Chef Joshua Swinney participated in the “Made with Love & Soul” event at the Epicurean Hotel Atlanta. This was a food experience that paired unique dishes with Woodford Reserve Bourbon drinks. Below, Chef Swinney shares more about his personal background and why it’s important to create a community for Black chefs.

Dawn: How was your journey in becoming a chef? Was it traditional or non-traditional?

Chef Swinney: A little bit of both. Before I went and got my college degree, I was already working in the food industry. I started out at a mom and pop, Italian restaurant back home, and also worked in spaces like Chuck-E-Cheese in North Carolina. So I’ve probably done it from hotels to fine dining to high end catering to corporate dining, which I spent the last almost 10 years or so in. I’ve done a little bit of everything, mainly because I had to make money while I was in college. So, of course, I started out in fast food and found my way working in restaurants because that was my passion.

Dawn: So, what type of Chef are you?

Chef Swinney: I guess I’d be more like a new American or southern chef.”

Dawn: How did you organize this event & did you select the people that you wanted to work with?

Chef Swinney: So Woodford Reserve reached out to us because we already was doing work with their counterparts in a Brown-Forman brand. They asked us to come in to help them on this project. They ran the idea by us and we thought it was a great! Chef Shular was a big inspiration to all of us. So we went to Shular to see if we can raise money for his institution. I thought let me reach out to some chefs that I know once they told me the parameters for the event. It makes sense, because what we’re doing is highlighting the Schular Institute, but also paving the way for the next generation of chefs. Not only through the financial blessings that will be contributed to the institution, but also the mentorships that the students will get by participating at this event. We wanted to find chefs that work in different facets of the industry, to really showcase the different skill sets. And also give the students, I guess, the first thoughts up around the lines of what they could do within the field.

Dawn: Share with our readers the importance of the space that you’re cultivating with other chefs around the city of Atlanta, and maybe just the South in general.

Chef Swinney: So Rob started Sincere Fare and we really wanted it to be a place of community, where we could create opportunities for ‘culinarians’ to work together, learn from each other, and also engage with one another. I think, a lot of times, just like in any other field work you have, the majority, which is the other populations of people are racist within our industry. We knew there was a small number of minorities that were in leadership roles or had certain opportunities in the food industry. We wanted to create a brand in which we could highlight not only our skill sets, but also create opportunities for others to. I think the community community piece is the biggest thing like meeting chefs from New York and California and all over the US so hopefully, it expands where we create a network of chefs internationally. Right now, we’re just trying to gauge how we could create opportunities for everybody in the Atlanta market and get some chefs’ names out there that people may not hear about.

Dawn: What’s your general specialty? I know you don’t like to put labels on anything, but what’s the thing that people tend to come to you for or your food style in general?

Chef Swinney: So I don’t have a specialty when it comes to a dish or anything, but as far as what people come to us for is experiences. A lot of my clients come to me and it may be like a special dinner or they’re having some type of gathering but they want something different that they’re not going to find anywhere else. We actually curate our menus to the client’s needs. We don’t have a set standard catering menu. All of our menus are based upon what the client’s preferences are. For example, I had client whose wife loved Jamaican food while he loved Asian food. So for their anniversary we did like an Asian-Caribbean fusion. It was really cool and something different. Of course, both of the cuisines have similarities and certain flavors so we played off of that. We just took the ingredients that we knew to be true to each cuisine and also added what’s true to us in the south. Anytime we do identities we are still incorporating seasonal ingredients and local ingredients into the mix. It’s very fun! It keeps us intrigued and also gives the client just something different.

Dawn: What do you want people to get from this event, considering that you’re partnering with Woodford Reserve?

Chef Swinney: So with this event the chefs talked to me about creating their own menu and I said, “Be true to yourself.” Let’s keep it, you know, let’s showcase our local ingredients and showcase the seasonality of ingredients. But really, it tells a story into who you are, why you do what you do, and tells a story through your food. So for me, my dish is going to look more Southern to start with. But because I’m from the Carolinas we like to smoke, barbecue, and grill. So you will see those aspects and that’s going to play into my dish. But other dishes like Chef India’s — where she’s Trinidadian — it plays into how she is as a chef and tells the story and pays homage to her culture as well.

Dawn: Where can people find you and how they can book you in the future?

Chef Swinney: So, you could find me on Instagram @creatingwithjosh and TikTok. Then for booking there’s a link on our website SincereFare.co.

The post AV Foodies: Meet Chef Joshua Swinney appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.

Meet Chef India Johnson this Thursday, February 24th inside the Epicurean in Midtown at 7:00 PM to experience some unique dish pairings with Woodford Reserve Bourbon. Chef Johnson shares more about her background and love for food and Southern hospitality. You can purchase your ticket to this charity event that will benefit the Shular Institute here: 

Dawn: Let’s talk about how long you’ve been a chef! Was it something you sought out to do? Or was it something that you just fell in love with?

