In 2016 I set out to focus on things that I love, build new relationships, and take on some of my biggest fears! Setting that intention really attracted amazingness in my life.
I could really feel God’s anointing!
It was also cool to see many of you taking leaps in your life as well. The amount of new businesses, engagements, and travel imagery I seen floating across my time lines was quite impressive. I SEE YOU.
Toronto Coconut Fest 2016
I thank all my family and friends for the love and support!
I thank the Carnival Spice and #SSFlashMob team for your time and talent. We have definitely created memorable moments.
I thank all my clients for trusting me it has been an honour to be apart of your journey.
Lovin' up on Jully Black at the SheROto SheEO Conference
Huge shout out to my followers!! All your likes, kind words, referrals, jokes, and over all vibes are so appreciated. Plus a huge XO to my CWS, AOS, and HSC family!
If you normally read my posts, I am sure you can identify that I LOVE food! Particularly shrimp, cheese, and Randy’s patties - lol. I definitely found a new happy place at Toronto's Gourmet Food and Wine Expo (#GWFE2016).
SMILE - You're a rockstar!
The 3 - day expo is held annually in November at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and offers as much as 45,000 guests an opportunity to sample a variety of gourmet food and snacks. You have access to over 1,500 alcoholic beverages from around the globe. Plus you get a souvenir wine glass upon entry.
Check out footage from when I did event coverage back in 2013!
This year the expo served as a perfect GNO for me and my bestie. It was a reason to get dolled up and enjoy some grub. The show also offers cooking shows as well as cheese and wine tasting seminars from different experts. The event D.J. event started bumpin' soca as I entered the room! Ha. I wonder if that was planned?
Say Hi to Danielle - we go back to GRADE 4!
I get full pretty easily so I was very particular when it came to my final food and beverage picks! Strangely, the best thing I ate was from the booth below!
The booth was super sketchy but this goes to show you that you cannot judge a book by its cover. Their DILL-CITRUS- FETA POTATOES (with Tzatziki and oregano) were EVERYTHING! EVERYTHING. I resisted ordering two plates ONLY because I wanted to give others a chance. I will try and see if I can recreate this dish on my own.
I was very happy to see a bit of Caribbean flair at the event once again. Check out some of the vendors that showcased some “Carnival Spice” (see what I did there):
This company I remembered from the Toronto Coconut Festival (back in August). I had fallen in love with their "King Fish tacos" and "Jerk Chicken tacos"! At the GWFE, the booth was in a prime location and their food options were awesome.
I wished the servers were much friendlier this time around. I tried to remain patient considering their serving conditions were not ideal and they were super busy. I ordered a very delicious "Jerk Chicken poutine"!
Cool Runnings
You may recognize this brand’s spices and sauces. They allowed attendees to sample their sauces and marinades with a tortilla chip.
I love this company. Every time I visit their booth, they provide excellent service and delicious food making for an awesome Hawaiian experience. I also loved that they had hot sauces from neighbouring booth "Cool Runnings" available to their customers... That's what I like to see community collaborations!
Danielle ordered the "Spam Musubi" and LOVED IT… she then went back hours later and got the "Kalua Pork on a bun". I supported her with this decision because I had it once before and it was soooooo good.
Barbados Tourism Board serving Mount Gay Rum Punch
Planning To Attend Next Year?
Dress semi - casual! The vibe is grown and sexy.
Travel light! Too many items in your hand will become cumbersome. If you have a wine glass holder that would come in handy. They also have a coat & bag check.
Attend before 5pm!! You will have less lines, space to breathe, and the grounds are much cleaner. Oh and admission will be slightly cheaper too.
Food and wine does not come with your ticket. "Sample" tickets are sold in groups of 20 for $20. These are the tickets that you must give to booth vendors for tastings.
Makes for a great bachelorette or birthday party idea. I saw a lot of crews floating around.
Dontcha just love you this photo? It screams fan girl! ha! It was actually snapped mid laugh when my uncle had a hard time finding the flash on my camera! Lawd!
