Black Men Awards

Dr Harry Robinson

Ceo & Founder of African American Museum in Dallas. Tx

Under his leadership, a new facility was built in 1984 as Fair Park in Dallas to house the collection. The collection includes African American decorative arts, and the carefully researched archaeological specimens of the Freedmen’s Cemetery Collection. Robinson has developed the African American Museum in Dallas into a nationally recognized destination for people from all over the world.

Shawn Blanchard Quan Fish

Launched Young Fathers Standing United in 2010, Unlocking his God Given purpose and passion to serve young fathers. To date Quan’s non-profit has serviced more than 3000 fathers and counting.

Has been coin the Mentorship Specialist according to Forbes Magazine. As a result of his leadership and dedication to serving his community, Blanchard has been awarded the 2019 Terrie M. Williams National Author Award, President Barack Obama’s Volunteer Community Service Award, selected as an annual University of Michigan Emerging Leader, and awarded the Michigan Chronicle 40 Under 40 award to name a few awards and accolades. Due to his expertise with mentorship Blanchard was requested to deliver at TEDx Talk “The Science of Mentorship”. In sum, Shawn uses his life experiences to enable people to live life to the fullest with a winning perspective.

Black Men awards

William Malcom

William Malcom is the founder of The Suit Project, which provides life skills mentoring, interview preparation and clothing to young men. In addition he started the Man of Style & Substance ScholarStyle & Substance Scholarship Contest that awards scholarships to students based on their educational achievements and commuachievements and community activism. nity activism.

Shawn Dove

Shawn Dove serves as the CEO of the Campaign for Black Male Achievement (CBMA), a national membership organization dedicated membership organization dedicated to ensuring the growth, sustainto ensuring the growth, sustainability and impact of leaders and organizations focused on improving the life outcomes of America’s Black men and boys. Started by the Black men and boys. Started by the Open Society Foundations in 2008 Open Society Foundations in 2008 as the nation’s largest philanthropic initiative on this issue, Dove’s stellar management has propelled CBMA into becoming an independent entiinto becoming an independent entity, growing its membership to more ty, growing its membership to more than 4,800 leaders representing over 2,600 organizations nation-wide.

11 YEARS AND STILL COUNTING: XAVIER VANCE SPEAKS ON HIS JOURNEY SO FAR

Xavier Vance is the CEO of Vance Events, a board member of Streeterville Chamber of Commerce and a successful entrepreneur. His hard work, dedication and perseverance have earned him the Small Business of the year Shining Star Award in the year 2018. Does that name sound familiar now? Resilient Innovations got you covered! We have moved steps further in getting him to talk about his “11 years and still counting” journey. We urge you – our esteemed readers to sit back and read along as your reading satisfaction is our pleasure.

Briefly tell us about the journey that has led you to this point.

I am a culinary chef. I have been a chef for about 11 years now, and I originally started off in the industry as an event planner and slowly migrated over to the art of food. I did my best in making people feel good about food and have those great feelings that food brings. While being an event planner, I owned a company called VANCE EVENTS. I did a lot of corporate, social and wedding events. I have always had a love for food and right out of the culinary school, I shifted over to a total full-blown catering one-stop-shop company. I am a huge foodie. I have travelled the I am a huge foodie. I have travelled the world just to eat amazing food. It is really world just to eat amazing food. It is really my core passion and it is what drives me. my core passion and it is what drives me. When I entered my first semester at the When I entered my first semester at the culinary school, I knew that this is what culinary school, I knew that this is what I love to do. Also, the look on people’s I love to do. Also, the look on people’s faces when they eat my food brings me a faces when they eat my food brings me a high level of joy that event designing did high level of joy that event designing did not really give me. I knew at that point not really give me. I knew at that point that this is what I really want to do and that this is what I really want to do and I am really good at it. Sometimes, when I am really good at it. Sometimes, when I am opening, people make remarks like I am opening, people make remarks like “we cannot wait until we get some amaz“we cannot wait until we get some amazing macaroni and cheese in Chicago and ing macaroni and cheese in Chicago and we’re waiting on you”. That just gives me we’re waiting on you”. That just gives me a few all that I need.

When did your biggest motivation occur? When did your biggest motivation occur?