Chef India: Absolutely! So my journey is pretty interesting. I started out as a young adult in corporate America, and just didn’t love that. But I come from a family of cooks and bakers; my dad is actually a chef. So, just kind of growing up around food.

I eventually started cooking for friends and family. People thought I was a great cook so, you know, I went through college just like everybody else. And then I was just like, “Okay, I’m interested in cooking; should I go to culinary school?” I realized that I didn’t really want to pay — like, I don’t want to start all over from scratch with tuition and stuff with going to school.

I befriended some chefs and cooks in the industry and local restaurants. I started working with other chefs, going to events just to see how events worked. Eventually, I started doing my own events.

But career wise, as far as Culinary and Hospitality, I actually started out as a winemaker. My dad is a hobbyist, where he makes wine out of everything. I kind of grew up around that, and I fell in love with wine. When I was in corporate America, I used to travel a lot. I went to different cities. I spent a lot of time in California, just visiting wineries and learning how the industry worked. My ultimate goal, initially, was to have my own winery facility.

But in the south, especially in the early 2000s, there’s like a lot of red tape with alcohol and liquor licenses and stuff. I spent some time in Florida, but came back to Atlanta in 2009 with the idea that I was going to open up a concept like that and it just didn’t work.

I worked with a consulting company, and they were just like, “If you want to do something like this, it’s going to take a lot of cutting red tape and, like, a million dollars.” And I was like, “Oh, okay, well, I don’t have that so let’s see what else I can do.”

I really started doing food-based events full-time in 2010. From 2010 until now, I’ve worked with other chefs, helping out on their events. That’s led to more popularity, especially since social media has grown. I’ve utilized social media to put my food out there, so people tend to contact me for stuff all the time. That’s really how my career has flourished over the last several years.

Dawn: Do you have a restaurant? And what type of Chef are you?

Chef India: I am a local private chef. I specialize in doing events and working with brands. I’m not a restaurant chef, but I do a lot of events here in the city.

Dawn: Where did you go to school? Did you do formal training for this?

Chef India: My education is interesting. I’m originally from New York, then I spent some of my teenage years in the Carolinas with my mom’s side of the family. I graduated high school in Asheville, North Carolina, which is like three hours from Atlanta.

I wasn’t a native, and I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do as a young adult. I knew several people from North Carolina that migrated down to Atlanta, and we had visited a few times. So I was like, “Okay, I’ll go school down there.” Then it was trying to figure out where I wanted to go to school.

I got accepted to many schools; I mean, every school here in Atlanta, you name it. Spelman was one I got accepted to, but I just really wasn’t a school person. Actually, I hated school. The idea of going to college and really not knowing what I wanted to do, I just wasn’t with that. 

I took some time off, got a regular job, and then I eventually went to DeVry [University] and finished out in the smaller technology school. I have a Computer Network Technology degree that I have never used.

Once I got that and kind of went into the workforce, I don’t know. I mean, I just started playing around with things like cooking and stuff at home. Like, I don’t have a formal education in culinary. I’m really naturally great at it. And once I started working with other chefs, it was kind of like a no-brainer for me. I knew I was capable of working in this industry. And I’ve been doing it since 2010.

Dawn: How did you get selected to be a part of this event?

Chef India: Chef Josh reached out to me. You know, the chef industry in Atlanta is pretty interesting. A lot of chefs here are doing a lot of different things. We all tend to follow each other online, social media wise, so I’ve been following him for a while. I’m familiar with the work that he’s done. He does a lot with events, and he obviously follows me as well. We all support each other, you know, high fives when we see each other doing great work. I guess I was just a chef he always wanted to work with.

When this event came about, he reached out to me via social. We talked about it, he asked me if I was interested, and I said, “Hey, this is kind of right up my alley — working with alcohol brands was something I’m very familiar with.” I used to be the resident chef for a Martell Cognac project for two years. They had a property here where they did private events, like every week.

Dawn: The loft? Yes, I’ve been to a couple of those events. That was amazing!

Chef India: Yeah! Yeah, I’m sad that will never come back. It was a good time with the events we were doing. It really put me out there in front of people, showcasing what I could do food-wise and working with Martell. That was pretty cool!

Since then, I’ve worked with Patrón and Courvoisier. Alcohol brands are always looking for unique events, which require food, so I tend to get those calls when those events are being planned for. I recently did some work with Bacardi. This [event] was a no-brainer with it being Woodford.

Dawn: What’s your specialty? What type of foods do you focus on? What’s your thing?

Chef India: My thing is not having a thing. I can cook whatever. I’m originally from New York. My dad’s from Trinidad and my mom is from down south. When I say “my thing”, it’s usually Southern and Caribbean mixed. It’s usually a fusion. Like, the dish I’m doing is a duck curry dish for this event. I’m fusing a lot of my Southern and my Caribbean roots together.

When it comes down to my career, or my thing, it could vary. I’m like, “Okay, what’s the thing we’re going for?” when it comes to my clients and people that I’m working with on the type of food that they want. I’m pretty custom when it comes to stuff like that. 

