- 14 hours ago
From coffee shops and cocktail bars to restaurants and gathering spaces, these founders are creating more than places to eat and drink—they're creating places where people connect. Join this conversation on how Black women entrepreneurs are using hospitality, culture, and intentional experiences to build thriving communities in New Orleans.
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00:00We are about to continue this conversation because we want to make sure that you are
00:05continuing to learn right here at the We Love Us stage at Essence Fest 2026. Now, I have a question
00:11for you. How many of you in this room like food? Okay, three people like food, so everybody else
00:17don't like food. All right, how many of y'all like the drink, right? Maybe your choice is drinking,
00:22okay? Well, not that kind of drink, right? But I'm just saying, right? So food and drink and
00:26culture all go together. So with this next conversation, we're going to dive into all
00:32of that. We're going to talk about more than a menu, building community through food, drinks,
00:38and culture. And this conversation is going to be powerful because a lot of times we don't
00:43understand how food and drinks can be a cultural connection. Now think about it. When it's a
00:50birthday or a holiday or Thanksgiving, we all get together and we eat and we celebrate. But
00:55what if it's something more than that? And that's exactly what we are going to dive into
01:00right about now. Also, there are so many moving parts, but there are video guys, there are AV
01:07people, there are so many people making Essence Festival work. So if you see a photographer,
01:13you see somebody in all black and they're working, let's so you know what they're doing is so important
01:18behind the scenes for you to have a great Essence Festival experience, okay? So as we continue to
01:25grow and go, I'm just curious, how many of you, what's going on with the green bags? You giving out
01:30green bags, ma'am? Okay. So if you want a green bag, go ahead and raise your hand. Don't mob
01:35her.
01:36She's going to come to you. She's going to give you a green bag. See, that's what happens when you
01:40come to the We Love Us stage. Instead of you having to wait into a long line, we'll come to
01:45you
01:45and give you a bag just for being here in the audience. That is the good news about being here
01:51right now. All right. So as we continue to go, she's coming to you. Keep your hand up in the
01:56air,
01:57okay? She got a couple of bags and she's going to come to you. If not, I'm sure she will
02:01let you know
02:02where exactly you can find more of those green bags as she's handing those out. All right. So we
02:08ready to go? Is the next panelist ready? I think they still working. Okay. No problem.
02:15No problem at all. We see your hands. Somebody say, oh, my hand hurts. We got you. I see you
02:21in
02:21the red. I see you over there. You look good with the Mickey Mouse earring, uh, heads on. We coming.
02:27We see you. Y'all look good. We got the bags for you. Oh, is she done? You done with
02:33the bags?
02:33You got more? You got more? She said BeautyCon is where she got. You got a couple more at BeautyCon.
02:42What's the booth number? Come on up. Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on. Because I got
02:45some
02:46people over there looking at me with the side eye because we done promised them a bag and we done
02:49ran out that quick. I don't want no enemies at Essence Fest. So tell us, if they come,
02:53where can they come and get this? Hey, everybody. I'm Carrie with Strands of Faith. Our founder,
03:01Amika Coleman, was just here on stage for the panel. And this is her gift for you, to you all
03:06that were here for the panel. So thank you all for staying. Make sure you check us out in BeautyCon,
03:13Strands of Faith, the big green booth. We have products on sale, $10 each. And you can get
03:19another bag if you come on back. Okay. So hold on for a second. Don't leave, right? Because these
03:24people are right here. And they already looking at me sideways. These are my people. This is my
03:28family, right? We don't feel like sending that line for BeautyCon to get that bag? So can you do
03:34me a favor? You got somebody there can bring out about 10 bags? Huh? Yes. I don't have a bag
03:41for
03:41y'all, but I do have a product sample for y'all. Okay. We can work out a product sample,
03:46okay? So don't mob her. She gonna go over here. If you had your hand up for a bag,
03:51she don't got a bag, but she gonna save you away and give you a product sample. Is that okay?
