October 25, 2018
By Kimberlee Buck
Staff Writer
Saturday, October 20, marked 13 years of the largest street festival in Southern California and the Taste of Soul (TOS) nation still hasn’t come down from the festival high! This year, more than 300,000 community leaders, city officials, Black business owners and local residents came out to Crenshaw Boulevard to “feel the love” and celebrate the return of the festival while basking in the ambiance of all things soulful.
“I can dream and I can dream big, but never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that Taste of Soul would turn into the institution it has now become,” said TOS Founder/Creator, Bakewell Media Founder and CEO Danny J. Bakewell, Sr., who calls the event a “party with a purpose.”
This year, the Taste of Soul nation had the opportunity to experience music from the sounds of four different stages.
First, the Hyundai Soundstage featured artist Ginuwine, Chante Moore, Kurtis Blow, Teddy Riley, Blackstreet, Melanie Fiona and the StarQuest Singing competition. The stage was hosted by Roland Martin with DJ B-Hen on the ones and twos. Attendees were also entertained by the 102.3 Radio Free KJLH Stage which featured artists Jussie Smollet, En Vogue, Macy Gray, Ready for the World and more. The third stage, sponsored by 94.7 the Wave featured Sister Sledge, Jody Watley, DW3, Chosen Gospel Recovery Group and more. Finally, the Brenda Marsh-Mitchell Gospel Stage sponsored by McDonald’s, brought praise and worship to the streets of Crenshaw with performances by local choirs, Donald Lawrence, Ricky Dillard, Deitrick Haddon and more.
Let’s not forget the food. Festivalgoers were also able to purchase a large variety of different beverages, desserts and food including: African, BBQ, American, Creole and Jamaican, Seafood, Vegan food, pies, popcorn, funnel cakes, snow cones, banana pudding, cobblers, cotton candy, smoothies, teas, beer, lemonade, hot toddy’s and more!
Aside from the food and entertainment, festival sponsor Hyundai allowed people to enter for a chance to win a brand new 2018 Hyundai Kona at their Hyundai consumer tent. Additionally, people were able to purchase paintings, accessories and clothes, get haircuts, and buy books.
One new addition to Taste of Soul was the LeadersUp Taste of Opportunity Pavilion which hosted a hiring fair.
In the pavilion, event goers were able to interview for positions and submit applications at different business including UPS, FedEX, Target, Starbucks, the hotel industry, and the entertainment industry. The Taste of Soul also featured Children’s World. 
There, parents were able to drop off their children before heading over to the entertainment stages.
This year, Children’s World had a free vision mobile clinic through Vision to Learn which gave out free pairs of glasses to children to help them thrive in the classroom. Additionally, Children’s World offered games, prizes, activities, and child-friendly entertainment.
The Taste of Soul Family Festival was also a one-stop-shop for resources and health services. This year, attendees were able to receive mammograms, get tested for HIV, and check their blood pressure, amongst many other valuable health screenings.
Bakewell Media would like to offer a special thanks to the festival’s chairs, co-chairs, partners and sponsors that played a key role in the success of Taste of Soul this year:
Chairs: Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Council President Herb J. Wesson Jr., Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson and Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas.
Co-Chairs: Congresswoman Karen Bass, Councilman Curren Price, Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer, Assemblymember Autumn Burke, LAUSD School Board Member, George McKenna III, KCBS Pat Harvey, and Ivie McNeill & Wyatt.
Sponsors: Hyundai, LeadersUp, LA County, McDonald’s, Airbnb, Bank of America, LADWP, Chase Bank, Kaiser Permanente, Plenary Group, Walsh/Shea, South Coast Air Quality Management District, Lyft, City National Bank, Metropolitan Water District, West Basin Municipal Water District, One West Bank, California Resources Corporation, Californians for Energy Independence, Wells Fargo, Charles R. Drew University, AT&T, US Bank, Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital, SEIU Local 2015, City of Hope, Southern California Gas Company, Watts Health, St. John’s, DaVita, Covered California, Good Samaritan Hospital, Easy Choice Health Plan, Brotherhood Crusade, Learn 4 Life, Cedars-Sinai, LA City Workforce Investment Board, Los Angeles World Airports, Comerica Bank, MetroPCS, South Hill Petroleum, and E&B Natural Resources.