I’m very creative and artistic. People tend to call me avant-garde. I like to do different things with ingredients that people are familiar with. You know, I’m going for flavor and color. I’m going for texture. I’m not one of those chefs that make things really pretty but it doesn’t taste great.

I try to find a balance between all those things, but I love everything. I mean, I love Asian cuisine. I love pastas. I love seafood. When it comes down to the events that I do for myself, and I really want to showcase my skills or talent, it’s usually a mix between African American and Caribbean cuisine.

Dawn: Can you share a little bit of what you’re probably going to cook at this event? Or is that going be a secret?

Chef India: I can tell you what I am making — it’s not top secret to me. This event is called “Made with Love & Soul.” When we first met with Josh and the other chefs, he assigned us a category. 

My category is “Fly” which means chicken, or anything that has wings. I’m a big fan of duck. People really sleep on duck a lot; either they’ve never had it, or if they have, it wasn’t prepared to their liking. I like cooking duck for people that don’t get to experience it a lot, because it can be really good if you cook it well.

With getting that category, I decided to go with duck. From there, it’s like, how can I create a dish that has to be small? Because we’re going for like, two, three ounces. So we’ll try something at each station, but it’ll still be filling. I wanted to come up with something that would let what I do shine, which is kind of like African American Caribbean cuisine. 

My dad’s from Trinidad, and in Trinidad, curry duck is actually like a specialty. It’s a dish that is made for celebrations; if someone’s getting married, or something big is happening amongst family, they’ll make curry duck. It’s a process. It’s a lot. It’s like a stew-ish type dish. I wanted to do something kind of modern where I’m taking those flavors like curry and duck but doing it a different way. 

I’m actually going to make a sous vide duck breast with curry, with a custom curry seasoning that I’m making. Another popular thing over there in Trinidad is they eat dhal, which is like yellow split peas in a rice mix. So, dhal and rice. In my head, dhal and rice quickly turned into .. grits.

So now, I’m doing a curry duck breast over, like, dhal grits with some things on top. You know, some added flavors and stuff. I’m really excited. For me, when I think of stuff, it’s usually something that I’ve never made before. I’ve never made curry duck in this matter before. 

So, for me, it’s like a creative process coming up with something that’s like, “Oh, okay, that sounds cool.” In my head, I can envision it. From there, it’s doing it in a way that when people taste it, it’s like, “Okay, I didn’t miss the mark. I got it.” Getting into that creative process is pretty exciting every time I do it. I’m excited about this event and kind of showcasing that edition and seeing how people feel about it.

Dawn: How can people book you or find you on social media?

Chef India: I’m pretty easy to find. My Instagram is @Chefindia.co. You can go to my website Chefindia.co. Instagram is primarily where people find me. I engage with people in regards to either working with me or wanting to see my food style. 

Instagram is what I use as my portfolio and that’s where people can find me the most. I also have my own sauce brand called Sauce Queen. If you’re interested in condiments, I have a honey hot sauce right now that I am actively selling on Saucequeen.co.

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LOS ANGELES — Former University of Georgia defensive lineman Richard Seymour was elected for enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame during the annual NFL Honors ceremony. Seymour won three Super Bowl titles with the New England Patriots and was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2020. He is the 10th Patriots player to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 

Seymour’s close friend and former Patriots teammate Ty Law delivered the news to him about his selection. According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Law, two camera crews and new Pro Football Hall of Fame President Jim Porter approached Seymour’s home to share the news. Law noticed a Georgia Bulldogs flag along the driveway. He pulled it out and mockingly stomped on it.

“My man is now going to Canton. He doesn’t need this,” Law said.

Law knocked on the door and Seymour was shocked to see him when he answered the door. Seymour was confused on why Law was at his home.

After a long pause, Seymour asked, “What? … What? … Why are you wearing a gold jacket? What are you doing here?”

Law would reply, “You are now with us. Welcome to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.” 

Seymour’s eyes widened with misty tears, and the two men embraced.

“I am humbled and blessed to have had great support from my family and would not be here without great teammates. I want them to know how much I owe to them,” Seymour said. 

Seymour was drafted sixth in the first round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Patriots. He was named to five Pro Bowls and earned three straight first team All-Pro honors. 

Seymoure registered a career-high 8 sacks in 2008, had 57.5 career sacks, and recorded 3 or more sacks in every season but one. More importantly, in games in which he recorded a sack, Seymour’s teams had a record of 46-8 (.852).

“I am thrilled that Richard Seymour will forever be recognized as one of the greatest players in the 102-year history of the NFL,” said Patriots owner Robert Kraft. “He laid the foundation for a defense that helped propel the Patriots to three Super Bowl championships in his first four seasons in the NFL. Richard was the consummate professional and leader, always accepting the roles he was assigned, putting team goals ahead of personal ones, and in turn, raising the game of everyone around him. 