Can we say awkward?! hahah! This would happen to me though 😃 I envisioned my first conversation with Machel to be go a lot differently but the universe usually has other plans.
Everyone meet Soca Superstar Machel Montano. If you are not familiar with who he is then google “soca king” after reading this post ;)
While Machel was in town a few days ago to perform at WE Day 2016 his Toronto fans excited to see a surprise post on his Instagram page. He announced that he would be attending a screening of his new movie “Bazodee” at the Scotiabank Theatre downtown.
How cool is that? Word spread like wild fire through the soca/fete/carnival community. He also made sure to note that the screening was on a Tuesday so tickets would be cheaper (LOL!) I bought a ticket to the movie screening and notified my Carnival Spice family about the event.
This was actually pretty exciting. I had not seen the movie yet and although I have seen Machel perform numerous times, I had yet to meet him in person… PLUS
lol @ this photo!
the first time I seen Machel perform was when I fell in love soca. This was during Last Lap 2006 at Markham Fair Grounds. Teenaged Shakera was not really into soca. She knew maybe 4 or 5 songs at the time and had only played mas twice as a child. A group of her friends from school encouraged her to attend a fete allllll the wayyyy in Markham. Her life was changed forever.
his manager is Canadian change maker Che Kothari! #bigup
he is a great live performer
...and, consistently throughout his career he has shared some amazing music with the world that embodies the essence caribbean culture.
Needless to say, I am a huge supporter of him as an artist.
That particular Tuesday evening was pretty unique. After I finished teaching the Carnival Spice North York classmy uncle from England showed up to surprise me! It was pretty awesome considering we just spent time together while I was traveling in the U.K.
Thankfully my uncle can hang (lol) so I invited him to the movie and we headed downtown. We arrive, check in, find our seats and wait to see what happens next. At this point - I am HUNGRY (not surprising!) so my uncle and I head to the concession for some snacks. I see a small mob of people and can only assume that mistah Montano is in di place. Luckily I brought my camera and had a “photographer” with me. Little did I know that my uncle DID NOT know how to operate a point and shoot camera! lolololol #mylife
My turn is up to snap a photo with mistah “H.M.A”, mistah “Like ah boss” - AND I WAS READY! Carnival Spice shirt and all!!!
BUT MY UNCLE WAS NOT!!!! lololol. Poor guy.
What made matters worse was the movie was about to start so Machel needed to bounce! Instead of having a philosophical conversation with Machel about how soca is evolving or recommending he host dance auditions in Toronto, our brief moment together had us both shouting “push the button” to my uncle! hahaha - PRICELESS.
The Outcome Was This Photo.
It is not ideal but it holds a great story. The fact that everyone else is laughing too makes it even more special.
So the movie ends and just when you think the night is over it only reboots!
We walk out the theatre to the sounds of a live “parang” band playin’ Machel hit songs INCLUDING "Water flowing".
Machel hung around to take some more fan photos. There were way more people this time so kudos to him for being patient.
#spotted - Carnival Spice lady Chattrisse
#spotted - Carnival Spice lady SULAIRE
AGAIN just when you think the night is over there is woman playing the ukulele outside of the theatre too. As Machel leaves HE STARTS TO SING WITH HER! Then everyone crowds around and starts singing as well. THIS MOMENT is another amazing example of how amazing and unifying Caribbean culture is. It is also a reminder how lucky we are to live in Toronto; a city with so much talent and vibes.
"I see you Shak"- LOL!
Machel we shall meet again soon. Stay healthy, continue to evolve, and keep “pumpin" through your journey as the happiest man alive!
ONE DAY I will have stage photos with my eyes open! HA! ... I can't help but be in the moment and while enjoying the vibes. Photos like this make me so excited for what’s in store for the summer. My nephews are preparing for school in September, my best friend is getting married, and of course Toronto Carnival season is underway.
