July 3rd is Tonya’s— aka “The Food Griot’s” aka “T. HOP!’s” Birthday❣️ … Hey, that’s TODAY!!! 💃🏽💫

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🍽️ Part 1: My shameless Birthday WISH ✨ — Help Keep This Platform Nourished & Thriving! …🎶 “Happy Birthday to me / to TFG…” 🎶

Today’s the perfect day to show some serious LOVE for this platform built on ffacts, flavor, freedom!, gratitude and lots of love….

If you appreciate the work I do—serving up real history with culinary creativity in ways not everyone wants brought to light—consider offering a gift of support. You’ve got plenty of options, and every one helps:

• 🎁 Join my Patreon at any affordable level— it’s a win-win: you get exclusive content + I get to build a culinary-history centered community AND keep giving gifts to you guys…

• 💸 You can give a TIP or Go big on Venmo or PayPal if the birthday spirit moves you. A little goes a long way.❣️

• 📣 Give a TFG testimonial (kudos go a long way), a lead, a referral — that’s currency too.

• 📝 Give feedback, share the platform, spread the word.

  👉🏽🖇️ Here’s my 🔗 LINKTREE  to access any and all the above-mentioned ways to help make my birthday wishes come true. Thanks in advance!👈🏾

Bottom line: This is resource-intensive work — not hobby content. Your support helps cover the real costs of research, storytelling, tech, admin, and staying visible in a noisy algorithm-driven world.

And hey, it’s not just MY birthday — it’s the eve of this nation’s, too! This is that time of year I refer to as FREEDOM SEASON: from Juneteenth’s 17 Days of Freedom (aka Uhuru Season) which culminates on July 5th, to “James Hemings July,” to “National Ice Cream Month” (when James’ legacy lives on in every scoop!…), to Bastille Day on July 14th — I bet y’all didn’t even know ’til NOW that James Hemings was THERE along with Thomas Jefferson when that all went down in July of 1789! I’ve therefore declared this the season for celebrating so many amazing things: birth dates, brilliance, revolution, resilience, liberty (aka FREEDOM), and joy! My work lives in all of those sweet spots — and with your help, it will continue to.

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🎉 Part 2: IRL Fun for NYC Folks

Hey NYC metro-area fam — if you’re nearby and feeling festive, come help me toast another spin around the sun! 🥂💃🏾🎈

No surprise I’ll be celebrating in myriad ways today, this week, weekend - and yes all JULY long lol) right here in my beloved BROOKLYN (oh and Baltimore! and LA — maybe … ) and would love to loop you in & raise a glass together. So much gratitude for all the connections, collaborations, care, and continued joy we share. 💌

📲 DM me if you need deets or want to connect — casual hangs, secret sips, or celebratory bites might be in your future. 💫

Stay(ing) Tuned,

Tonya

🖇️ Check out my 🔗 LINKTREE for myriad ways to see what’s going on at a glance