First kicking off in 2002, in Brampton, Ontario in the Greater Toronto Area, JerkFest Toronto is recognized as North America’s longest-running jerk food and music festival. Since its inception, the food festival has grown dramatically, and gained tremendous popularity, prompting it to move to its current location, Centennial Park, in Etobicoke, Ontario. The three-day event attracts over 70,000 attendees and welcomes a mix of businesses to celebrate jerk cuisine, music and family entertainment.
This summer, we partnered with JerkFest Toronto to shine a spotlight on #BlackFoodEnergy which supports and creates amplification opportunities black-owned and led businesses and restaurants. The food festival welcomed many of our restaurant partners, setting the stage to spotlight their stories, culture and cuisine.
How #BlackFoodEnergy empowers and amplifies black-owned and led restaurants
#BlackFood Energy was created to amplify and support Black chefs, and Black-owned restaurants on the DoorDash platform. Today, DoorDash continues to uphold its commitment to supporting and fostering more opportunities for Black food entrepreneurs. #BlackFoodEnergy provides businesses with a variety of different benefits, including additional marketing and amplification opportunities both on and off the platform, as well as access to funding opportunities that would open new growth streams.
The #BlackFoodEnergy program also offers the #BlackFoodEnergy Grant, a grant that supports the Black Opportunity Fund’s commitment to Black Restaurant Entrepreneurs who are focused on innovation within the food industry. The partnership provides Canadian Black-owned restaurants the chance to receive grants of $10,400 that help give them the capacity to grow and fulfill their mandates.
This summer’s collaboration between DoorDash and JerkFest was one of many opportunities #BlackFoodEnergy fosters for restaurants. It provided restaurants access to increased visibility, and order volumes amongst festival goers, as well as other social media and in-app perks leveraged to continue driving awareness.
JerkFest Toronto DoorDash partners share what #BlackFoodEnergy means to them
JerkFest Toronto brought together many people to discover new restaurants, and old favourites through the tantalizing and delicious flavours of jerk. It’s a celebration during the warmer months that creates sensational island vibes in Toronto through food, music and entertainment. It was an opportunity to celebrate jerk cuisine and our restaurant partners’ participation ensured they got to share their version of jerk, and what #BlackFoodEnergy means to them.
A glimpse of delicious jerk chicken being boxed up at JerkFest Toronto, by Tricnic Jerk Centre.
“#BlackFoodEnergy is all about bringing together culture and cuisine, to create a delicious party of flavours,” says Ms. Winsome Thompsone, owner of Nanalyn Jerk Restaurant. A permanent community staple, Nanalyn Jerk Restaurant has been serving a delicious fusion of Caribbean flavours for years, from jerk pork with coco bread to jerk chicken, oxtail and curry goat. Her partnership with DoorDash ensures she feels supported, whether it’s related to her business growth, or by offering access to DoorDash perks such as our app, local advertising and occasional sponsorship opportunities like JerkFest Toronto.
Owners Janet Hinds and Avril Barnes of Spotlight Caribbean Cuisine see DoorDash’s #BlackFoodEnergy initiative as an opportunity to share their cuisine and business with a wider audience, in hopes of inspiring people to try traditional Jamaican cuisine. What started initially as cooking for just the family, quickly transformed into cooking food for the community. JerkFest was another moment for them to share a snippet of Jamaican culture and food! From smoky jerk chicken to tender oxtail with a side of fried dumplings to macaroni pie, Spotlight Caribbean Cuisine truly shines a light on the flavourful culture. Over the years, their partnership with DoorDash has allowed them to benefit from many services, including in-app features, as well as opportunities to further drive awareness through our social media channels.
Jerk chicken being prepped and flipped on the grill for festival goers at JerkFest Toronto by Ralph’s West Indian Delights.
For owner Adriana Burton, and manager Ricardo Lewis of Ralph's West Indian Delights, #BlackFoodEnergy offers a chance for them and other restauranteurs, to flourish. It provides the courage and support to share the unparalleled beauty of Jamaican cuisine and culture, through authentic flavours. This hotspot isn’t just a restaurant — it’s a community space for people to connect, chat and bond over authentic Jamaican favourites like tender curry chicken and oxtail. DoorDash has helped them spread the joy of Jamaican food with new and old customers, amongst other initiatives like JerkFest Toronto.
Sashagay and Christopher, childhood friends and co-owners of 9 Mile Jamaican and International Cuisine, see #BlackFoodEnergy as an opportunity to spread their love for Jamaican culture and authentic flavours. Each meal is carefully prepared and plated by Jamaican chefs, with staple dishes like curry goat, macaroni and cheese, and glazed jerk salmon. Having previously won Best Jerk at JerkFest Toronto, these festival veterans know how to bring the heat when it comes to flavour. Their partnership with DoorDash helps them continue to share their passion for authentic Jamaican cuisine, and offers them the opportunity to diversify and expand their customer base.
#BlackFoodEnergy celebrates, amplifies, and supports Black chefs and Black-owned restaurants on the DoorDash platform, continuing our commitment to help create more opportunities for Black entrepreneurs in the food industry. The program includes access to incremental marketing and amplification opportunities on the DoorDash platform such as #BlackFoodEnergy Fest and social media features, access to funding opportunities like the #BlackFoodEnergy Grant program and Culinary Scholarship program, and additional resources to help support the growth of Black-owned and led DoorDash restaurant partners. To learn more and sign up, visit our Entrepreneurship & Access page.
