|
|
| |
|
February 16, 2010 |
|
People
|
|
Shakirah Simley - Slow Jams
|
Welch's used to be a prerequisite for a good PB&J. That was before Shakirah Simley established Slow Jams, whose mission is creating small batch artisan jam, preserves, and spreads that showcase the bounty of the Bay Area. As a recent transplant to the west coast, the 24-year-old Harlem native was overwhelmed by the abundance and variety of available produce. Inspired to learn canning, her highly successful experiments led to showcases at SF's secret supperclubs, selling at local farmer's markets, and a cult following.
Her vision for the company revolves around a commitment to use only local ingredients, resulting in especially fresh products -- like Onion Fennel Bacon Relish and Honey Persimmon Cinnamon Butter. An intentionally positive consequence of such strict standards is the additional business generated for the urban farms, community gardens, and rural producers who are her suppliers.
Here, Simley explains the inspiration behind Slow Jams and her tips for navigating the ins and outs of being a small business owner with a conscience.
About starting Slow Jams: I always wanted to start a food business with an emphasis on social justice; moving to the Bay Area (with its focus on sustainable food and entrepreneurial spirit) helped accelerate this process. While some folks grew up canning, I did not. Whenever my siblings and I did have fruit, it was mostly during summer months--my mom would get fruit from street vendors located in wealthier neighborhoods and bring it uptown. My desire to make jams and preserves and start a socially-conscious company like Slow Jams is heavily influenced by my experiences growing up and that lack of access.
A day in the life: I'm an entrepreneur in startup (i.e. extreme hustla) mode, so I wear many hats. In addition to working full-time, my Slow Jams work day varies from connecting to local producers, selling at local events, establishing my online presence, raising capital, crunching financials, negotiating contracts, meeting with buyers, coming up with new recipes, testing said recipes, making a TON of jam, and e-mails, e-mails, e-mails.
Working on: Launching my alternative financing strategy--"jam shares!" Folks can purchase a share (like a farm share) and receive jam and other goodies from Slow Jams over a set number of months. I refuse to let the big banks and the credit crunch stop me from financing my biz!
REFLECTIONS: First job: Human Rights Fellow at NYC Commission on Human Rights * Three people she'd have over to dinner: Will Allen, Audre Lorde, and my mom * What keeps her up at night: Slow Jams!
DIVERSIONS: Reading now: "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers (for pleasure); anything by Nolo Press (for business) * Reading next: "Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer" by Novella Carpenter * Recently discovered: Square, an application that allows street vendors to process credit card transactions on the spot.
PLAYING FAVORITES: Getaway: Sonoma (more chill and fun than Napa)--great for hikes, kayaking, camping, and wine tasting * Entree: Anything I get fresh and seasonal from the farmers' market in the morning and can make for friends with amazing wine the same evening * Drink: Basil gimlet from Rye in San Francisco * Vice: Matcha green tea cupcakes from Love at First Bite, lavender vanilla creme brulee from the creme brulee cart in SF, and Secret Breakfast from Humphry Slocombe in SF.
|
|
Fresh
|
|
The Student Becomes the Teacher
|
You're an expert at something, right? This lecturn has your name on it.
Educadium has just released EasyCampus Express, a service that creates online classrooms, to make your secret fantasy of being a bespeckled "how-to" educator come true.
In five minutes, you can set up your very own Web-based university. No endowments necessary--in fact, it's free for up to 25 registrants and 1GB of storage. (Upgraded packages with more features start at $29/month.)
Sign up requires only an e-mail address. You'll immediately receive a link to the Campus Creation Wizard, which is where you'll enter your campus title, name (URL), description, and other basics. From there, course setup begins in earnest. The available course templates (ranging from self-paced to discussion-based) make it easy to plan lessons around slide, video, and live chat teaching modules. And since higher education comes at a cost, EasyCampus Express also includes an e-commerce function for collecting tuition from your students.
Entrepreneurs, enterprising marketers, and those looking to build their "personal brand" are already taking part in the how-to revolution. Here's your chance to get in on the action.
|
Athleticism is an art form all its own. Witness that concept in spades this week in New York, when sports and art collide in two new exhibits:
PUMA's collaborations with artists and musicians run deep. To celebrate the much-buzzed-about 2010 World Cup in South Africa, PUMA creative commissioned four original works of art from portraitist Kehinde Wiley. The largest work, "Legends of Unity," features three footballers who might be unknown to most Americans--Samuel Eto'o of Cameroon, John Mensah of Ghana, and Emmanuel Eboue of Ivory Coast--but are bonafied superstars to rabid football fans throughout the world. The exhibit debuts at New York's Deitch Projects next week for an extremely limited run. If you miss the three-day installation, catch it on future stops in London, Tokyo, Beijing, or Milan, or at the World Cup this June.
February 18, 2010 - February 20, 2010
Deitch Projects (note: turn down speaker volume before clicking)
Those who believe there is such a thing as a stupid question are likely to appreciate "Size DOES Matter", the latest artistic endeavor from he whose Twitter bio reads "VERY QUOTATIOUS, I PERFORM RANDOM ACTS OF SHAQNESS." That would be Shaquille O'Neal, the multi-hyphenate who now adds curator to an already long list of occupations. Premiering February 19 at FLAG Art Foundation, the exhibit is a presentation of 66 works from artists including micro-sculptor Willard Wigan and the artist synonymous with giant everything, Jeff Koons.
February 19, 2010 - May 27, 2010
FLAG Art Foundation
|
|
|
|