“Yet as great as he was as a player, he is a hall of fame-caliber person, as well. Of all the memorable moments I shared with Richard, my favorite was the week I spent with him in Israel. There, I saw how devoted he is, both to his faith and to his family. I couldn’t be happier for Richard and the Seymour family, and I am looking forward to celebrating with them as Richard takes his rightful place in Canton.”

The full class of 2022 includes:

• Offensive Tackle Tony Boselli
• Wide receiver Cliff Branch
• Safety LeRoy Butler
• Referee Art McNally
• Linebacker Sam Mills
• Defensive Lineman Richard Seymour
• Coach Dick Vermeil
• Defensive Lineman Bryant Young

Boselli, Branch, Butler, McNally, Mills, Seymour, Vermeil and Young will be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, Aug. 6, 2022. 

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INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Last year I wrote that the Super Bowl in Raymond James stadium was probably one of the Blackest Super Bowl telecasts in NFL history. After the summer of 2020 and the racial injustices we endured during the start of the pandemic, the NFL produced a show that would draw its Black sports fans back into the league. 

This year’s Super Bowl halftime show was for Inglewood, Los Angeles and hip hop fans everywhere. This halftime show was one of the best performances I’ve seen since Bruno Mars and Beyonce’s set in 2016. It’s not up to me to determine which one was the best of the two, but we all can agree that this was amazing to see.

We saw the commercials before the Super Bowl directed by F. Gary Gray and the production of it drew fans in immediately. There were articles that questioned how this show would turn out and would it meet Hip-Hop fans’ expectations. 

There were a lot of fans online questioning how the league could ask the headliners to only select one song from their stacked catalogs. As the show started, the tweets ramped up and fans shared how much they loved what they were watching. From inside of SoFi Stadium you could hear the screams and you could also see fans who didn’t know what was going on, but loved the vibe. 

The halftime show headliners were Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem and Kendrick Lamar with 50 cent as a special guest. Most fans watching the show missed the music video reference of 50 cent hanging from his set because they might not have been born yet or they just didn’t remember it. Mary J. Blige served a stylish look with her beautiful blonde hair, thigh high boots and flawless vocals. Kendrick Lamar reminded us “We Gone Be Alright” while Eminem allegedly defied the NFL’s wishes by taking a knee after his performance.

It warmed my heart to see Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg back on stage together, but I’ll never forget how Dr. Dre has beaten women throughout his professional and personal life. As fans, we can enjoy the music while knowing that these artists are humanly flawed performing over a perfect beat.

With Republicans stating how they’re losing interest in the NFL and how some of them oppose the Rooney rule, you can tell they weren’t the targeted audience for this halftime show. However, their children might’ve enjoyed the show because they’ve danced to these songs on TikTok or at least their friends have. This show was for a millennial like myself who is proud of her Blackness and the sound of our music. 

Black creatives were behind the scenes pulling off a phenomenal pre-game and halftime show at SoFi stadium. The production team includes Roc Nation’s Executive Vice President Jana Fleishman, Executive Producer Jesse Collins, Executive Producer Desiree Perez, Co-Executive Producer Dionne Harmon, Music Director Adam Blackstone, Wardrobe Designer Lila Nikole, Pre-game Producer Jeanne Rouzan-Clay and Production Designer Bruce Rodgers. Fatima Robinson choreographed the entire halftime show and she’s one of the most sought-after choreographers in the world. Pepsi and Roc Nation gave us the perfect musical experience in 15 to 20 minutes.

This experience felt like a final stop of the Last Episode tour that featured Dr. Dre & Friends, but we got to watch it for free. Well some of us did. Inglewood was the perfect host for this reunion, party and every fan mattered. Hip-Hop has helped so many of us deal with our everyday struggles that we face here in America. Hip-Hop has given a voice to communities that are silenced for crying out for help. For about fifteen minutes, I forgot how much more work the National Football League and America has to do for minorities.

Last year’s production and this year’s halftime show might inspire change, but how quickly will that happen? We shall see.

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INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The setting at the sprawling and sparkling SoFi Stadium was a warm welcome for Hollywood stars, social media influencers and sports fans. While fans of the Cincinnati Bengals were in awe of its beauty, you could hear who’s house this was. Rams fans were chanting loudly with Los Angeles rap music playing in the background and they didn’t care.

In the end, the Rams beat the Bengals 23-20 and wide receiver Cooper Kupp took home MVP honors. 

The Rams won the Super Bowl inside the $5 billion SoFi Stadium. Notably, the Rams became the second consecutive home team to win the championship after Tampa Bay became the first to accomplish the feat one year ago.

“As far as building this stadium,” said Rams owner Stan Kroenke, the man who moved them back from St. Louis in 2016, “I think it turned out alright.”

With a mandate from the owner, the Rams had no choice but to deliver the goods.

The first half of the game was dominated by the Rams and the refs held their flags back. Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. scored the first touchdown for the Rams. Beckham caught a seventeen-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Matthew Stafford.

After catching two passes for 52 yards, Bechkam injured his knee with 3:54 left in the second quarter. Before the injury, the Bengals secondary struggled as the Rams controlled much of the game.