Partners: Bakewell Media, Los Angeles Sentinel Newspaper, Mothers in Action, Brotherhood Crusade, City of Los Angeles, County of Los Angeles, CBS2/KCAL9, Radio FREE 102.3 KJLH, 94.7 The WAVE, AAUC, Metro (Taste of Soul’s official transportation partner) and law firm Ivie, McNeill & Wyatt.
Additionally, Bakewell Media would like to extend a thank you to all of the community members who continue to support the mission of Taste of Soul. See you all next year!
October 18, 2018
By Brian W. Carter
Contributing Writer
It’s the largest family festival in Southern California—it’s Taste of Soul and you are invited to Crenshaw Blvd to celebrate 13 years of unity, brotherhood and community. On Saturday, October 20, Taste of Soul will commence to once again show California what happens when we all come together to feel and show the love to one another.
In 2005, the festival was the vision of Los Angeles Sentinel & L.A. Watts Times Newspapers executive publisher and Bakewell Media CEO, founder/creator, Danny J. Bakewell, Sr. with the help of the late Brenda Marsh-Mitchell along with city officials, community partners and friends to create something special for the community. Now, in 2018, it’s the #1 family festival having attracted over 350,000 people from SoCal and beyond as it continues to grow and shatter expectations.
This year’s theme is “Come Feel The Love” and that really is at the heart of Taste of Soul. Every year, so many moving parts come together to make this event happen. That synergy crafts a festival featuring some of the best food, merchandise, music, entertainment that rivals well-known, national events. Taste of Soul has become a tradition of meeting old friends and family as many plan parties and get-togethers around the event. Many attendees flock to Crenshaw Blvd. and simply pull up a seat and enjoy the festivities with friends and family.
The Stages
Hyundai Soundstage
This year, the Hyundai Soundstage will showcase R&B and hip-hop icons Chante Moore, Kurtis Blow, Ginuwine and Teddy Riley featuring Blackstreet and Melanie Fiona. DJ B-Hen returns along with journalist and television personality, Roland Martin, who will host the stage. Hyundai has created the ultimate fan experience at the Hyundai activation pavilion, where fans will be able to charge up their phones. The pavilion will also feature live entertainment on LED screens streaming from the Hyundai Soundstage jumbotron. Participants can also enter to win a 2018 Hyundai Kona Limited, which is a part of Hyundai’s “Reimagine Everything at Taste of Soul Los Angeles” contest. The winner of the car will be announced in November 2018 at the L.A. Auto Show. The Hyundai Soundstage is the new home of the annual StarQuest Singing Competition which was created by Bakewell Media as part of Taste of Soul.
Festival attendees will have the opportunity to see the ten finalists, chosen from the live, online and mobile app auditions, perform during the final round of the StarQuest Singing Competition. Celebrity Judges are Ray Chew, music director, “Dancing With the Stars”; MD Anita Baker, Lindsey Lanier, Sr VP, A&R, Motown, V Bozeman; singer/actress, “Empire”; Bobby Wilkerson, music director, Slave; and, Tia P., Singer/ 2015 StarQuest Winner; Crenshaw Drumline will kick of the day at the Hyundai Soundstage.
94.7 The WAVE Stage
The WAVE is back with some amazing musical icons and talent as a part of its lineup—and this year is no different. This year welcomes on-air personalities Greg Mack, Deborah Howell, Frankie Ross, and Pat Prescott with a special guest host, CBS 2’s, Pat Harvey. The WAVE stage also welcomes DJ Shell, who will keep the entertainment going throughout the day. The 94.7 The Wave Stage welcomes Sister Sledge, Jody Watley, Sean Michael, Erin Stevenson, Chosen Recovery and On Tour and the StarQuest adult winner will also perform on the WAVE stage. Aside from the scheduled artist lineup, The Wave is also bringing special guests from FOX Talent and Head Crack Dish Network.
Brenda Marsh-Mitchell Gospel Stage
The McDonald’s Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour returns once again to bring the Holy Spirit to Taste of Soul at the Brenda Marsh-Mitchell Gospel Stage. Marsh-Mitchell was the executive assistant to Bakewell, Sr. and responsible for the gospel platform for eight years before her passing in 2014. McDonald’s has partnered once more with Ricardo Mowatt of Mowatt Entertainment and Pastor Kelvin Sauls. Regional performers will start the morning prior to introducing the national tour headliners. The 2018 local lineup will feature gospel stage veterans such as Holman United Methodist’s Jubilant Voices, West Angeles “New Generation” Choir, FAME Unity Choir and the Inland Empire Choir, as well as new acts like Esther and Shari Demby. Joining the local lineup will be a select group of national artists, which includes major names like Paul Porter of The Christianaires, Geneen White, Renee Spearman, Brent Jones, The Williams Singers, Keith “Wonderboy” Johnson, Bishop Neal Roberson and April May Cooper. Popular Christian comedian J-Red and KJLH-FM “Spread the Word” host Aundrae Russell will once again be co-hosting the highly anticipated local portion of the show.