03:55Did
03:55I make it right for you? Okay, perfect. Going over there and give a product sample. You see how we
03:59work it out here at Essence Fest? We work it out. Because I already knew when she said get in
04:04that
04:04line to come to BeautyCon, y'all was looking at me like, no ma'am, okay? So we want to
04:09make sure we
04:10can maximize your experience. Special thank you to everyone for Strands of Faith for providing
04:16that. All right. So I want to give you a little insight on this next conversation,
04:23right? We're going to talk about more than a menu. Building community through food, drinks,
04:27and culture. From coffee shops and cocktail bars to restaurants and gathering spaces,
04:34these founders are creating more than places to eat and drink. They are creating places where people
04:40can connect. So I want you to join us for this conversation on how black women entrepreneurs
04:47are using hospitality, culture, and intentional experiences to build thriving communities right
04:55here in New Orleans. So what does that mean? The founders, the entrepreneurs that you are about
05:01to meet, guess what? They have businesses right here. So if you hear something that you like or
05:06that you love, you have an opportunity to support them as you are enjoying New Orleans, okay? So
05:13make sure you take notes, you listen to the founders, but more importantly, support them today
05:19or the next time you are back right here. All right. So y'all ready to kick off this conversation?
05:24All right. Thank you so much. So to moderate this conversation on more than a menu, we have a
05:31magnificent moderator who is about to take the stage. It is the terrific Ms. Taylor Davis of Trudy.
05:38Let's go ahead and give Taylor a round of applause.
05:43And hold on, Taylor. Go ahead and give us a little spin. You see this number? You see her little
05:48top
05:48with the little neck? She's cute. Yes. All about the culture and connection right here at Essence Fest
05:542026. Up next, we have Vian Lewis of Vian's Restaurant. Let's go ahead and bring Vian up to
06:01the stage. Up next, we have Samya Iman and Ava Pazon of St. Noir Cafe. Let's welcome these ladies to
06:12the stage. And last but certainly not least, we have Jessica Johnson of Justine's. Let's welcome
06:20Jessica to the stage. All right, Ms. Taylor, the stage is yours. Yay. Well, let's take a seat, ladies.
06:29Hello, everyone. Welcome. I am so excited to have you all here today with this esteemed panel. And
06:36we're excited to talk about the food and culture of New Orleans. So from coffee shops to cocktail bars,
06:45restaurants, and gathering spaces, these founders are building places where people can
06:50connect and not just eat and drink, but really build community. So today we're going to talk about
06:55entrepreneurship, owning businesses, and we're going to start with Dr. Vian Lewis. So Dr. Vian Lewis is a
07:05fourth generation New Orleanian and the founder of Vian's, a community gathering space that honors her
07:11mother's culinary legacy in the heart of New Orleans. A PhD in medical genetics and a leader in STEM,
07:19Dr. Lewis pivoted to hospitality to restore a historic New Orleans building and create a space where
07:26culture, food, and the next generation of leaders converge. She has been recognized among New Orleans
07:32City businesses Power 25 and tourism and hospitality and honored as an in the lead best minority owned
07:41business. So let's give a round of applause for Dr. Vian Lewis. Thank you. Thank you very much.
07:46And we also have Jessica Johnson. Jessica Johnson is the owner of Justini's, a boutique,
07:55yes, round of applause, a boutique restaurant and cocktail bar in New Orleans' Bywater neighborhood.
08:01A proud Southern University graduate, she transformed her mobile bartending business into one of the city's
08:08favorite gathering spaces. Having partnered with brands and organizations, including Nike, Google,
08:16and the NAACP. Jessica is passionate about creating opportunities for women, fostering community,
08:23and using hospitality as a platform for connection, empowerment, and celebration. Let's give it up for
08:29Jessica. Ava Paison is the co-founder of St. Noir and passionate about creating spaces where meaningful
08:43connections thrive. With more than 25 years of experience in human resources, she brings a people-first
08:49approach to leadership and entrepreneurship. Through St. Noir, Ava is committed to building community
08:56through intentional experiences while celebrating the culture and spirit of New Orleans.
09:04Yes. Samya Iman
09:09is also the co-founder of St. Noir Cafe, a coffee, tea, and wine sanctuary in New Orleans that blends
09:16intentional living with curated cultural experiences celebrating art, community, and the city's modern
09:23black renaissance. She is also a proud HBCU alumna, a beauty and fashion writer for Hello Beautiful,
09:32founder of Black Women for Self, and a community curator dedicated to creating spaces where black
09:39culture, creativity, and community are celebrated. Last but not least, before we jump in, I'm Taylor Davis.
