Culinary Conversations: LGBTQ+ Voices in West Michigan Food & Beverage

The fun, communal feel of a seafood boil. The smokey-savory combination of cultures in Tex-Mex food. The life giving smell of a great cup of coffee in the morning. The scent of Amarillo hops on a summer weekend. What do all of these experiences have in common? They can all be found at local, LGBTQ+ owned businesses!

In celebration of Pride Month, join us from 5:00-7:30pm on Wednesday, June 14 at the Downtown Market Banquet Room for Culinary Conversations: The Pride of West Michigan Food & Beverage. We'll hear about the tough times, successes, and lessons learned from four LGBTQ+ owned businesses.

Joining us for the event will be:
Moderator:
Ximón Kittock, Grand Rapids Trans Foundation

Speakers:
Steven Martinez, Basalt GR
Originally from Houston, TX, Steven Martinez came to Grand Rapids over a decade ago to attend Calvin College. Quickly realizing that academia was not for him, he got his first restaurant job in 2010 and has been everything from dishwasher to catering manager in restaurants of all sizes in MI & TX. Feeling a sense of burnout, Steven began working on his own concept in 2019 and launched Basalt at the Fulton Street Farmers Market in early 2020. Basalt opened its brick and mortar location in April 2021 in Grand Rapids' Eastown neighborhood where Steven also serves as Board President of the ECA and Secretary of Uptown GR, Inc. Besides his restaurant and community work, Steven is an avid Lego enthusiast and wannabe gamer who loves spending his free time with his partner, plants, and dog.

Maxwell Freeman, Lotus Brew
Max is the owner of Lotus Brew Coffee & Dry bar a LGBTQ+ banned book cafe and dry bar. At the heart of it, Lotus brew is a coffee shop using local, organic, and fair trade ingredients with most of our menu items made from scratch. They are also an alternative space for folks who want to enjoy evenings without the pressures of alcohol. Beyond great coffee, Lotus Brew is passionate about supporting the community further by offering later hours, group events such as Art Social, GR Queer Writers, Board Game Nights, Tarot Society Social and so much more! Max expanded the community efforts by starting a free and open lending library with a focus on LGBTQ+ and banned books. Lotus Brew is all about inclusivity. There are no fees, no id or signup required to join events, make use of their library of banned books or make use of their open food pantry!

Amanda Hadd, DA Boils
Amanda Hadd is a serial entrepreneur, foodie, and LGBTQ+ member. She is committed to cultivating personal and professional experiences that showcase the diversity, talent, and tasty-eats that local food businesses have to offer. Amanda is a Co-Owner of Da Boils, a seafood cuisine focused business. Da Boils, an all LGBTQ+ women owned business, participates in local markets, private events, festivals, and food expos across Michigan. Seafood boils provide an approach that’s not typical in West Michigan. Amanda has played a key role in the company's expansion, overseeing various aspects of its operations and ensuring that it makes a significant impact in the industry. Amanda is also the Founder of the Grand Rapids Foodie Fest, a growing food event drawing in food enthusiasts from all over. Through her event coordinating experiences, she has worked with over 100+ local businesses. This has allowed her to introduce additional community events including the Tri-State Foodie Fest, and a Back to School Bash. Along with being a passionate and dedicated entrepreneur, Amanda is a thrill seeker. She’s always looking for new adventures and has traveled all over the world from skydiving in Costa Rica to sandboarding in Dubai.

Kim Collins, Guardian Brewing Co.
Kim Collins is the Owner and Head Brewer of Guardian Brewing Company, in Saugatuck, MI. She’s currently serving her second term on the MI Brewer’s Guild Board and is the Co-Chair of the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee. Kim is a Certified Cicerone that has been brewing beer professionally since 2012. Leftover from her previous career in academe, she loves to teach people about beer styles and process, barrel aging, and food pairings through Guardian’s monthly Beer School. When Kim is not at Guardian, she loves traveling, hiking, cycling, camping, and canoeing.

By registering for Culinary Conversations events, you permit the use of your image (including, but not limited to photographs, audio recordings, or videos), without charge and without reservation—all or a portion of your story, likeness, and voice in future Downtown Market promotion.
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The Culinary Conversations MeetUp group is a partnership between the Grand Rapids Downtown Market Education Foundation, GROW, MSU Extension, and Start Garden.