This past weekend, I had the pleasure of attending Dinner Delights with Afrobella at the Trane Studio. My homegirl Rowena, her sister Stacy, and I battled through ridiculous Toronto traffic (worse than usual since the DVP was closed) to the venue, ready to eat, network, and meet Afrobella herself.
The event was put on by Ann Marie Collymore, the mastermind behind Soulafrodisiac (keep an eye out for this lady - she's doing big things in Toronto!), and it did not disappoint. The Trane Studio is an urban, intimate setting, perfect for an event like this. Once we got in and were seated, Afrobella (aka Patrice Yursik) made her way over to our table and we had a great convo! I could already feel her warmth and sincerity through her writing, but to meet her and experience it in person was amazing. She was kind, funny, supportive and charming through the entire time we talked, and generally just had a beautiful spirit. She was very encouraging about our blogging ventures, and inspired me to stick with this thing and see what can come out of it. Only 5 years ago, she was in the exact same spot as I am now, so I realized that the possibilities are endless! I've been following Afrobella's blog for the last 3-4 years, and it is an amazing resource for women - as per her site:
"Afrobella.com was created in August 2006 to fill a void that existed in print and in the blogosphere – a continual celebration of natural hair and women all shades of beautiful. Afrobella readers are enlightening and entertaining, intelligent and glamorous, friendly, fabulous and fun. If you love the skin that you’re in and the beautiful natural texture of your hair, if you enjoy learning about different cultures and listening to eclectic music, if you have an obsession with makeup and fashion and all things fabulous — then this is the blog for you."
While we ate, I had the opportunity to chat with some very cool chicks (hey Jaeda! hey Jannelle! hey Michelle!) Dinner was...delicious. My taste buds were thoroughly entertained, and my stomach was quite pleased. Things were officially kicked off with an awesome poem by Natasha of AfroChic, then we were treated to a Q&A session with Afrobella as she discussed her various journeys with her hair and her blog. It was inspiring to say the least. Cool giveaways were done, and my never-wins-anything behind actually scored a basket full of goodies from I Heart My Hair!
As the formal portion of the night came to an end, we had a great time chilling out and chatting with Afrobella and Luvvie G of Awesomely Luvvie - this chick is even more hilarious in person than she is on Twitter....she had us ROLLING!
All in all, it was a great night, and something that Toronto needs to see more of. Supporting Black-owned businesses, celebrating womanhood and various forms of beauty, meeting great people, eating great food, and being inspired to keep reaching for your goals - I definitely left there on a high note, and I'm SO glad Afrobella graced us with her presence!
Did anyone out there attend either of Afrobella's events? What kind of events do you want to see more of in Toronto?