09:47I'm the founder of Trudy. Trudy is an AI-powered platform that helps restaurants measure the ROI
09:53of their marketing and increase their customers, and we also give diners personalized restaurant
09:59recommendations as they travel to new cities. I'm a former investment banker with over a billion dollars
10:05in mergers and acquisition deals and venture capital deals, and I combine my passion for food and travel
10:13with my startup's mission to help restaurants thrive in the digital age. So I'm excited to be here today
10:18and talking with these beautiful ladies. So let's jump right in with Jessica. Your space is more than a
10:26restaurant. It's a community anchor. When you first opened, did you know that's what you were building
10:31or did the community make that decision for you? So before I actually opened my restaurant,
10:38I started building community through cocktails and women, and so finally 10 years later after
10:45doing that, opening my restaurant just kind of became the safe haven for women. I saw that the
10:51community really thought it was like something when people started celebrating birthdays, anniversaries,
10:57and really celebrating like their big moments, you know, in their lives. I'm like, okay, so the city
11:02definitely is the one that showed me, yes. Yes. I love that they were comfortable and immediately came in
11:09there to start celebrating. So Vian, New Orleans has one of the most distinct food and hospitality
11:16cultures in the world. How has this city shaped the kind of space that you wanted to create?
11:21So I think for me, when I opened my business, it was intentional to honor my mother's legacy,
11:27and part of her legacy was her love for NOLA community and that embraced hospitality. As many
11:33mothers, my mother gave love and caring through cooking. We opened our doors, we always celebrated, we
11:41prayed, we healed with people throughout the community, and so it was really, we created this space to honor
11:48her and to honor her legacy, and we want people to come into the doors and feel like they matter,
11:53feel like we
11:54care, feel like they're loved, and feel safe. A place where they can come and celebrate birthdays,
12:00holidays, anniversaries, mourns, loss of people, and we want people to feel like they can do it there
12:06at the restaurant. And we're very happy about what we've created as a first-generation restaurateur
12:10because people do tell us a lot through the comments and reviews that they feel like family,
12:15and they feel like they're at home when they walk through our doors, and it is my mom's legacy.
12:20I love that. I love that you're building with legacy in mind. This is a round of applause for sure.
12:25I love that you're building with legacy in mind, definitely. So Ava, we're coming to you next.
12:31Tell us about a moment when you realized your restaurant had become, or your cafe had become
12:36something bigger than a place to eat and drink, and you saw a moment where the community showed up in
12:42a way that you didn't expect. Yeah, I actually really love this question. And the reason why
12:49is because I think from the beginning, we never wanted just a coffee shop, right? So we were always
12:55very intentional about building a space where all people felt like they belonged and they felt welcomed.
13:01And then for me, being a black woman born and raised in the city of New Orleans, I think that
13:06this city
13:07is incredibly special to me, right? And so I think when, you know, we were thinking about doing this
13:13and building St. Noir from the very beginning, you know, we saw community at the center. So I don't
13:19necessarily feel like it's been a grand moment. We've been open for about a year, but it's been the
13:25small moments, just kind of confirming that St. Noir is doing exactly what we envisioned. And then even if
13:33you come to the cafe, you'll see entrepreneurs meeting and working together, you'll see students
13:38studying on one side, and then a group of friends who I actually see some of them in the crowd
13:43that meet every morning to come together, fellowship, and they never were friends prior to
13:50St. Noir, right? So that lets me know that St. Noir is actually doing exactly what they're supposed to
13:55be doing in the community. Yes, that's beautiful. My team and I had the opportunity to go do some work
14:02at St. Noir yesterday. So I definitely agree with that. It's a beautiful space. So let's hear from
14:08your co-founder of St. Noir, Samya, on how you work with social media.
14:18Very popular panel, very popular. So how you work with social media in a day and age where so many
14:26people discover where to eat and drink based on what's on socials. So social media has changed how
14:32people discover restaurants. But you're clearly building something that keeps people coming back.
14:36How have you accomplished that? And how does that show up in your business every day?
14:41That's a great question. Can you guys hear me? All right. So yes, social media definitely gets
14:48people to the cafe. But what keeps them in the cafe and keeps them coming back, like Ava said,
14:54is the intention behind the atmosphere that we curated. I believe it was Maya Angelou once said
15:00that the ache for home is in everybody. People are looking for safe spaces where they can just be
15:08and where they can be themselves and not be questioned. And that's exactly what St. Noir is.
