Lisa Reisman Photo
Hip-hop superstar Jadakiss joins the party.
Quick: Name the New Haven location where a platinum-selling Grammy-nominated hip hop superstar and coffee entrepreneur joined an award-winning cupcake maker, an up-and-coming cigar collective, and a community-minded lemonade company.
That was Dwight Street’s Cambria Hotel last week, where area entrepreneurs showcased their wares before 100 people in a coffee-tasting event featuring Kiss Cafe and sponsored by Gorilla Lemonade in celebration of Black History Month.
Displaying her peach cobbler, red velvet cupcakes, and slices of Bundt cake was the cupcake maker Tisha Hudson, owner of Stratford’s Edible Couture, formerly on New Haven’s Court Street. Growing up in Bridgeport, she honed her baking chops from her grandmother. She never stopped baking, even while working for The Pension Service, a retirement plan consultancy, and raising six kids.
In 2011, she issued a Facebook post to come get her cupcakes. When demand dwarfed supply, she left her job and bought a food truck. A brick-and-mortar store followed, as did an appearance on the “Today Show.”
“It’s about having a dream, and pursuing it, and not being afraid to take risks,” she said as Lil’ Kim’s “Crush on You” pulsed through the expansive mellow-lit space. “And hard work. That’s key.”
Broadleaf Collective's Lawrence Richards and Ian Mann.
Across the lobby were Ian Mann and Lawrence Richards of Broadleaf Collective, a mobile concierge and curating service for cigars that they started in August 2020.
“Cigar are celebratory, they’re relaxing, but they’re also really complex,” Mann said. “There are different flavors, notes, aromas, and cigars smoke differently, so there are so many things you can get out of it.”
For Mann, whose ultimate plan is to open a Black-owned cigar lounge in New Haven, “being an entrepreneur is one of the only ways to get financial freedom, and that’s really just the freedom to do what you want. It’s a lot of work, so sometimes you don’t feel free, but it’s worth it.”
Then there was Kiss Cafe, one of a handful of Black-owned coffee brands in the country.
“Three generations of Black men, that’s what sets us apart,” Bob Phillips told emcee Frank Brady during a panel discussion. Phillips represents the oldest of the generations, which include his son, the hip-hop artist Jadakiss, and his grandson Jaewon. “It’s about legacy.”
Phillips, who’s been in the coffee industry for four decades, said he decided to partner with Gorilla Lemonade to cross-promote their brands after meeting founders Kristen Threatt and Brian Burkett-Thompson through mutual friend Norman Forrester, a financier and chairman of the New Haven Parking Authority. “We spent almost an hour on the phone and I could hear the drive and determination they have in building their company and including the youth in this community on their journey,” he said. “These are two young men who are setting the standard.”
With Kiss Cafe’s Liza Goncalves holding up her phone, Jadakiss, a megastar with over a billion streams on Spotify and 3.5 million Instagram followers, made his appearance via Facetime. The crowd drew close.
“Any advice for anyone thinking about creating their own path?” Brady asked him.
“Just block out the background noise and do it,” he said in his trademark gravelly voice. The crowd whooped.