First Edition of the Most Sought-after Secret Event Held in Tampa Bay

Nov 11, 2021 | Books, Business

From global phenomenon to highly sought-after “secret”, Le Dîner en Blanc took over the Tampa Bay ZOO on November 6, for the first ever refined pop-up epicurean event.

TAMPA, Fla. – Nov. 10, 2021 – PRLog — Le Dîner en Blanc – Tampa Bay brought together nearly 600 guests who started guessing the secret location when they met at departure points throughout the Tampa Bay area. Guests arrived via pedestrian access to the beautiful location just before dusk for the sole purpose of sharing a gourmet meal with good friends in one of the city’s most prestigious locations.

Guests were greeted upon arrival by professional violinist Omai Dillard. Toting elegant white picnic baskets filled to the brim with gourmet treats, they set up their tables and chairs and created unique table designs, including elegant chandeliers, miniature lit Eiffel Towers, and themed table decor with lanterns and sparkling lights.  As soon as all table settings were perfected, the beginning of dinner was signaled by the traditional waving of white linen serviettes. Music filled the air throughout dinner, while guests dined and enjoyed the company of friends. After dinner, hundreds of glowing sparkers signaled the opening of the dance floor, with an energetic performance by DJ EMCEE.

At the signal of the end of the evening, guests packed up their belongings as well as all their rubbish and left the site as if the night had never happened but with a head full of unforgettable moments and new friendships.

Le Dîner en Blanc – Tampa Bay gratefully acknowledges Truist Bank as an official local partner of the inaugural edition of Le Dîner en Blanc Tampa.

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About Dîner en Blanc International

Over the years, Le Dîner en Blanc has become a worldwide epicurean phenomenon. What was a “friends and word-of-mouth only” event has grown into an international sensation celebrated on six continents. Launched in Paris in 1988 by François Pasquier and a handful of friends, Le Dîner en Blanc de Paris marked its 30th anniversary in 2018 with a record 17,000 guests from Paris and around the world. While the technology behind the event may have changed over the years, the principle fuelling this fantastic event has not: guests dressed in all white continue to gather at a secret location for the sole purpose of sharing a gourmet meal with good friends in one of their city’s most beautiful public spaces. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Montreal, Canada, Dîner en Blanc International is responsible for developing this secret posh picnic in over 80 cities in 30 countries around the world. Each event is headed by passionate local organizers who fell in love with the concept and wanted to bring it to their city, giving this rendezvous a local flair. For more info, photos and videos of Dîner en Blanc events from around the world, visit dinerenblanc.com.

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For full details on the event, please visit tampabay.dinerenblanc.com or

DinerEnBlanc.TampaBay (https://www.facebook.com/DinerEnBlanc.TampaBay)

dinerenblanctampabay (https://www.instagram.com/dinerenblanctampabay/)

#dinerenblanc #debtampabay21

Beyond the Badge: Former Black, Female Law Enforcement Executive Releases Inspiring Memoir

Oct 27, 2021 | Books, Business

Retired Black, Female Assistant Chief of CHP Pens Personal Story of Triumph.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Oct. 26, 2021 – PRLog — Jonni Redick, former Assistant Chief of the California Highway Patrol, debuts memoir Black, White, and Blue, Surviving the Sifting, highlighting her personal journey from clerical worker to Assistant Chief of one of the nation’s largest state police agencies in her 29-year career. Following an interview on the lack of equity for African American women in law enforcement, she realized how relevant her story was to more than just herself. Within the pages, Redick accounts moments of trial and triumph in hopes to encourage women to rise.

“Looking at my life, I never could have seen this trajectory for myself,” author Redick shares. “We all have choices, and those choices create pathways to our potential. The beauty of life is that we can all rise, regardless of where we start.”

In a period ripe with racial tensions and strayed relationships between civilians and law enforcement, Black, White and Blue, Surviving the Sifting, Jonni Redick shares her personal story of rising through the ranks from county clerical worker to breaking through the “less-than-one-percent” ceiling for women of color in executive leadership in law enforcement.

“Not many folks choose to don a police officer’s uniform every day to go out and face uncertainty veiled within the lines of humanity. We are people just like those we encounter. There is no perfection in policing. There is only the space between discernment and discretion – individually and collectively in any given moment.” (Excerpt)

Having not seen many Black or female officers rise through the ranks as often as their counterparts, her struggle with personal identity as mixed race followed her from childhood throughout her career. She recalls, with honest yet humorous prose, the struggles she endured with her own racial identity and the battle of being a black woman within law enforcement. Her exposure to other minority women in law enforcement, or “unicorns” as she refers to them, gave her a budding strength that grew over time and helped her to push herself further in her career.

As a woman of faith, Redick leans into her personal relationship with building her faith and openly shares how God helped her through times of turmoil both in her personal life and on the job. She explains how she was sifted, built up and renewed, and how her faith carried her through. Redick writes, “What I now know is how God was sifting me, cultivating a new me in the journey and as God was teaching, in the classroom and in my life, I was becoming more spiritually mature and finding my place in the world, in my organization, in my leadership.”

“What a motivating story… it is relatable to all in that it speaks to being different, having a difficult upbringing, faith, and facing obstacles,” shares Dr. Shebrena Hanna, Federal Agent with the Department of Homeland Security.

Black, White, and Blue, Surviving the Sifting is 272 pages and is now available on Amazon. It is a balanced autobiography and personal memoir with traces of personal growth, law enforcement, cultural truths, and Christian faith. This is Redick’s first publication with Curry Brothers Publishing.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jonni Redick retired as an Assistant Chief after a 29-year career with the California Highway Patrol (CHP). She went from country clerical worker to being responsible for a large multi-billion-dollar state agency with over 7,000 sworn members and, collectively, over 11,000 total employees. Redick now focuses on coaching, public speaking, and her consulting company, JLConsulting Solutions, in effort to help individuals and businesses transform into authentic and compassionate leaders. To learn more or schedule an interview with Author Jonni Redick, visit https://www.jonniredick.com.