Rhonda Sylvester of Flippin ‘Good Seasonings was among black business owners who set a table Friday night at the BBQ & Black Business Expo at the North End Community Improvement Collaborative Urban Farm, 311 Bowman St.
She said she came up with the idea for a new seasoning business during the coronavirus pandemic instead of trying to open a restaurant, which is expensive and difficult to operate during a pandemic.
“A lot of people were cooking at home,†she said. “It can improve any ready-to-eat food.”
Sylvester, who has worked in the food industry since the age of 12 and attends Hedges School, said her parents fell ill and, being the eldest, she cooked for her younger siblings.
She graduated from the Augusta Escoffer School of Culinary Arts.
Its seasoning products can be purchased at Flippinggoodseasoning.com.
“On the side it says, ‘Get on the salt and pepper’,†she said of her containers.
“There is no right or wrong way to cook anything. This product improves the taste of food, even restaurant,” she said.
His motto for the products?
“It’s not good until it’s Flippin ‘Good,†she said.
Mansfield’s Stacey Young was promoting her Paparazzi jewelry business. She is an independent consultant.
In business for three years, Young said prices start at $ 1 for children’s jewelry and $ 5 for basic adult pieces.
“I heard about the show and decided to register,†she said.
Following:US Senator Sherrod Brown visits an urban farm in Mansfield’s hometown
Christole Harris, owner of Lorine’s Little Learners Child Care Learning Center, 276 Harker St., said infants 6 weeks and older up to 8 years old can come to the daycare from 6 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on weekdays.
In business for five years, Harris said she was happy to go out and market her business to people in the community on a wonderful sunny Friday.
“I am also a lawyer and CPR instructor,” said Harris.
Pam Rembert of God’s Will Christian Outlet, a Christian bookstore and boutique at 624 Glendale Ave., said she has owned the store for 11 years and also enjoys staying active helping others in the community. She’s already working on Thanksgiving and Christmas food and gifts for those in need.
Friday night she said the ribs were excellent.
“I love brotherhood,†she said.
NECIC’s Matt Ayers gave everyone free food, including mac and cheese, baked beans, chicken, ribs and coleslaw outside of the urban farm wash station.
Deanna West-Torrence, Executive Director of the North End Community Improvement Collaborative (NECIC), showed visitors the new on-site community composting station where individuals and businesses can drop off their leftover food.
West-Torrence said people receive a bucket-shaped container and take them home and bring their leftover food to the NECIC urban farm.
“And we just exchange the buckets. They can just bring it here and drop it off at the farm,†she said. There are larger buckets for restaurants.
“What this does is it helps us lower the cost of amending our own soil,” she said.
West-Torrence said urban farm NECIC received a grant from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency to complete the project, which includes two concrete slabs on the Bowman Street site.
She said Fred Michel, of the Agricultural Technical Institute at Ohio State University in Wooster, taught everyone how to compost.
“He’s a composting guru,†she said.
West-Torrence said the event was usually held at the NECIC building downtown as a social gathering, but it was moved to the city farm on a warm September evening to enjoy the outdoors.
The urban farm consists of three micro-farms, which make up the Richland Gro-Op. The Richland Gro-Op grows vegetables for local restaurants, hospitals and other institutional clients.
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Twitter: @LWhitmir