KJLH Stage
KJLH Radio Free Music Stage, presented by Toyota, is bringing a range of talent to its stage. This year’s line-up includes Ready for the World, En Vogue, Macy Gray, Jussie Smollett, DW3 and more.
Vendors
Taste of Soul brings the vendors—food, clothes, healthcare, jobs, education, haircuts and more! This year’s returning vendors, some of which have been with TOS since its inception, include: Dulans, Pucker Up Lemonade, Boone’s Fish, Sharon’s Heavenly Cobblers , Brother’s BBQ, Dippin Chicken, Stone’s Jamaican to name few. This year, Taste of Soul welcomes new food vendors such as Kathy’s Kitchen, Cakes By The Pound, Ordinary People and Island To Table Patty Hut also to name a few. There will be plenty of merchandise on hand with non-food vendors some of which include Nu lyfe Gifts, West Love and Hustle Girl Entertainment. New non-food vendors include Nationwide Real Estate, Cell Shade and Eros Hair Beauty—of course, just to name a few.
Partners & Sponsors
Taste of Soul would like to thank its partners who help bring this festival together: radio partners, Radio FREE 102.3 KJLH and 94.7 The WAVE, Bakewell Media, Los Angeles Sentinel Newspaper, Mothers in Action, Brotherhood Crusade, city of Los Angeles, county of Los Angeles, CBS2/KCAL9, AAUC, Ivie McNeill & Wyatt and Metro is Taste of Soul’s official transportation partner.
Special thanks to Taste of Soul’s proud sponsors: Hyundai, LeadersUp, LA County, McDonald’s, Airbnb, Bank of America, LADWP, Chase Bank, Kaiser Permanente, Plenary Group, Walsh/Shea, South Coast Air Quality Management District, Lyft, City National Bank, Metropolitan Water District, West Basin Municipal Water District, One West Bank, California Resources Corporation, California Energy Independence, Wells Fargo, Charles R. Drew University, AT&T, US Bank, Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital, SEIU Local 2015, City of Hope, Southern California Gas Company, Watts Health, DaVita, Covered California, Learn 4 Life, Good Samaritan Hospital, Brotherhood Crusade, Cedars-Sinai, LA City Workforce Investment Board, Easy Choice Health Plan, Los Angeles World Airports, Comerica Bank, E&B Natural Resources, MetroPCS and Signal Hill Petroleum.
Chairs & Co-Chairs
Taste of Soul thanks its Chairs: Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garrcetti, Council President Herb J. Wesson Jr., Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson and County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas. Co-Chairs for the event include Congresswoman Karen Bass, Councilman Curren Price, Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer, Assemblymember Autumn Burke, LAUSD School Board Member, George McKenna III, KCBS Pat Harvey and Ivie McNeill & Wyatt.
Taste of Soul is presented by Bakewell Media, produced by the L.A. Sentinel Newspaper and Mothers in Action in partnership with the Brotherhood Crusade, AAUC, LA City, LA county, 102.3 Radio Free KJLH, 94.7 The WAVE and CBS2/KCAL9.
Please download the Taste of Soul mobile app as your go-to event guide for the latest information on vendors, stage locations and entertainment, transportation and parking needs, shuttles, street closures, locations of medical stations and information booths, and partners and sponsors information.
Please visit www.tasteofsoul.org for more information.
October 11, 2018
LAWT News Service
The McDonald’s 2018 Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour (ICGT) will once again be culminating at the annual Taste of Soul festival, bringing renowned local and national talent to perform on the Brenda Marsh-Mitchell Gospel Stage. Now in its 13th year, the event has become a family-favorite tradition for the entire community and a true Los Angeles staple.
The McDonald’s gospel stage is championed by the local chapter of the Black McDonald’s Operator Association (BMOA) and is coordinated in collaboration with Los Angeles Pastor, Kelvin Sauls.
Pastor Sauls has been a long time advocate and contributor to the McDonald’s gospel stage, helping identify and secure local talent that will inspire attendees with their messages of faith. Like the many BMOA members who are actively involved with the event, he sees gospel music as part of the fabric of the black community.