15:13So let me let me take you to the vibe, through the vibe a little bit. You're going to walk
15:17through the
15:17space. And when you walk in, you're going to possibly hear a familiar song playing. Maybe Frankie,
15:22maybe D'Angelo, possibly Lauryn Hill Salon. So that's going to get you right there. Then you're
15:27going to probably look in the corner and see a fly sister with a fly twist out or a banging
15:32silk press. You're going to see a smooth brother at the high bar checking on his computer. You're going
15:39to smell the incense or the coffee brewing. And your body's going to say, this is familiar. I feel like
15:44I'm at home. And in a world that's so divided right now, we need more safe spaces where people
15:49feel like they're at home. And that's what we do. We even open the coffee shop up to other brands
15:54to
15:54come and sell their products to artists to have a platform, you know, for artists to sell their work.
16:00Because we understand that in order to receive support, you have to give it. You see what I'm
16:05saying? And that's loyalty to us, the support that we get back. Like Ava said, we got two of our
16:11favorite customers in the audience today. If that's not loyalty, I don't know what is.
16:23That's beautiful. So let's dig a little bit deeper into what it takes to build a business.
16:29And beyond, we'll start with you. For the entrepreneurs here who are thinking about
16:34opening their own space someday, what's one thing you tell them before they sign the lease?
16:40Well, hopefully they'll own the building before they sign the lease. That's the first thing I'll
16:44tell you. Try and own before your lease. That's the first thing. But I think when you're pursuing
16:49any opportunity as an entrepreneur, as you all know, there probably are entrepreneurs here in the
16:54audience. It takes a lot of courage and a lot of faith. You have to really stick with your goals,
17:00decide what your path is, and stick to that path. There's going to be a lot of people that's going
17:04to
17:05try and deter you. They're going to try to tell you different ways to do things. But that path
17:09comes from your passion. So you know what that path is. Nobody can tell you what that is, because
17:15what you're going to be going forth with is your passion. And if you follow your passion,
17:19then everything else falls behind. But definitely always lead with courage. Always lead with faith.
17:27Always have mentors who you can follow. Don't be afraid to embrace mentors and get people to help
17:32you. And always be definitely truly an owner, not someone that's renting and leasing. Even if you
17:38start off that way, always have a path to true ownership, which means that you own the property,
17:44you own the business, you own everything. So that would be my advice.
17:50And Jessica, I wanted to see if you had anything for that question, because you started as a mobile
17:56bartender before you had a brick and mortar space. So is there something that you learned from that that
18:00you would like to share with someone in the audience? For me, I think the thing that I think
18:05about every day to go, you know, kind of piggyback off of beyond is it's bigger than me. You know,
18:12it's for the people who are working for me to feed their children, take care of their families. It's for
18:18my children to take care of them, to leave a legacy for them, for the people who came before us
18:24who
18:24weren't able to have this opportunity for whatever reason. So for me, every day is putting my
18:30my owner head on and knowing it's bigger than me. Love that. So still on the topic of building a
18:38business and what it takes to run a successful space. Samuel, I'm going to come to you. Building
18:44intentional community takes a real investment in time, people, and in space. But how do you balance
18:51building community with running a profitable business, especially as a black woman founder?
18:58Oh, that's a loaded question. Wow. Some people believe in balance. Some people don't. I believe
19:05in balance. And I believe that when I, whatever I'm doing, I should do the opposite to offset it. If
19:11I'm working hard, I should rest harder. You see what I'm saying? Because resting is actually productive.
19:16And how to build a business with being profitable and trying to cater to the community is a challenge.
19:26You see what I'm saying? So you have to make money. But like I said, it goes back to when
19:32you give
19:32support, you will receive support. If I allow a business to come in and sell some products,
19:39they will have someone come patronize the business. It's like a give and get, give and get,
19:44you know? But I also want to just emphasize rest because that's where your ideas come from.
19:49That's how you're able to, you know, move forward the next day. So I'm just, I want all that to
19:53be
19:53intertwined in there. Rest, giving, giving back. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And I think what's important is that,
20:00especially as a black owned business, in terms of community, is be intentional about how you
20:06purchase things. Like at the restaurant, we do everything local. We have local downtown beers.
