribers receive a box filled withnon-alcoholic, hand-selected shrubs, syrups, bitters, mixers, and gifts by small-batch makers. Each subscriber receives access to an online mini magazine where in-depth stories are shared of each featured craftsperson. They also have the chance to participate in special cocktail demonstrations featuring working bartenders, and events. The Bitters Reality’s mission is simple - honor the process, honor the creative inside us all through the art of cocktail-making.

Didaá Handcrafted

With thousands of options for leather goods, what makes Didaá HandCrafted so special?

With the words of her Eponym, Didaá, “What’s worth doing is worth doing well.” at the helm of the brand, Ijeoma carries this mindset into each luxury handbag and leather good that she creates. Her attention to detail and utilization of old-world practices ensures durability and sets Didaa Handcrafted apart.

As a small-scale operation, quality is priority. Ijeoma hand-stitches every piece using the saddle stitch - a technique born out of necessity but maintained due to its durability. Taking shortcuts is not an option. Ensuring all stress points are secure by double stitching or hand peeling rivets; and hand burnishing or painting the edges of each creation are a few of the skills that ensure each item meets the stringent quality standards of the Atelier. From their French calf leather to their exotic alligator skins, all materials are responsibly sourced, with a focus on sustainability.

Attention to detail, unique designs and quality materials set Didaá Handcrafted apart; the ethos and practices honed by her mother, Didaá, are her gift to you.

Motherland Essential Bath Bomb
By Andrea Davis

I've always felt that everyone should have access to the products that are considered better for us, but unfortunately items labeled as "natural" or "organic" aren't typically affordable to many. As a young wife and mother, I understand the importance of maintaining a budget. I initially started making handcrafted soaps as a way to provide more natural options to my own family and friends, and again considered the face that cost keeps so many people away from healthy, quality products.

Motherland Essentials is an extension of my nurturing spirit to each of you.

My ultimate goal is to foster an appreciation of all things natural and provide an opportunity for you to fall in love with natural skin care as much as I have. Everyone should have the ability to exercise the right to place quality over price, and Motherland Essentials is working toward achieving this goal one product at a time.

Fill In The Gaps Cocktail Class

With Tiffanie Barriere

Tiffanie Barriere is the bartender’s bartender, an influencer and educator who has been awarded with some of the beverage industry’s highest honors. The Bar Smart graduate is a Tastemakers of the South award-winner who spent seven years as the beverage director of One Flew South the “Best Airport Bar in the World.” As an independent bartender she is known for creative and innovative cocktail menus for pop-dinners and bar consultancy clients; hosting mixology classes around the nation, and connecting culinary and farm culture with spirits. As a leader, she is a member of the Tales of the Cocktail Grants Committee, the James Beard Beverage Advisory Board, and a member of the Atlanta chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier. 

“The Drinking Coach” Barriere has graced the demonstration stages of prestigious food and hospitality events such as the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival, Charleston Food & Wine Festival, BevCon, Tales of the Cocktail, Savannah Food & Wine Festival, Music to Your Mouth and more. As an author-contributor, Tiffanie’s cocktail recipes can be found in the Southern Foodway Alliance Guide to Cocktails by Jerry Slayter, Jubilee by Toni Tipton Martin, and Road Soda by Kara Newman. 

Her reputation as a public historian has opened doors for her to speak on panels at such venues as Fire, Flour & Fork, Southern Foodways Symposium, and the Soul Summit, and she has interpreted the cocktails of African American and women firsts in spirits at the James Beard House in New York City. 

The culinarians and chefs she has worked with reads like a Who’s Who in the Culinary Arts: Duane Nutter, Todd Richards, the late Darryl Evans, Kevin Mitchell, Deborah VanTrece, Jennifer Hill Booker, Suzanne Vizethann, Erika Council, Todd Ginsberg and Asha Gomez.

Barriere and her cocktails have been featured in such publications as Imbibe magazine (print and online), Difford’s Guide, Creative Loafing, Forbes, Essence, Southern Living, The Bitter Southerner, Cherry Bombe, Washington Post, Thrillist, Eater, Vine Pair, Food Republic, and Garden & Gun.  Recently Tiffanie has been featured on Food Networks The Kitchen showcasing her creativity on how to make a big batch for more than 2 people and received the Tales of the Cocktails Dame of the Year award 2020. 

The Louisiana-Texas native is the trustworthy mentor of some of the best bartenders and mixologists in the world. Tiffanie’s main goal is education, service and fun with every pour.

To register for Tiffanie’s class, click the button below.