Our Beginning

While our founder, Kapri Robinson was attending one of the world’s largest cocktail conference, Tales of The Cocktail, she noticed the lack of black and brown faces among the crowds. Kapri thought to her self that something had to be done to create more awareness and opportunities for people of color in the food and beverage industry. After lots of thought she began the creation of the annual Chocolate City’s Best cocktail competition. With the help of now co-founding members Michael Holiday Jr. and Anisha Gupta, the competition came to life! The competition brought together some of Washington, DC’s best bartenders of color and allowed them to showcase their amazing talents. This competition was a great success that allowed for Chocolate City’s Best to grow into just more than a cocktail competition. Chocolate City’s Best is now a platform to create doors for people of color in the food and beverage industry. With the minds of Kapri Robinson, Michael Holiday Jr., Anisha Gupta and Denaya Jones ( also winner of the first annual Chocolate City’s Best cocktail competition and now founding member), Chocolate City’s Best strives to create opportunities, awareness, and content to grow the careers of those black and brown in the food and beverage world.

“ ‘I hope it will turn into an organization that uplifts and helps people of color form and push their own career to new levels’”

— Kapri Robinson through Susan Able,Edible DC

Chocolate City's Best elevates career paths through forms of competitions, educational classes, art, panels, and career growing workshops.

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Our Mission

Chocolate City's Best is a platform to enhance the careers of people of color in the food and beverage industry. This is all done by providing these individuals with more accessible doors to opportunities and networking events that will elevate one's career path. Chocolate City's Best elevates these career paths through forms of competitions, educational classes, art, panels, and career growing workshops. We believe through these actions, the presence of people of color in the food and beverage industry will grow infinitely.