It was actually doing the pandemic. It was actually doing the pandemic. Right before the pandemic, I was startRight before the pandemic, I was starting to kick off and go on full throttle as ing to kick off and go on full throttle as a caterer. I was doing a lot of corporate a caterer. I was doing a lot of corporate events – it was very straightforward and events – it was very straightforward and there were no real feedbacks. I started there were no real feedbacks. I started doing a lot of individual meals as well as doing a lot of individual meals as well as giving away meals and a lot of my friends giving away meals and a lot of my friends became my first responders. I started to became my first responders. I started to do it and it was at that moment when do it and it was at that moment when people started replaced individual orders people started replaced individual orders with me and replied under my comments with me and replied under my comments on Instagram about how amazing my on Instagram about how amazing my food, tagged me and the likes, that I was food, tagged me and the likes, that I was wowed. I was amazed that people really wowed. I was amazed that people really love my food.

Have you taken the bold step in openHave you taken the bold step in opening up your own restaurant? ing up your own restaurant?

I have! It has been a very chalI have! It has been a very challenging but amazing journey. lenging but amazing journey. Opening up a restaurant espeOpening up a restaurant especially doing COVID-19 is crazy cially doing COVID-19 is crazy already and I am still trying to already and I am still trying to find loopholes to make sure find loopholes to make sure that I am hitting all of those that I am hitting all of those targets. I am not leaving targets. I am not leaving anything out and it has been crazy. I’m hoping to been crazy. I’m hoping to open later in the summer open later in the summer in Chicago. family is originally from Memphis Tennessee and always making different

Do you agree with the message in the Disney movie RATATOUILLE; that anyone can cook?

I do not agree with that! I went to culinary school but to be quite honest, a lot of my style and the way I season are from a family background. My family is originally from Memphis Tennessee and at reunions, we were always making different

cuisines. My experiences with friends also made me realize that cooking food, especially making soul food is something that is already embedded in you. I am not trying to play perfect here but that is my trying to play perfect here but that is my take on that part.

Are there any tips for home Are there any tips for home chefs to get desired rechefs to get desired results in cooking? sults in cooking?

Absolutely! I recomAbsolutely! I recommend mixing seamend mixing seasonings that have sonings that have sodium in them sodium in them with some that with some that do not have any do not have any sodium in them. sodium in them. That way, they That way, they will neither be will neither be overdoing nor overdoing nor underdoing the underdoing the seasoning. seasoning.

What ignites the passion whenever you What ignites the passion whenever you are cooking? are cooking?

When I start cooking, I try to arrange the When I start cooking, I try to arrange the pieces of the puzzle by adding colors to pieces of the puzzle by adding colors to spice up my food. One of the things I learnt spice up my food. One of the things I learnt from culinary schools is to be big on pres-from culinary schools is to be big on presentations. I amaze myself by cooking in a entations. I amaze myself by cooking in a way that I try to see the colors in the food I way that I try to see the colors in the food I cook. And the essence is my desire to bring cook. And the essence is my desire to bring the food to life and make people feel good the food to life and make people feel good about food. about food.

Can we expect Can we expect a seasoning a seasoning line coming out line coming out of your brand? of your brand?

lot of my homemade sauces. I make my lot of my homemade sauces. I make my comes to soul food, most people go Cajun Alfredo from scratch and people Cajun Alfredo from scratch and people straight for the bourbon or the cocktail or like it. I also make a lot of my gravy from like it. I also make a lot of my gravy from the Hennessey but I am bringing somescratch and people love it when I put it scratch and people love it when I put it thing very different. I have a very deep on anything so, I think that should be my on anything so, I think that should be my love for amazing wine. I have travelled to love for amazing wine. I have travelled to next move. My restaurant is next move. My restaurant is Italy and I have distributors from Calicalled Southern Ridge called Southern Ridge fornia and Florence. After I have been and one of my major and one of my major well known my wine with great Southern focuses is my focuses is my dishes, my next move would be sauces, wine collection. wine collection. wholesale and then seasonings. wholesale and then seasonings. I am considI am considering soul ering soul food and food and my goal is my goal is to have to have amazing amazing dishes dishes paired paired with with wine. wine. When When it it

I would love to I would love to do something do something like that! I am like that! I am very well known very well known for a for a

What is the most creative moment in What is the most creative moment in your culinary career? your culinary career?

I think that goes back to the way I played. I think that goes back to the way I played. I noticed other chefs and what I try to I noticed other chefs and what I try to do is to be big on presentations. For do is to be big on presentations. For instance, I make Cajun cream sauce and instance, I make Cajun cream sauce and mashed potatoes in an entirely unique mashed potatoes in an entirely unique way by loading the mashed potatoes with way by loading the mashed potatoes with asparagus. I put three to four pieces of asparagus. I put three to four pieces of asparagus on top of the mashed potatoes, asparagus on top of the mashed potatoes, top it up with my Simon and that makes top it up with my Simon and that makes people wowed. people wowed. I can say that my play in my presentation, the feeling I get when people eat it, the way it breaks apart when they start diving into it; all of that makes the most creative moment in my career.

