Tacofino Announces Next Two Editions of ‘Shift Change’

BC’S TACOFINO ANNOUNCES NEXT TWO EDITIONS OF ‘SHIFT CHANGE’ HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY INITIATIVE AND PROGRAM EXTENSION THROUGH 2021

Latest Online Discussions Surround Inclusive Hiring for Food and Beverage Workers on the Autism Spectrum (Jan. 12) and Visibility of LGBTQ2+ in The Kitchen (Feb. 9)

Tacofino, the BC-based restaurant group behind ‘Shift Change’ — an initiative dedicated to help improve the quality of life for those in the hospitality and foodservice industry — will host the next two editions of its complimentary online ‘Speakers for Change’ series this January 12 and February 9 at 3:00 p.m. PST via Zoom.

As a result of the positive reception for the monthly series that launched in November, Tacofino will continue the series through 2021, with future sessions dedicated to discussing the current experience of race, gender, mental health and substance dependancy that are faced by restaurant owners/operators and hospitality and foodservice workers.

“We’ve been thrilled with the response to the first two Speakers for Change sessions and want to keep the momentum going in the new year,” says Taylor Chobotiuk, Head of People and Engagement for Tacofino and one of the founders of Shift Change. “We’re looking forward to continuing to provide Shift Change as a space for community leaders and industry professionals to engage in important conversations and exchange ideas to improve the current experience for the industry and its people.”

The following upcoming Speakers for Change sessions and featured guests include:

Inclusive Hiring for Food and Beverage Workers on the Autism Spectrum
Tuesday, January 12 at 3 p.m. PST
Participants will learn about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), how to effectively engage workers with ASD within the industry and the business case for championing inclusive hiring practices. The keynote speaker for this session is Lisa Beecroft, Co-Owner of Port Moody’s Gabi & Jules Handmade Pies and Baked Goodness, where accessibility and inclusivity has become an important part of the menu. Beecroft is also Co-Chair of the Presidents Group, an organization of local business leaders that promotes inclusive employment practices to make accessibility a hallmark of how BC does business.

Visibility of LGBTQ2+ in the Kitchen
Tuesday, February 9 at 3 p.m. PST
This session will focus on challenges and opportunities that people who identify as LGBTQ2+ face while working on the line and in the kitchen. Keynote speaker and Cree-Metis Chef Heat Laliberte will detail his personal journey from line cook to caterer for the 2016 and ’18 Olympic Games in Rio De Janeiro and Pyeongchang to following his passion of artisanal butchery to start One Arrow Meats. Laliberte also volunteers his time for community charity events and speaks to youth on the Downtown Eastside to help them set and achieve goals and live a healthy lifestyle.

Shift Change’s Speakers for Change is a series of one-hour Zoom sessions featuring local community leaders looking to inspire positive, sustainable change in the industry as well as those who work within it. While the sessions are free of charge for the participants to make it accessible for all, Tacofino will donate $1,250 per session to the keynote speaker’s charity or cause of choice.

Further details on upcoming events and programs for Shift Change in 2021 and beyond will be announced in the coming weeks.

HOW TO JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Complimentary tickets to take part in Shift Change’s Speakers for Change events may be reserved online at shiftchangenow.com.

To learn more about Shift Change or sign up for a newsletter, go to shiftchangenow.com, become a fan of /shiftchangeNOW on Facebook or follow @shiftchangeNOW on Instagram.

ABOUT SHIFT CHANGE | An industry initiative spearheaded by the team at Tacofino, Shift Change aims to encourage meaningful dialogue about issues prevalent in the hospitality industry like race, gender, mental health and substance dependency and find meaningful and lasting solutions. In November 2020 Shift Change launched ‘Speakers for Change’ — a series of one-hour monthly Zoom sessions that bring together local Vancouver community leaders who seek to inspire positive, sustainable change for a range of hospitality professionals who work in restaurants, bars and hotels in BC and abroad by highlighting the opportunities that exist to seek out help, find solace and promote a greater sense of community and support within the industry. The sessions are free of charge for participants to make it accessible for all, and Tacofino will donate $1,250 per session to the keynote speaker’s charity of cause of choice. | shiftchangenow.com

Instagram: @shiftchangeNOW | Facebook: /shiftchangeNOW

ABOUT TACOFINO | Since its inception, the Tacofino brand has been celebrated for its trademark fusion of sun-dappled, surf-centric spirit and quality, fresh and affordable fare with an environmental and nutritional conscience. From its humble beginnings in Tofino, where the Tacofino Cantina was first launched at the back of the Live to Surf parking lot in 2009, the brand has now grown to include the original Cantina, a fleet of roaming food trucks, seven brick-and-mortar restaurants in Vancouver and Victoria and a legion of loyal fans. | tacofino.com

Instagram: @TacofinoVAN | Facebook: /TacofinoVAN | Twitter: @TacofinoVAN

PAST ANNOUNCEMENTS
Tacofino Announces Next Edition of ‘Shift Change’ (Dec. 1, 2020): bit.ly/38QJRGq
Tacofino’s ‘Shift Change’ Initiative to Host Series of Online Discussions (Nov. 3, 2020): bit.ly/3n4CFf4
Tacofino To Host Inaugural ‘Shift Change’ Industry Outreach Event (Oct. 30, 2019): bit.ly/3aVc1Tq

Media release and images provided by Jan-Christian Sorensen, SMC Communications Inc.