Stir Pairing: Desirée Dawson brings her soothing sounds—and baritone ukulele—to the Shadbolt
Plus: Jackson Triggs highlights diverse artists on new wine series; BIPOC Van Foods Pop-up is back
Desiree Dawson believes in music’s potent healing power. Photo by Francis Arevalo
Sadé Awele (left) is featured on Jackson-Triggs new Local Artist Series wine; Mis Cazuelas Mexican Food will be at the next BIPOC Foods Van Pop-Up (photo by Sophia-Hsin Photography).
Every week, Stir Wine Pairing suggests BC wine and food to go with a local arts event.
The event
Desirée Dawson at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts and via livestream, November 4 at 8 pm.
The wine
Jackson Triggs’ Local Artist Series—British Columbia
The food
BIPOC Foods Vancouver Pop-Up, November 5 to 7 online.
The lowdown
Desirée Dawson is a dynamo: the soulful local singer-songwriter and producer, who plays baritone ukulele, is also a yoga teacher, writing instructor, and facilitator of restorative music-based and sound-healing workshops. She has performed at the Vancouver Folk Festival, participated in a JUNO Masterclass, and acted as juror in the inaugural Black Canadian Music Awards.
A featured recording artist in Sound of the City, Dawson released her album Wild Heart Live last summer, when she began working on other solo and group projects. She was a selected artist for the 2020 Vancouver International Film Festival SoundOff Showcase. Dawson, who is of mixed heritage—her mother is of French-Canadian settler ancestry and her father is of African descent—is a member of Healing in Colour’s Allied Professionals Directory, a resource of BIPOC professionals with anti-oppressive values working in a wide range of sectors. She’s a firm believer in the role music plays in collective healing.
The wine
Niagara-based winery Jackson-Triggs is partnering with six emerging musicians across B.C. and Ontario for its new Local Artist Series. Certain bottles of Jackson-Triggs Merlot and Chardonnay feature a QR code on the label, which takes people straight to the artists’ music. The project is part of the company’s efforts to increase diversity and inclusion in the wine world.
Dacey photo by Heather Fabia
“The Local Artist Series was created to use our privilege to amplify the voices and talents of recording artists, musicians, and bands from underrepresented communities across Canada,” the winery says on its website, which directs visitors to the featured talents’ YouTube channels.
The B.C. roster includes Dacey, which is also highlighted in Sound of the City. Named after Dacey Andrada, the multipiece band draws from a range of styles, including alternative R&B, lo-fi hip hop, neo-soul, and jazz. To give back to their community, they play fundraisers to help feed the homeless and support suicide prevention. Dacey graces the label of the winery’s BC VQA Okanagan Valley 2019 Reserve Merlot, which has notes of berries, chocolate, and coffee.
Sadé Awele is a Nigerian-born, Vancouver-based singer who is inspired by her Yoruba and Ibo heritage. Afro-soul, “conscious alternative R&B”, neo-soul, and contemporary R&B all influence her sound. An advocate for Black and minority youth, Awele appears on the label of JT’s buttery, smooth 2020 Reserve Chardonnay.
Both wines are available at select BC Liquor Stores while supplies last.
The pairing
BIPOC Foods Van is a joint project of four local Women of Colour; Ariela Badenas, co-founder of Tempea; Mithalee Rawat of Shorba Bone Broth; Anika Makim Talwalkar of The Indian Pantry; and Avneet Takhar.
They launched their start-up last summer to raise awareness of BIPOC food businesses, “to highlight their integral existence in Vancouver as cultural and flavourful food outlets”, and they have been going strong ever since.
The collective’s next virtual pop-up runs November 5 to 7, for online shopping; people pick up their orders on December 4. Five percent of sales will be donated to a BIPOC non-profit organization, to be announced.
Among the 30-plus vendors is Mis Cazuelas Mexican Food, a cohort member of Dream Cuisines: A Newcomer Women’s Food Business Pilot Program created by Flavours of Hope in partnership with Coho Commissary. Angeles Canedo, who came to the West Coast with her family from Chihuahua, Mexico, recently started the venture as a way to reconnect with her roots.
She chose the Spanish word for traditional clay cooking pots as her business name, as she re-creates dishes that remind her of home. Take her signature Green Pozole, with spinach, chard, mushrooms, and coriander. Its namesake ingredient is made from hominy, a kind of dried maize that the Aztecs considered sacred and that many Indigenous people in Mexico revere to this day. Originally reserved for celebratory occasions, pozole can be topped with radish, avocado, shredded lettuce, and fresh lime.
Also taking part in the pop-up: the Dumpling King, Super Dishes, Sriracha Revolver Hot Sauce, Kapé Philippine Coffee, River Select, and more.
Mis Cazuelas Mexican Food. Photo by Sophia Hsin Photography
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