By Desirée Zagbai (Local Journalism Initiative)
It is a sunny Saturday afternoon, and the smell of Caribbean food wafts through À-Ma-Baie Park in Pierrefonds. Island Fête is just getting started with their second food and arts festival providing an outlet for Black and Caribbean businesses to showcase their work.
After a successful start on Sept. 2, 2023, the popular event added an extra day of programming this year making it from Aug. 10 to Aug. 11. Akilah Newton the director of Overture With The Arts (OWTA), the organisation that is behind the Island Fete was pleasantly surprised by the public’s response to the inaugural activity.
“Last year we had 5000 people who came to the event. And the demand for the next one came almost immediately the other event ended. People have been asking, when the next Island Fete will take place. So we decided to have two days instead of one,” she says to the CONTACT.
Recognizing, the multicultural and multiethnic nature of Montreal and its environs, Newton feels strongly that all the differences should be displayed and celebrated. All around the park various booths are buzzing with activity from food to cakes and even books.
Phil Richards, owner of Vincy Fresh Products, is excitedly arranging his setup at Island Fête with his team.
“I want to encourage other people to come to Island Fête to taste the products and see the products that are available. Not just edibles, but also the talent,” Richards says.
Vincy Fresh Products are Agri processors. They farm their produce in St. Vincent, and they distribute them globally. They also import for the Canadian market, and distribute to retail stores, cafés, and restaurants. They sell Caribbean hot sauces, teas, black fish, and more.
Richards emphasizes that having a strong support system in one’s community is important. For all aspiring and current business owners: He encourages people to be more supportive of one another to grow.
“When we support ourselves, we build ourselves so I really push and emphasize on them to support Caribbean, support local and support ourselves so we can grow into being just like the other communities that we support,” he explains.
Camille Morrison, the owner of Cocoa Cammy is also on site with her array of deserts from cupcakes to cheesecakes, cakesicles and chocolate-dipped pretzels. She expresses how thrilled she is for her first big event as this will be the first time she gets to interact with people and meet the customers who usually order from her online platform. During the pandemic, she realized how much she appreciated baking. She ended up putting work into growing her business, despite the challenges that she faced.
“Building something from the ground up and seeing it grow—just being here today is a testament to that. Started a few years ago, and I am already up here, so I am so excited.”
Morrison believes that events such as the Island Fête are important because the members of community can learn more about various businesses. Additionally, entrepreneurs have a chance to network and know each other. This fosters community growth and helps in the support of local businesses as well as just being a literal breath of fresh air.
“Entrepreneurship lifts the weight of the day-to-day repetition – doing things that maybe are a bit mundane and not as exciting. But when you do something, you love, you find that passion and you can grow from it,” she remarks.
Asherah Ramdhan Page, is a volunteer at the Playmas Montreal Cultural Association, a non-profit association that shows the Caribbean culture and talents to the greater Montreal area. Page and her team are selling Caribbean ice cream to raise funds for their programs. One of such being the Gemstar Circle of Excellence program, which is a scholarship program for secondary five students in Montreal.
She explained that it was her second time being at Island Fête and after the first event, they were able to give the Playmas association more exposure through on site advertising. She underscores her delight at being at the Island Fête and is optimistic about having a great time.
“I am here behind this table, dancing a lot and singing along to the songs. I am seeing familiar faces from the community and that is always great to see. I feel great being here,” she says.
Page mentioned that small businesses that attend Island Fête can grow due to the community that exists.
“It shows people that want to start off their business that there is a community out there to support you, to advertise for you, to create opportunities for you.”