However, the Bengals made plays as their young quarterback, Joe Burrow, would connect with wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase. Chase notably caught a 47 pass from Burrow in the first quarter, beating the much-heralded Jalen Ramsey on the play. 

Heading into halftime, the Rams led 13-10.

During the second half, the Bengals came out blazing. On the first play of the second half, Burrow instantly connected with wide receiver Tee Higgins for a 75-yard touchdown strike. Ramsey fell down as Higgins grabbed his face mask. However, Higgins and Ramsey were hand fighting and there was no recourse for the referees. At that moment, the Bengals were poised to control the game. 

On the very next play, Bengals’ cornerback Chidobe Awuzie picked off Stafford’s pass. Eight plays later, Cincinnati kicker Evan McPherson nailed a 38 yard field goal as the Bengals took a 20-13 lead with 10:19 left in the third quarter.

Regretfully for fans clad in orange, black and white, the Bengals did not score again.

The Los Angeles Rams’ defensive line, led by Aaron Donald and Von Miller, began ratcheting up pressure on Burrow. Donald changed the flow of the game with a sack and a quarterback pressure on Burrow. 

The Rams defense ended the game with seven sacks, setting a Super Bowl record. 

“In the first half, I don’t know we had one sack and came out and I feel like we started taking over the game when we needed to as a defensive front,” Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald said. “Guys started making plays – (linebacker) Von (Miller) was making plays, (linebacker Leonard Floyd) was making plays, (defensive lineman) Greg Gaines, (defensive lineman) A’Shawn Robinson was making plays. Guys on the backend were making plays, (safety Eric) Weddle was coming up and making plays. That’s what it’s about. It’s a team game, it’s a team sport and it’s not just one or two out there. It’s all 11 on the field that at any time was making a big play for us. We found a way to come away with a win and become a world champion and that’s what it’s about.”

The Bengals’ momentum came to a screeching halt as Tyler Boyd dropped a pass on 3rd and 9 with 6:23 remaining in the game. 

Cincinnati was forced to punt the ball away and Stafford took the Rams 79 yards on fifteen plays, capping the game-winning drive with a one-yard touchdown pass to Cooper Kupp. 

“I don’t feel deserving of this,” Kupp said. “The guys standing here challenged me, they pushed me. I am just so grateful.”

Notably, the Bengals were 3-of-14 on third down conversions on the night. 

“We wanted to be in attack mode and pressure them as much as possible,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. “Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t.”

This is the second year of the pandemic and in front of 70,048 fans the Rams pulled out the win over the Bengals in their home stadium. 

Moreover, this was the second championship for the Rams franchise. The last time the Rams won a Super Bowl was in 2000 when their franchise beat the Tennessee Titans 23-16 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

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The 2022 Winter Olympics are currently held in Beijing, China from February 4th through February 20th. The opening ceremony is an important moment in which each participating nation can show off their country’s flag, culture and pride before the games begin. 

Team Nigeria expressed concerns about participating in the Winter Olympics because they are competing in cross-country skiing. Samuel Uduigowme Ikpefan will represent Team Nigeria in that event.

Actively Black sponsored Team Nigeria and the soul of its design embraced Nigerian culture, which was spearheaded by Amen Amen. Dr. Seun Adigun, Nigeria’s first African Summer & Winter Olympian, was the flag bearer of Team Nigeria during the opening ceremony. She’s attending the games as an International Olympic Committee Athletes Commission candidate. Also, Dr. Adigun serves as Team Nigeria’s doctor and she’s team leader for the winter Olympic sports in Nigeria. 

Dr. Adigun and Actively Black Founder Lanny Smith are former University of Houston classmates and she reached out to Smith to outfit Team Nigeria. 

“We started immediately, as far as coming up with concepts and trying to figure out what we wanted to incorporate into design,” founder Lanny Smith said. “I hired a Black-owned design firm. It’s actually a husband and wife design team to come in and they did an incredible job on the design on the project. The research that was done to make sure that we incorporated the traditional elements of Nigeria, as well as the modern elements of Actively Back, and the type of apparel that we’re producing.”

If fashion was a sport at the Winter Olympics, Team Nigeria would definitely stand on the podium. Team Nigeria’s outfit wowed viewers across the world and made a statement heard from China to America. People Magazine ranked their outfits 4th behind Jamaica’s outfit (designed by Puma), Team USA (designed by Ralph Lauren) and Team Canada (designed by LuluLemon). 

One interesting fact about Actively Black’s sponsorship of Team Nigeria is that the International Olympic Committee has strict regulations around brands that don’t have an official Olympic partnership. And so, for brands that don’t have an official Olympic partnership, those companies must have sold their merchandise in the 90 days leading up to the Olympic Games. 

“Prior to the Olympics even starting, that’s why we had that announcement and started selling the merch on October 1,” Black said. “We’re able to use the proceeds from that to donate to the team, provide a travel budget and financially support them.”