20:11If I can have my spirits local, I would have all spirits local. But when you go to our restaurant,
20:16when they ask me for a Budweiser, I don't have a Budweiser. I have Cajun fire brewing beer. It's a
20:20local beer
20:21and it tastes like this. Would you like this? So be intentional about not just supporting yourself,
20:26but supporting the community. And the way that you can do that, don't have to be with dollars as a
20:30business because we have to be profitable. So we may not be able to donate to every cause,
20:34but we can definitely be intentional about the vendors that we pursue, who we buy from,
20:40who we promote in our restaurants. And that's very important.
20:43Yes. And when we were backstage, we were talking a little bit about not only building,
20:48not only balancing building a business that's intentional about community and balancing that
20:54with being profitable, but then also balancing that with your personal life and building a business
20:59and owning your own business. So would anyone like to talk a little bit about what we talked about
21:03backstage here in front of the audience?
21:07I would say, yeah, I was going to say, you can go.
21:10I know for me, I have always moved putting God and my family first, right? I want to have a
21:19successful business, but I know everything starts with God. And the scripture that I lean into
21:25is write your vision and make it plain. So always move in purpose. And I think when you write what
21:32you want down, you move in purpose and with that intention. But secondly, my family, my husband is
21:38right there and my daughter, they're always going to be first in my life, right? So I make sure when
21:44those
21:44things are in line and aligned that everything else will fall in place for me in terms of my balance
21:50with my family and business.
21:53That's beautiful. I love that. Yes, definitely a round of applause.
21:57So our last question here for anyone who wants to answer it.
22:02What do you wish more people understood about what it actually takes to build a gathering space that
22:08truly serves your community? All of you spoke about how you were able to watch people come in
22:14and start celebrating and start working together or making new friends. What do you want the audience
22:19to take away about what it takes to build a space that actually cultivates community like that?
22:24I guess I can start. For me, I have like a 90% woman guest clients that come in. And
22:33so for me,
22:33it's taking those small moments, seeing a mom in a courtyard with a bad little baby, you know,
22:40and making her feel like she's welcome. Not if they're crying, making her feel like she has to leave
22:45out or, you know, the baby dropped something, you pick it up for them. You know, just those intentional
22:50moments. Somebody comes in, you know them by name or you know what they're drinking,
22:54just making people feel at home. I think it's the most important, you know, asking if they don't
22:58feel like themselves, you know, what's going on because, you know, as bartenders, we are therapists
23:03too. So just, you know, you know, you end up knowing your guests and once you build that community,
23:08once you start realizing they're not looking the same or they're not as happy as they usually are
23:12when they come because they're coming because they feel like they're at home. Right, exactly.
23:17And I want to add to that. I think it takes passion for people. Like for St. Noor, all of
23:23us,
23:23Corey, Dallin, Ava, now we all have some type of aspect of passion for people, you know. And if
23:30you don't have the passion for people, then possibly you're not going to build a community,
23:35but you have to have that passion for what you're doing. You have to really love that and you have
23:39to have the passion for people, you know. I love that. I bet that's something that can really be felt.
23:44It is something that can really be felt in all of your spaces, having that passion for people and
23:48wanting people to have a great experience. So now we're going to do our speed round. I'm going to
23:54ask for a little bit of audience participation. So who has had a great time in New Orleans and tried
23:59some great food this weekend, food and drinks and coffee? Perfect. Well, for those of you who are
24:05looking for cocktails, Jessica, what do you suggest people go for some good cocktails?
24:12One more time. Justine's. Of course, 3162 Dolphin Street, Nevada. Lovely. And Ava and Samya,
24:22for anyone in the audience who might be looking for a really great fruit loop,
24:26a matcha or a lavender lemonade, where might they go? St. Nuor. The cafe sanctuary, St. Nuor, yes.
24:37Awesome. And Vian, if someone is looking for some handmade Creole butter sauces, amen,
24:45where might they go for that? I would definitely say Vian's. We actually call our sauces the mama
24:51sauces because they're my mama sauces. And we've won many awards for those sauces. Oh, awesome.
24:58Well, there you have it. Oh, she said the breastplate in the world. Yeah. Mamas. All right.
25:07Well, there you have it. And one last plug for Trudy. On Trudy, you can find all of their restaurants
25:13and cafes in one place. And definitely make sure that you go out and spend your last days here in
25:20New Orleans, if you're visiting from out of town, patronizing their businesses and other black
25:24and women-owned businesses. So we've had a great time with you all. I hope you learned more about
25:28the culinary culture here and building community and enjoy the rest of your time at Essence. Yay.
25:34Thank you. That was so good. Let's take a picture.
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