It’s gonna be May
Where do we begin? May has been the craziest busy month for Project Seed already. We had not 1, but 3 events just in the first week of May!
Yelp Coastal VA APIHM: Launch Party
May is AAPI month and what better way to celebrate it but with a bang! On May 1st Project Seed together with Koco’s Korean Fried Chicken & Croffles x Lizzie B Crafts x Aqua S were part of the Yelp Coastal Virginia’s celebration of Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month APIHM: Launch Party. The night started with tastings from our very own Asian inspired cold brew flavors: Ube, Salted Egg Yolk Custard and Pandan Milk Tea Cold Brew. All 50 guests enjoyed the Boodle Fight style spread which consisted of Korean Fried Chicken, Korean Corn Dog, Bulgogi Bahn Mi, Bulgogi Fries, Pancit, Lumpia and various fruits. The dessert was provided by Aqua S which of course were Asian inspired flavors like Black Sesame, Pandan and Ube. Lizzie B Crafts gave everyone a beautifully handcrafted cups in various colors. While we provided the Yelp guests 2 bottles of cold brew coffee each to take home. It was indeed a night to remember and we are honored to be part of this celebration.
SPARC: Above The Clouds 5K
May 6: Project Seed Coffee took part in the inaugural Above the Clouds 5K held at the Virginia Military Aviation Museum in VB. This was the first time the three of us (Brantley and Noelle) worked together in an event. What a privilege to be there with family and friends in honoring Dr. Albert Lin.
The afternoon of May 6, Brantley and I joined lots of other small business at Reaver Beach NFK for a literal pop-up on their Spring It On May Market. Reaver Beach NFK is one of our favorite local breweries and their vendor markets are the best! On top of those special events, we also came back to Talbot Park Farmers Market the first Wednesday of May and also joined Commonwealth Brewing in celebrating their Spring Artisan Market 2023.
The latter part of May will be not be overshadowed by the former. We are so excited to debut at GigglemugVB Market this Saturday, May 20th for their Strawberry Social. We cannot wait to meet new faces and see our regulars in this event!
Speaking of regulars, we will be back at Harvest Market at Oozlefinch in Fort Monroe! This is the longest farmers market we’ve ever been a part of and we are so excited to see everyone at the last Sunday of May.
Meet A (Community)Maker
In honor of AAPI month, I thought who in my community have made an impact to the AAPI community? The first thing that came to mind is Rina. I am so honored that she is our featured (community) Maker this month!
Who is Rina Parrilla Garcia?
You know the phrase: Jack of all trades, master of none? That's me. Professionally I've been a bartender, hair and makeup artist, internet sketch comedian, electric guitarist in a hip hop band, entrepreneur, insurance specialist, and community organizer. The one common thread with all those jobs is that I love being creative and resourceful.
Where were you born and raised?
I was born in Maryland but moved here a year after so I consider my born and raised in Virginia Beach.
What is your background?
I'm 2nd generation Filipinx-American, the youngest of 3 daughters and mother to a 17-year-old son.
What are your future plans?
As always, too many things! Delving back into the local music scene because it's been a hiatus of almost 10 years and I miss it. Entrepreneur wise, I have a few ideas I'm bouncing around so I'll be solidifying at least one before the year is done. Community wise, I want to continue organizing events for Filipinos and other Asian Ameican Pacific Islanders that provide opportunities for their talents and skills to be shown to help boost our visibility within Hampton Roads. I've been fortunate in my big age to meet many wonderful people who have taken a chance on me over the years and I love that I get to pay it forward by seeking out new talent and giving them a chance to shine. The 2 main ones that I work on are Filipino American Heritage Day at Harbor Park and FilFest USA.