There would have been an official reveal, but due to global supply chain issues Actively Black was unable to pull that off.

Meanwhile, Smith has been astonished with the level of positive feedback Actively Black has received worldwide. He says it’s a seminal moment for Black-owned companies. 

“You know, we knew it would be a big opportunity, just from the beginning, just being able to have the opportunity for Black-owned brands to help African countries on a stage like the Olympics,” Smith said. “These are billion dollar brands that have been around for decades. We just made a year on Black Friday and to just be able to have that opportunity at that stage and to be well-received on the global stage is overwhelming.”

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INDIANAPOLIS — Two of college football’s southern titans took over Indiana’s capital city for a couple days before their match-up in Lucas Oil Stadium. This is the second time in the last four years that the Georgia Bulldogs had to face the Alabama Crimson Tide in the National Championship and many of us remember how that game went at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. 

The first half was tense as both defenses set the tone with physical play! It was all about field goals. Neither team was able to score any touchdowns but Alabama kicker Will Reichert and Georgia’s kicker Jack Podlesny had an opportunity to beef up the scoreboard. At the end of the first half, Alabama led Georgia 9-6 but no one could predict what would happen in the second half. 

68,311 rabid fans witnessed both Southeastern Conference teams that feverishly battled to establish some sort of momentum. A huge stop by the Bulldogs’ defense in the 3rd quarter took place when Jalen Carter blocked a 48 yard field goal attempt, which caused the Georgia fans to bark around the stadium. This is the moment when the momentum shifted toward the Red and Black. 

On their first play with 3 minutes left in the 3rd quarter, James Cook had a 67 yard run for a first down near the goal line. A face mask penalty by Alabama gave UGA the edge. Georgia would later score and the entire stadium erupted! 

At the beginning of the 4th quarter, the Tide tried to answer back but had to kick a field goal. Georgia led Alabama 13-12.

Stetson Bennett committed a fumble that every UGA fan disapproved of (the referees confirmed it after review). Five plays later, Alabama quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young threw a three yard touchdown pass to tight end Cameron Latu. Alabama was unable to make the 2-pt conversion so the score was 18-13 with 10:14 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Georgia would promptly respond as ‘The Mailman,’ quarterback Stetson Bennett took the Bulldogs down the field. AD Mitchell caught a contested touchdown pass. The two point conversion failed and the ‘Dawgs led 19-18 with 8:09 left.

Alabama went three-and-out on their next possession. They’d punt it back to Georgia and this was where head coach Kirby Smart learned from his mentor, Alabama head coach Nick Saban. Georgia ran the ball six times in their seven play drive. It was capped off with Bennett finding stud freshman tight end Brock Bowers on a 15 yard touchdown strike with 3:33 left in the 4th quarter. 

With those angel numbers you have to wonder if the Dawgs will pull this off. The score 26-18, Georgia.

With a huge play on the line, Bryce Young threw his second interception of the half, this time to cornerback Kelee Ringo and he returned it 79 yards for the touchdown! At that point, it was 33-18, Georgia. Georgia fans are screaming and even crying big tears because the moment they’ve been waiting for over 40 years is about to happen.

The celebration started before the clock struck 0:00 and it didn’t stop until around 1am in Lucas Oil Stadium.

Coach Smart  told everyone, “There’s gonna be some property torn up in Indianapolis TO-NIGHT!”

Here are the most important stats: Kirby Smart is the 4th head coach in the last 60 seasons to win a National title at his alma mater. Also, Georgia won their first national championship in 41 years!

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The Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl is considered the most charitable bowl organization amongst all bowl games. This New Year’s Six bowl has donated and committed $57.9 million back to the community (including Atlanta Public Schools), their partner conferences and teams, the sport of college football. 

Both participants, the Pitt Panthers and Michigan State Spartans, received $100,000 for their general scholarship funds in front of 41,230 fans. With COVID-19 back on the rise, fans were encouraged to wear masks and abide by the pandemic policies during their fan experience. Additionally, the roof was open inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Morris Brown College President, Dr. Kevin James, welcomed fans to the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl and then shared a prayer before kickoff, which was well received by a majority of the fans. Dr. James has seized every opportunity to showcase “The Hard Reset” of Morris Brown College and this was a great way to share an HBCU that most Big Ten or ACC fans wouldn’t know about. Once the game kicked off it was time to see who showed up to play here on the big stage.

Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett opted out of the game to prepare for the upcoming NFL Draft. While he was in the stands, his backup, Nick Patti started the game. Although Pitt had a rough start, the Panthers answered back in their next possession and the energy in the Benz was high! After Patti scored on a 16-yard touchdown run, he injured his shoulder while diving for the endzone. 

Later on, a one-handed catch by Michigan State’s Jalyen Nailor had fans on their feet. No matter who they were rooting for before that pass, it was a play they’ll never forget. 

Pitt led Michigan State 14-10 at halftime, but the fans remained in their seats to watch the bands perform. 

