BeckzBax Supper Club: Best friends are taking NYC's dining culture by storm

New York City has always been a hub for some of the best experiences, nightlife, and food worldwide. One of the city's many selling points is a passion for food and dining experiences representing different cultures. Harlem natives Kelsey Beckford and Winter Baxter know a thing or two about that.

With demand for fine dining catered to Women and BIPOC rising, these ladies stepped up to the plate. They created BeckzBax Supper Club, hosting expertly curated events where the quintessential NYC gyal boss can eat some amazing food, let loose, and make meaningful connections with like-minded people. We attended their Galentine’s Day event and got some tea on BeckzBaz for our ABJ Hive.

Give us a little background on Kelsey & Winter, your individual journeys, your friendship, and some of your shared values.

Winter: Kelsey and I met at a fundraising event for Spelman, our alma mater, and just clicked right there. She was the first person there to say hello to me and invited me to spend the evening with her. She made me feel comfortable because I didn’t know anyone at the event, and it was my first time going to something for Spelman in the city. 

Kelsey: Our individual journeys from childhood through young adulthood have both been very unique. Throughout the first year of knowing each other, we knew we were the sister friends we were missing in our lives. Now almost six years later, I couldn’t imagine doing life without her.  We share the values of authenticity, vulnerability, laughter, and awareness of the challenges Black Women face from others and each other. 

Where does your passion for dining and community come from?

Winter: Growing up in Harlem, born on a residential block, and living in a brownstone community has always been a priority. I owe my life and experiences to my community, the elders on my block holding it down, and the block parties that taught me how to care for and honor my neighbor. My grandparents always had someone staying in our homes with them; I grew up watching them take care of people–provide food, shelter, clothing, and anything they needed to assist them on their path in life. So, I’ve always known my people–Black people, let’s be clear—to be generous and community-oriented people. 

Kelsey: I have always LOVED food. From a child, I would go to restaurants with my family and friends and truly enjoyed eating. My maternal grandmother was an amazing cook and would let me shadow her in the kitchen. Fine dining became a passion of mine once I hit High School age and was able to start going out in NYC and experiencing the wonderful restaurants my city has to offer. The community-based aspect of the journey started in Montessori. I was always the line leader. In elementary school, I would be class rep. In 7th grade, I was class president, and the same in 12th. In college, I participated in class council and SGA. I have always enjoyed being a part of the community and making a difference by using my voice. Allowing my vision of connection to come to fruition. It really has always come second nature to me to be a leader and a part of the greater community. 

“I feel what brings us together as close as we are is that we both share the value of gratitude and friendship; Kelsey and I both take being someone’s friend very seriously. For us, to be called a friend of someone comes with a responsibility that you must honor.”

What did you think was missing in the dining/events space that led you to start hosting BeckzBax supper club?

Kelsey: Black Women. That was missing from our POV. Not saying there aren’t Black Women or men out here in these spaces, but there is always room for more! Especially when it comes to certain dining experiences and even certain neighborhoods that restaurants are in. We wanted to have these experiences with ourselves and realized we needed to start bringing others along on our journey. We also wanted to grow our own friendships as young adults. It is hard to make friends, so we wanted to make sure we cultivated our own space where we are comfortable and others can be as well. 

Winter: Conversations. Honest conversations. To be quite honest, we’ve been to many dinner parties and events where it felt like someone was trying to sell you their persona—nobody was talking, and everyone seemed to be looking to the hosts for their next move. I was over feeling like people I met at “social events” were auditioning to be my co-worker, ya know? 

“We ultimately started BeckzBax because, as foodies and besties, we didn’t just want a food page with reviews. We wanted a community and wanted to have real-life experiences that we highlighted and appreciated being a part of.”

Now, just after your 8th event since starting last Fall, what has the journey been like so far? Lessons learned, interesting stories/experiences.

Kelsey: The journey has been a journey! Between learning the proper language to use with restaurants and the outreach to those who would like to join us or those who don’t know and are interested in joining us. It has been a lot to navigate being small business owners too. Most people do not know the ins and outs of planning, and folks really don’t understand the price of gratuity or having a semi-private or fully private event. We have had a lot of pushback on our pricing, and part of me feels it happens to us being two young Black women, and the other part of me just realized we live in NYC, and the cost of living is really above and beyond. All in all, it hasn’t been too tough for us because we communicate very well, and what I lack or can not do, Winter can, and vice versa. Overall, the lesson learned is to keep going, whether one person shows up or 30+. Just keep going and do it for you and yours.

Winter: Most of this journey has been as expected for me; we knew that getting the word out about the supper club would be something we’d need to be very intentional about because it isn’t for everybody. And when we say that, we mean that we’re creating a community that cares less about being seen and more about providing resources to our members to feel safe to share, grow and heal. 

“BeckzBax is a space of familiarity; when you sit down, you’ll feel like you’ve finally found your people. We think of our attendees as our “tribe” because they are—we all are, and we need to start acting like it more.”

March is women's history month; as two women who are now becoming community leaders, what do you hope your impact will be?

Winter: We hope that our impact will be to have created a space for all people, with emphasis on Black folks, to come and be their authentic selves. We aren’t shy people, and we want everyone who encounters a BeckzBax supper club event to know they can just let go and be honest with themselves. If you’re “weird,” that’s great–at least you’re being honest about it because what even is “weird” it’s just someone who’s very comfortable with themselves. 

Kelsey: We want to become the community leaders we would want and like to see throughout the years. We aren’t even a year, and the women we have met have been so amazing and fulfilling. The conversations have been healing, and the food has been fulfilling!!!! I hope we can attract others to come, more men, more theybies, and even other people of color. We are Black women based, but we are open to all! 

What’s next for BeckzBax? What do you see it growing into in the near future?

Kelsey: To eventually have supper every week. Right now, we are averaging about two events per month, and it has been successful. We would also like to travel to other cities and out of the country. We will like BeckzBax to be a household name in NY and beyond. Our ultimate goal is to throw community events for all. Our dream dinner event would be to host Mayor Eric Adams' birthday or Mayoral Ball. Personally, event planning is one of my many life passions. I would like to not only make it my full lifestyle but be able to make a profit from it to live comfortably and get even more imaginative with my visions. BeckzBax to the moon! 

Winter: We’ll be doing supper club events in a few states very soon; traveling with the supper club has always been on the menu since the first conversations about starting BeckzBax. We’re so grateful that we have been invited to bring our energy to different states and countries. Can’t say much more! You’ll have just to join the supper club to find out where we’re going next!

Want more BeckzBax? Follow their Instagram and get the tea on upcoming events!

read more

〰️

read more 〰️