POC FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL
Overview
POC Food & Wine Festival is Make it Mariko’s very own in-house festival, a gathering created to honor chefs, makers, and culinary artists of color through food, storytelling, and community. Hosted at Ciel Creative Space & Four One Nine, the festival brings together local tastemakers for a day of intentional connection, curated experiences, and cultural celebration. As producers and founders of the festival, we designed every element to uplift our POC culinary community and create a space that feels joyful, abundant, and rooted in heritage.
Goals & Challenges
Our goal with POC Food & Wine Festival was to create a space where chefs, makers, and attendees could feel seen, celebrated, and connected. A festival that truly centered the stories and flavors of POC culinary talent. The biggest challenge was balancing scale with intimacy: we wanted to host a large, multi-activation event without losing the personal, community-driven experience that makes the festival feel authentic. From coordinating dozens of chefs and vendors to managing complex logistics across tastings, panels, and stages, we had to anticipate every detail to ensure the day flowed smoothly while keeping the energy warm, inviting, and celebratory.
A Culinary Celebration Created by Us, For Us
WHAT WE DID:
As the creators and producers of the festival, we led full festival strategy, concept development, and programming from the ground up. We managed all operations and logistics, including vendor relations, tastings coordination, load-in/out, guest flow, ticketing support, and backstage management. We oversaw creative direction, branding, signage, and environmental design to shape a cohesive and welcoming festival environment. Our team also led stage production, panel management, run of show, and onsite staffing to ensure a seamless guest experience across all activations. From the first brainstorm to the final pour, the festival was fully produced and brought to life by Make it Mariko.
VENDORS:
Event Planning & Design: Make it Mariko
Venue: Ciel Creative Space
Four One Nine
A/V: Creative Transit Agency
Signage: Digitek Printing
Lighting: Last Wave Productions
Security: VCPG
Design: Non Uniform Standard Love Letter SF Nurture State Floristry
Photographers & Videographers: Ely Dominguez Olan Magudo Genevieve Rico Chloe Jackman CeeCee Weaver Milton Sosa Mc Donald Brooklynn Dees Amyra Soriano
Sponsors: Bacardi D’USSÉ KACE Tea NBC Bay Area KPIX Canary Marketing Brycie Prints Saludi Glassware
Performers: Rj Kool Raul Kingmost Cuffin’ All Thangs R&B Party Astralogik Franboogie GTC Band DJ Lady Ryan