Throughout the game, the Michigan State offense found it difficult to build any momentum. Michigan State turned the ball over twice, including once in the red zone, and missed a 33 yard field goal. The second turnover was due to Spartans quarterback Payton Thorne’s fumble on the second play of the second half which led to Pitt’s Cam Bright scoop and score on a 26-yard touchdown. At that point, it was 21-10 Pitt with 14:40 remaining in the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, the Spartans finally found their mojo.

Thorne threw two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter. Thorne finished the night with 354 passing yards and three touchdowns, overcoming his turnover. The Spartans also ran for 56 yards on 36 carries. Michigan State’s running game sputtered as they missed their best player, running back Kenneth Walker III. 

Walker ran for 1,636 yards, the second-highest total in college football this season. He also scored 18 touchdowns. Walker won the Doak Walker Award as college football’s best running back. He also took home the Walter Camp Player of the Year. 

Cal Haladay’s 78-yard interception sealed the game for the Spartans in the waning seconds. 

Michigan State would beat the Pitt Panthers 31-21.

Wide receiver Jayden Reed was named the Offensive MVP, he had 6 receptions, 80 yards and two touchdowns. Haladay was the Defensive MVP with 11 tackles and the pick-six.

This was Michigan State’s Head Coach Mel Tucker’s first bowl game win in his second season with the Spartans. 

“We had a chip on our shoulder since last season, the last game, when we played Penn State, with the COVID year and everything like that,” said Michigan State wide receiver Jayden Reed. Reed would tell reporters he felt like the team came together as a family and really developed under the new coaching staff. 

Coach Tucker thanked the fans for believing in the team and for traveling to Atlanta for the bowl game.

“Our fans deserve a winning football team. Our fans deserve a championship football team. Our fans deserve to see a brand of football that they can be proud of,” Tucker said. “And that’s what we’re here to do. It means something to us to make our fans proud, and that’s something that we talk about all the time and we’re going to continue to do that.”

With the victory, Michigan State finishes with a record of 11-2, the most in a single season for the program since it went 12-2 in 2015. Meanwhile, Pitt finishes its campaign at 11-3, its most wins in a season since 1981.

Sparty is proud of their team! Although there’s not a lot of places open to party on New Year’s Eve, I am sure that fans will celebrate this win and the New Year.

The post Spectacular Spartans shine in 4th quarter; Michigan State wins Peach Bowl appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.

As the rain took over the city of Atlanta on a dreary Saturday morning, deep in the downtown area was a celebration of football, family and fun. In the two weeks leading up to the Celebration Bowl, it was shaping up to be a coronation for the Southwestern Athletic Conference champions, the 11-1 Jackson State Tigers. Led by head coach Deion Sanders, Jackson State dominated the SWAC, going undefeated in the league. However, the play of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champions, the South Carolina State Bulldogs, quickly reminded the sellout crowd, the television-viewing public, that what matters between the white lines, matters most.  

In the first quarter, Jackson State scored the opening touchdown and quickly established their hold on the game. Penalties also hurt South Carolina State but they were able to run the ball. 

Going into the second half, South Carolina State was able to swing the momentum their way and come out the second half blazing. The Bulldogs scored 24 unanswered points and made the game a laugher on their sidelines during the fourth quarter. Jackson State might’ve been the favorite to win this game, but the MEAC Champions, the South Carolina State Bulldogs came to town with a winning mindset.

“Well at first, they said we weren’t going to score 21 points (on them) offensively, so we had to come out and prove them wrong…another thing I’d say is that we had a little free time to go around Atlanta,” South Carolina State defensive back Decobie Durant explained. “I was in the mall with my teammates and the people were saying, ‘so ya’ll the team that’s playing against Jackson State.’ Like they had never heard of South Carolina State. So that was big to us because we already knew we were the underdog.”

Shaquan Davis from South Carolina State University caught three touchdown passes, setting a new Celebration Bowl record.

The Celebration Bowl’s attendance increased by 32% compared to 2019’s game which featured North Carolina A&T and Alcorn State. Saturday’s attendance was 48,653 and we still do not know if the kids enjoyed watching Mickey Mouse on the field to begin halftime. However, Disney donated $25,000 to each university’s scholarship fund.

As the game began to close, most of Jackson State’s side of Mercedes-Benz Stadium was cleared out. It was not the ending that Tiger fans wanted, but SC State won 31-10, setting a bowl record for margin of victory. 

“Well, it was a wonderful win for us, but I still have to give some credit to the entire Celebration Bowl staff,” South Carolina State head coach Oliver “Buddy” Pugh said. It’s been a good week for us, and we’ve had a wonderful time here and to cap it off with this win today was the cherry on top of the sundae. All our games have been close games in our league so for us to win this was awfully special.”

The post RECAP: South Carolina State dominates Jackson State in 2021 Celebration Bowl appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.

The 2021 Cricket Celebration Bowl will feature two new teams next Saturday as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champions, the South Carolina State Bulldogs face off against the Southwestern Athletic Conference champs, the Jackson State Tigers.