I can say that my play in my presentation, the feeling I get when people eat it, the way it breaks apart when they start diving into it; all of that makes the most creative moment in my career.

As a black man, when you won the

Shining Star Award, what did you think it meant for you and your community?

I won that award at Navy Pier and I sit in the board in the chamber of commerce. I am the only black person that is a part of the executive board and to be quite honest, it means a lot to me. I feel like I am breaking barriers in a way that fellow blacks can see that it is possible to go in. The award is very important to me also because I am young.

This is because I am showing people of my culture that we can accomplish anything regardless of the age.

My biggest plan is to bring this restaurant to the culture to show them that we can do something nice by ourselves. I want to show them that we can do fine dining within our own community in our own culture.

What was the greatest influence in shaping you as a man and as an entrepreneur?

To be honest, it is my mom! My mom pushes me to the limit by not letting me settle for anything less. My mom has always been a single parent and she has always made sure that she gives me the leg roll to do anything. Originally, my background is in banking. While I was in school, I was working as a banker as a tele-supervisor at PNC Bank. When I was ready to branch off into becoming an entrepreneur, the bank said they will make me a branch manager if I did not resign but my mom advised me to go out and do my own thing. She also advised me not to get trapped into something that I do not have the passion for and that has always been my driving force.

With your achievements so far, what advice will you give to a young Xavier Vance?

Honestly, this is a tough one. Sometimes, I feel scared, frustrated or moody but I still encourage myself by telling myself that I put it all in God’s Hands. To anyone who looks up to me, I am encouraging you to hope for the best and pray to come out strong. Be determined to do anything to get the best outcome in life and be ready to put it all on the line for what you want. As my mom would say, everything is always in its divine order and what is meant to be will be. So do not stress and just let it go.

What do you want your legacy to be?

I always wanted to leave behind a legacy where people can say my name with a lot of confidence; a legacy that people can be proud that

I took chances and I decided to beat the odds and be different. I want to be known for bringing a different type of black excellence to the table and for bringing all my experiences together in creating opportunities.

What do you do in loving yourself?

This year, I have been reading the Bible very intensely. This is because, with all that went down last year, I realized that I needed to keep myself as sane as possible. Also, I am very big on therapy – I do therapy once a week. I face a lot of things in getting successful in what I do and that is why I see the need to work on my mental health more than anything.

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It has really been a very difficult job being a black man in this world. Also, I am a black gay man which is also another problem in the society so I try to do my best to really give amazing examples and show people the happy side of life despite everything that is going on.

If a reversal happened, what industry would you go into other than food and events?

At the beginning of my career, I went to Northern Illinois University with the thought of being a doctor – a pediatrician to be precise. If I could do it all over again, I would probably go back to that route because I love the aspect of helping people become better and I have always

What is your favorite cuisine?

I would definitely say Italian food. I love Italian food, I love pasta. There is something about it that is so good. But soul food is my number one. When you eat something some fried chicken and some greens that are cooked the right way, you will be on another level of life! Nevertheless, if I was to choose another, it would definitely be Italian. I love Italy and I cannot wait to go back. It is one of the places that I have travelled to and it is the number one place I have been to. I visited Rome, Florence and Pisa and it was an amazing experience.

What should we be expecting from you in the future?

I am working on a lot of different projects when it comes to expanding my culinary brand and one of the things I am working on is a reality show pilot. I would love it to be centered around on my restaurant opening and the process of opening the restaurant, my staff, showing the world how to manage and run this upscale Southern Restaurant. I would also love to get some of my food into grocery stores. On seasonings, I would love to do a cookbook. You can expect a lot of different exciting things coming out of Vance Events, Xavier Vance, the whole Vance and Southern Ridge brand.

How do you think the community can support you?

Firstly, my wine collection is going to be available for people to purchase all over the US. Also, everyone can follow me on Instagram at Xavier Vance and be able to see when the southern Ridgeline collection goes live. My restaurant will be opened and everyone can come and visit. I am hoping it becomes one of those focal points for the culture when people travel to Chicago. I hope it becomes one of the well-known restaurants.

Terrell Arts DC is a family business led by husbandand-wife team, James and Zsudayka Terrell. The Terrell’s are fine artists who use their work to create unique Afrocentric designs and textiles for home décor and fashion. Our premium throw pillows come in 3 sizes and change designs every year to add glorious pops of color to any home. The textiles reflect the richness of Black American culture and art and are a statement piece for Afro bohemian styled households. TerrellArtsDC.com IG @zsudayka