NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Drawing on a two-decade track record in the hospitality business, a sociology degree from the University of Chicago, and a drive to make equity-fueled progress, Ashtin Berry of New Orleans, Louisiana, changes the way people think about hospitality.
A sommelier, bartender, educator, and activist, Berry founded RadicalxChange, a content agency that places marginalized people at the center of hospitality work. She also conceived and now stages Resistance Served, an annual food, beverage, and hospitality symposium that celebrates and contextualizes contributions of the African Diaspora through seminars, discussions, and experiences that inspire community and encourage nuanced conversations.
The John Egerton Prize, endowed by SFA member contributions, awards $5,000 each year. To share the story of the Egerton Prize winner, SFA also produces a film. The 2020 film, Radical Vision, directed by Zaire Love, will be broadcast on October 24 as part of SFA’s 23rd annual Fall Symposium. The film will be shared on the SFA website next week; it can be previewed via this link with the password foodways123.
John Egerton Prize winners live or work in the American South, exhibit exceptional creativity, apply the rubric of food and drink to their work, and show the potential to make a genuine difference in one or more fields.
Winners are elected by a jury that includes:
—Ashley Graham, nonprofit leader, New Orleans, LA
—Edward Lee, chef and nonprofit leader, Louisville, KY
—Chuck Reece, writer and editor, Atlanta, GA
—John Simpkins, nonprofit leader, Durham, NC
—Judith Winfrey, farmer and entrepreneur, Atlanta, GA