When Vanika Spencer moved to St. Louis in 2008, she was a fresh high school graduate eager to experience something different from what her native Dallas, Texas, had to offer. She said she arrived in St. Louis “with a suitcase and a dream,” and the city did not disappoint.
Sapna Bhakta found herself in a similar situation years later. She visited St. Louis one weekend in 2013 to celebrate her cousin’s birthday — and has been here ever since.
Spencer and Bhakta eventually crossed paths and became close friends who share the goal of shining a light on what they say they love most about the city: its thriving arts and culture scene.
To uplift musicians and artists of color who they felt weren’t recognized enough, Spencer and Bhakta created the Cocoa and Cumin Concert Series. They’re not musicians themselves, but they're enthusiasts nonetheless.
Since 2017, Bhakta and Spencer have hosted the concerts from their south St. Louis apartments. The smaller space creates an intimate environment where the audience and artists can connect with one another.
“Something we really pride ourselves on is the Q&A. So this is an opportunity for the musicians and the audience members to really have some intimate conversations with each other around who they are as musicians, what it is that inspires them, who it is that inspires them, and an opportunity for them to really get to know each other,” Spencer said.
As with most community gatherings, food and drinks play an important role. To stick with their theme, Bhakta and Spencer sift through Pinterest recipes and other online concoctions to offer cocoa and cumin-infused snacks.
“We like to give our audience kind of what we think is our type of food. So we love sweets [and] we love things that are savory, so we try to incorporate that cocoa and cumin into the food and the drinks we make" at the events, Bhakta explained. Notes of cumin come through in servings such as simple syrup cocktails, samosas — and even double chocolate chip cookies.
While the flavor profiles of sweet chocolate and earthy cumin don’t seem to mesh well with each other at first, the duo insists on the pairing.
“There's that level of experimentation that goes into any recipe that we decide to create for Cocoa and Cumin. And I think that the audience really appreciates us trying something bold and something new. And they'll let us know if they like it, or if they don't like it; we usually take that under consideration for the future cocktails and creations that we want to make,” Spencer added.
Moving forward
Their contributions to the community haven’t gone unnoticed. The Cocoa and Cumin Concert Series was a finalist in this year’s LaunchCode Moonshot Awards for Inclusion, which “honors the organizations and individuals at the forefront of inclusion, advancing toward an equitable St. Louis region.”
After a brief hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, the series is returning this month. Their concerts will look a little different for now to accommodate social distancing guidelines, and the duo is actively seeking local businesses that can help provide space.
“So either a drive-in tailgating type of situation, or using a big piece of land where we can mark out different chairs for people to sit in," Spencer said. "And then also having that virtual component for people who feel like it's still not safe to be outside amongst other people, because the safety and the care of both the musician and the audience is at the forefront of our minds."
On Wednesday’s St. Louis on the Air, the duo talked with producer Lara Hamdan about their mission to provide local musicians of color a platform, and the growth they’ve seen thus far.
Listen to the full conversation:
Upcoming Cocoa and Cumin concerts include one on July 31 with music producer Jay Coast and one in late August with soul singer Kenny Deshields. Follow the group’s Instagram page for details.
Previous Cocoa and Cumin concerts have included: Sahara Sista S.O.L.S, Paige Alyssa, Katarra Parson, WildFLWR, Robert McNichols Jr., Blvck Spvde, Kelvin Evans, Nephari, Eldraco Price, Teacup Dragun, James Biko, Tonina and Elle Paterson.
St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is hosted by Sarah Fenske and produced by Alex Heuer, Emily Woodbury, Evie Hemphill and Lara Hamdan. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
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