Harvesting grapes and gratitude with Nicole Kearney

01/07/22 • 51 min

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“My serious relationship with wine began in 2008, when I attended graduate school for my Master in Fine Arts (MFA) at Spalding University, Low Residency MFA program, in Louisville, Kentucky. Surrounded by writers of all genres – playwrights, screenwriters, fiction, non-fiction, and poets – we discussed our lives, our work, and our craft over drinks. Wine, to be specific. Each subsequent residency we would bring wines to introduce to each other. It was there my passion for wine was ignited. I shared what I learned with others; helping many a wine drinker find their way from, “I only drink…” to, “Wow, this wine is delicious.” This always gave me great pleasure. In 2011, my good friend Mark gifted me a 32 bottle wine refrigerator as a housewarming gift. Of course, I had to fill it! I had a party asking people to bring wine. I gave them some parameters (I drank red almost exclusively at that time) and sent my friends on a wine hunt around town. It was an incredible success. My guests got to try different wines and my wine chest was magically filled. Little did I know, I had just hosted my first home wine tasting.
In 2015, my interest in doing home wine tastings was refueled after several incidents occurred at corporate wine tastings – my name not being on the attendee list, my guests almost being turned away, being seated in the back, and sushed continuously despite my wine tribe purchasing wine. The spark was ignited, a dream set in motion. Sip & Share Wine started and still continues to do home wine tastings pouring African American and women winemakers into the intimacy of your home. We bring a fun experience, wine education, and build awareness about African American wines/winemakers.

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Previous Episode

Poppin' bottles with wine pro Marcia McColl

Marcia is a wine and spirits consultant from Silver Spring, Maryland. She is the founder of Bubbles & Bourbon, a tasting soiree’ experience. She is knowledgeable and passionate about wine and spirits and a proud member of the Women In Bourbon Association, DC Chapter and is a graduate of the Stave and Thief Society and has her certification as a bourbon steward from Moonshine University.

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Next Episode

Sharing African American History Through Hospitality with Kristin Kitchen

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Key Points From This Episode:

• Kristin and her history with the Six Acres property where she runs her B&B.

• How the history of the Six Acres property informs Kristin’s approach to hosting guests.

• Kristin’s thoughts on her commitment to sourcing products by Black-owned businesses.

• How Kristin weaves Black histories tied to the locations of her restaurants into her design choices and the guest experience.

• How Kristin’s business choices tie into the growing heritage tourism movement.

• Questioning norms and Kristin’s thoughts on Blackness being branded in negative ways.

• Perspectives on luxury and a story about a travel writer who appreciated her experience at Six Acres.

• How the pandemic is challenging us to find new ways of inhabiting our spaces.

• The role of Kristin’s team in building her brand and how a common value system drives them.

• Thoughts on telling Black stories and excitement for what is in store for Sojourn.

Today’s guest is Kristin Kitchen, Founder, and CEO of Sojourn Heritage Accommodations, talking about how she is using hospitality to share African American history and inspired community building. Sojourn is a heritage tourism brand where luxury meets history, with a vision to share the rich past of African Americans across the country through art, jazz, wine, and food in a uniquely diverse hospitality setting.

The first property Kristin acquired is now the Six Acres Bed & Breakfast, a house in the Underground Railroad Network, which she converted into very successful hospitality business in Cincinnati, Ohio. This was the first in Kristin’s brand of boutique hotels that blend the intimacy of a bed and breakfast with the amenities of a first-class hotel. Our conversation begins with the story of how Kristin found the Six Acres property and decided to convert it into a bed and breakfast that incorporated the rich history of its context into the guest experience.

We talk about Kristin’s decision to support Black-owned businesses through the products she sources and then dive into the importance of keeping African American history alive in the present. Our conversation explores the importance of defining luxury for ourselves and how this connects to the experience of basking in the beauty of our shared culture. We speak to Kristin about the importance of her team, the intersection of her business plan with the heritage tourism movement, and what is in store for the different locations that she currently has under operation.

--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/afrosandknivespod/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/afrosandknivespod/support