Even though both conferences played football in the spring, it has felt great for everyone to touch Black College Football once again. 

The South Carolina State Bulldogs started the 2021 season 1-4, with notable losses to SWAC teams Alabama A&M and Florida A&M. But once the Bulldogs entered MEAC play, they found their stride. 

With only one loss in their last six games, South Carolina State cruised into next Saturday’s Celebration Bowl riding a strong wave of momentum, going 5-0 in the league. The Bulldogs beat North Carolina Central 27-24 on October 30th to secure their 18th MEAC championship.

“We’ve played lots of games in Atlanta here and we played over the old Georgia Dome,” said Oliver “Buddy” Pugh, head coach of South Carolina State. “But this is the first time I’ve set foot into Mercedes-Benz Stadium. And I can tell you that I’m often excited to be here. It’s been a long year. It’s been a long time. We’ve been going through all kinds of pandemics and what have you. This is our 16th ball game, in this calendar year. If you can imagine that.” 

Sophomore receiver Shaquan Davis tallied 769 receiving yards, which led the MEAC. South Carolina State averaged 22 points per game. On defense, Decobie Durant is the MEAC Defensive Player of the year. Durant, a 5’11”, 180 pound, defensive back from Lamar, S.C., is considered one of the MEAC’s top pro prospects, accumulating 37 tackles, including 29 solo during his final season. Durant also led the MEAC in passes defended with 14 and tied for second in interceptions with three. Two of his interceptions came against Clemson on Sept. 11.

“So, you know we didn’t see a lot of attempts against him this past year because people kind of sort of got the got the message you know that this might not be the guy that you go with attack on,” Pugh said.

The Jackson State Tigers finished the season 11-1 with their lone loss being a 12-7 defeat to Louisiana-Monroe. They ran the gauntlet within Black College Football, led by Pro Football Hall of Famer, head coach Deion Sanders. 

Jackson State went undefeated in the SWAC as they went on to secure their first conference championship since 2007. While Sanders was unable to travel, assistant head coach Gary Harrell spoke to the assembled media today.

“You know, we believe that we are destined to be champions,” said Jackson State assistant head coach Gary Harrell. “With the leadership of Coach Prime, and speaking of Coach Prime, just know he would love to be here but he couldn’t attend due to a prior engagement and he could not be here.”

Harrell also added Jackson State has not played their best game yet. 

Wide receiver Malachi Wideman is the number one target for Jackson State freshman quarterback, Shedeur Sanders. Wideman is 6’5” and has NFL quality athleticism. In the 2021 season, he tallied 12 touchdowns. 

President of Jackson State University, Thomas K. Hudson, expressed his excitement to us as his Tigers participate in the Celebration Bowl for the first time.

“We are excited to be a part of the Celebration Bowl,” Hudson said. “This is a beautiful opportunity for our student-athletes. They have worked hard all season, inside and outside the classroom, and this is an excellent reward for their athleticism. It also exposes Jackson State University to a broader audience and a new fan base. We are definitely looking forward to the big game and all associated events.”

On Tuesday, December 7th, South Carolina State announced they’ve sold out their allotment of tickets. At the time of publication, there are an estimated 1,000 tickets remaining.  The 2021 Cricket Celebration Bowl is shaping up to be the biggest, boldest and grandest display of Black College Football’s culture and tradition in the de facto HBCU National Championship game. The 200 level inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium has now been made available for purchase. 

“There are 27 games that are played between us in the New Year’s Six, which and we’re in the top tier of that in terms of total live audience,” explained John Grant, CEO of the Celebration Bowl when asked . “Obviously we want to have the sellout, but you know, viewership streaming, linear, all that matters. And it’s just a great platform for the institutions and a tremendous platform for the student athletes and, this is our Super Bowl.”

For added historical perspective, the Cricket Celebration Bowl was announced at the College Football Hall of Fame in March of 2015. In the first year, North Carolina A&T defeated Alcorn State 41-34 in front of 35,000 fans at the Georgia Dome. Since then, only Grambling has been the only other SWAC school to appear in the game. 

Toe meets Leather at noon inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the game will be televised nationally on ABC Network.

As the majority of the viewing public prepares to watch head coach Deion Sanders match wits against South Carolina State’s Oliver Pugh for the first time, Grant does not overlook the contributions that previous coaches made in Black College Football.

“God creates a path and everything happens as it should, in the time that it should,” Grant explained. “Coach Prime came along, but the stage was already here. You know, so the stage was already here. And so what we’re doing now is just saying ‘welcome to the stage for Jackson State this year.’ And it’ll be the same thing for whoever makes it next year.

“The intent for us is recognizing that we are stewards of the moment that we’re in and with the view of ‘how do we build and institutionalize this sort of 100 years from now?’ You know, it can it can be said that this is ‘the granddaddy of HBCU bowl games,’ that hopefully there will be more because of what we’ve done today. We’ll be here to to make that statement about us. And what we did in this moment.”

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