By Rosanna Caira
TORONTO ― A new group, dedicated to amplifying the visibility of female restaurant owners and supporting them will be holding its inaugural meeting in Canada next week, on August 22, at Bar Reyna in Toronto. The Let’s Talk Womxn Toronto represents the first Canadian chapter meeting and the first time the group has gathered outside the U.S.
The Let’s Talk Womxn group was launched three years ago in Chicago by Rohini Day, founder of Vermillion Indian-Chinese Chicago. The group started out as a collection of 15 female Chicago restaurateurs but now includes 106 owners in Chicago and more than 800 members across 14 cities, and growing.
“LTW is our action movement to support women owners,” says Day. “Ours is a tough and isolating journey. We started LTW with restaurateurs and have grown to include bars, bakeries, cafes, stores, distillers and makers. All woman-owners who make or sell food and drink are welcome to join us. No teams or service professionals, owners only. Our focus is to grow our businesses together, raise revenue, and amplify visibility for each other. No dues, no pedantic programming, no BS, no charity asks, no bureaucracy.” The group hosts a monthly virtual one-hour session and the rest unfolds from there. “It’s been magical for our cities.” Each city is nourished by three to five leading co-hosts.
The co-hosts for LTW Toronto session are Nicki Laborie (Reyna Hospitality Group), Jacqueline Nicosia (Ardo, Dova, Vivi Imports), and Angela Lawrence (Chubby’s Jamaican, Gusto 54). More information is available on the group’s website and Instragram. Those interested in attending must be owners and can reach out to [email protected]