In addition to giving back to the community in the form of this free concert series, BMOA members strive to make a positive impact in a variety of ways. As independent business owners, they provide jobs to thousands of local residents, including many that live within walking distance of their establishments. They also express their commitment as community leaders by hosting fundraisers for local schools, offering grants to local charities and funding scholarships for local youths.
Locally, BMOA also collectively and individually supports Ronald McDonald House Charities® of Southern California (RMHCSC). In keeping with McDonald’s longtime tradition as founding mission partners of the charity, this year’s tour will again support the Southern California chapter and its six Ronald McDonald Houses located throughout the region. Every penny raised stays right here in the local community, directly supporting families who need a home away from home as their ill child undergoes life-saving medical treatment. Since 2012, the tour has helped raise more than $510,500 for local RMHC Chapters, with the 2017 tour alone generating over $240,000 in funds.
Another element of the tour is the addition of a scholarship opportunity. This year, McDonald’s will award one HBCU college student with a $10,000 Thurgood Marshall College Fund Scholarship during an ICGT tour stop. The winning student will be able to use the funds to cover the costs of tuition and fees, on-campus room and board or required textbooks. This is one of five scholarships McDonald’s is sponsoring throughout the year.
McDonald’s Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour is an extension of the brand’s 365Black platform, an initiative that celebrates the pride, heritage, and achievements of African-Americans year-round.
With an impressive lineup that includes popular local choirs and performers alongside national gospel stars, the tour will once again give families and gospel music lovers an uplifting and unforgettable experience.
October 11, 2018
LAWT News Service
It wouldn’t be October without Taste of Soul.
Metro again welcomes the community to the 13th annual Taste of Soul Family Festival, hosted by the Los Angeles Sentinel Newspaper and Danny Bakewell Sr. We’ve been partners for several years now on this important event and we’re proud of what we’ve accomplished and excited about what comes next.
The $2.1-billion Crenshaw/LAX Line has been under construction for nearly five years. The patience and grace shown by communities along this alignment is testament to their strength and resilience. It is no surprise that Taste of Soul persists and, we expect, will be better than ever this year.
Fortunately, the Crenshaw/LAX Line is getting closer to the end of construction. Construction staging is slowly coming down, station platforms are coming to life and station art is on the way for installation. Metro is sincerely grateful for the community’s role in ensuring that we work together to bring out the best of Crenshaw.
We know it hasn’t been easy. Building an ambitious project like the Crenshaw/LAX Line was bound to be disruptive, and it has been. To help alleviate some of those inconveniences, Metro has supported local businesses through several projects aimed to help them thrive while construction has been underway. Metro’s Business Interruption Fund has awarded more than $9 million to hundreds of local businesses along the Crenshaw Line. We’ve also partnered with nearly 200 businesses through Metro’s Eat, Shop, Play program, which offers advertising and marketing assistance to businesses affected by construction.
The project has already brought revenue into the area by spurring economic development, creating new jobs and sustaining existing ones. More than 500 workers have been employed on this project. And nearly 60 percent of the project workers are from low-income zip codes, with 10 percent of those workers having overcome significant barriers to employment.
We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished so far. And we’re excited for the future.
It’s a future that we’re certain will bring exciting and new economic opportunities to the Crenshaw, Leimert Park, Park Mesa Heights, Hyde Park, Inglewood, Westchester and LAX communities. The train will provide more and better access to jobs, recreation and entertainment. That will help ease traffic congestion and improve air quality.
We’re also excited to help educate and train future leaders of LA Metro at the planned Transportation School, a countywide career and technical education school targeting middle and high school-aged youth, with an emphasis on at-risk populations.
Like Metro’s partnership with Taste of Soul, the Crenshaw/LAX Line couldn’t happen without the cooperation and goodwill of residents and businesses in the community. We cannot thank the people and businesses along this line enough for their patience, graciousness and support throughout planning and construction.
It’s been a long road and with every day, we draw closer to completion of this vital project. We’re looking forward to highlighting the progress we’ve made in the months to come.
We hope you’ll use LA Metro both in your daily lives and when traveling to Taste of Soul, which is just a block from the Expo/Crenshaw station. Please be sure to visit us there to find out more about what we’re doing and to use our free cell phone charging stations.
Most of all, we’re looking forward to helping to “Share the Love” at Taste of Soul.