As you know with the Carnival Spice team and I, Carnival runs all year round… but we can’t help but excited with the extra buzz in the summer! I want to highlight some of the awesome events and initiatives that Carnival Spice has in store. If you are considering participation in Caribana this year, THEN YOU DEFINITELY do not want to miss this::
Carnival Spice Summer Sessions
Let’s jam to the sweet sounds of soca, dancehall, chutney and more! Dance up a sweat with amazing members from your community and have fun while getting a great workout! You will definitely leave feeling ENERGIZED from the Caribbean vibes!
BONUS: With Toronto Carnival just weeks away
We will help you get ready for di road!!****
Join Us June 4th - July 21st at the following locations:
Join us Sunday, June 26th, 2016 from 1pm - 4pm for a chance to connect with your community and experience Caribbean culture while tantalizing your taste buds.
Enjoy Creole food with a Caribbean flair while relaxing in the atmosphere of Harlem Restaurant. Dress to the nines. Mix and mingle. Let yourself go while we entertain all your senses.
Once Carnival Spice summer session is complete we would love for everyone to participate on our team “Di Spice Crew” for the Toronto Carnival Run taking place Saturday, July 23rd. This is a 5k run or walk meant to encourage wellness and community involvement with a Caribbean carnival theme.
It has been a while since my last post but I promise that I was keeping myself busy working on upcoming projects that I know you will love.
Today's post is quite fitting of where my attention has been for the last few weeks. I just completed teaching a dance fitness children's program with the Toronto Public Library in celebration of Black History Month. Additionally, while leading my weekly classes with private clients I also launched ten week Carnival Spice programs in Toronto and Mississauga. It has been amazing seeing so many new faces and watching each person grow week by week. I appreciate everyone that comes out and can confidently say that the energy in each session is so special and felt by all! Below are a couple anonymous responses from participants when asked, "How did you feel?" after one of my classes!
(Love you guys ^^^^^^ #squad)
"Get into the groove" is more than just a phrase, it is a an action that everyone should be practicing. I encourage you all to embrace the power of movement and if you have not tried a dance fitness workshop or class, then you are definitely missing out! I do understand however if you are unable to participate because of physical injury or other health reasons but any other concerns shouldn't stop you - instead they should motivate you!
Dance fitness is a type of group exercise that incorporates dance moves/technique. This full body workout is tons of fun and the overall intensity of a class varies depending on the style of dance you are doing. I often hear folks call dance fitness “ Zumba". To clarify, "Zumba" is a TYPE of dance fitness workout and one of the more popular dance fitness brands. Their instructors go through a training process based on the Zumba style, class format, and program principles. So for example, when someone calls any of my classes "Zumba" , they are very incorrect and legally if I ever advertised my classes as "Zumba" I could be sued for trademark infringement. #foodforthought #fyi #pleasestop #knowledgeispower
One of the main differences between dance fitness classes is STYLE! There can be fifty different hip hop classes out there but I promise you they are not the same. I challenge you to try them all so you can experience the difference for yourself and feel which one you enjoy the most.
Whether in class or online there are so many great dance fitness classes out there that provide amazing results. Benefits include building your stamina and energy levels, strengthening and toning your muscles, burning tons of calories etc. Dance fitness workouts can also help you avoid or overcome plateaus because they will challenge the body in a different way. Plus most classes are super fun so you do not realize how much work you are putting in.
Listed were only a few benefits that affect your physical state but there are amazing social benefits as well such as boosting your confidence, building your performance ability, releasing stress and meeting amazing people who are active and may also be looking for support for their workout too. Not everyone in the class will be at the same fitness or dance level, but that is the beauty of it, you have to start somewhere in order to grow or see results. As as I would say, you have to "pace", listen to the music, listen to your body and take everything in stride.
What to bring to a dance fitness class:
- a water bottle
- comfortable fitness attire and shoes
- a yoga mat (if you have)
- and a change of clothes because you will get sweaty!
There are so many different classes to choose from out there. Ask yourself: What music do you like? How long is the class? Check out different videos and see how you feel while watching.
Below are a couple different classes that I personally enjoy/attend in the GTA:
