Morris Chestnut and Meagan Good are coming to Jacksonville for the Black-Owned Wine & Spirits Experience, an event built around curated tastings and entertainment. The appearance follows Chestnut's earlier Sable Bourbon visit to the city.
According to First Coast News, Chestnut and Good will attend the Black-Owned Wine & Spirits Experience in Jacksonville.
Ball-Pride brings her own deep ties to the city and to the Black-owned beverage world. She is the co-founder of East Coast West Coast Bosses, a company that, per its own account, grew from “curiosity, resilience, and a shared love for quality, culture, and celebration” into a wine brand. The company's bio notes that Ball-Pride was born in Tampa and raised in Jacksonville by her grandmother, giving her a hometown connection to the city now set to host the Experience.
A Mission Rooted in Opening Doors
Ball-Pride has described her broader goals as reaching beyond a single product line. As she continues expanding East Coast West Coast Bosses' footprint, she says she's driven by a mission to “set the standard, open doors, and inspire future entrepreneurs to bet on themselves,” according to the company's website.
That mission echoes a moment Jacksonville saw not long ago, when Morris Chestnut returned to the city alongside actor Harold Perrineau to promote their bourbon brand. The Jacksonville Free Press reported that the longtime friends brought “star power — and a new business venture” to the city during an appearance promoting their Sable Bourbon brand. The pair greeted fans at Total Wine at River City Marketplace, where customers lined up for photos, autographs and signed bottles, the paper reported.
Sable's Hollywood Roots
Sable Bourbon counts more than just Chestnut and Perrineau among its founders. The venture also includes actor Taye Diggs and writer-director Malcolm Lee, per the Free Press's reporting. Chestnut told the outlet that Sable grew out of the group's decades-long friendship and a shared appreciation for bourbon — a sentiment that mirrors the “culture, celebration” language East Coast West Coast Bosses uses to describe its own origins.
The earlier Sable stop gave Jacksonville fans “an opportunity to interact with two familiar Hollywood faces,” the Free Press noted. Chestnut is set to return alongside Good for the wine and spirits event.
Part of a Broader Trend
Jacksonville's upcoming event follows similar gatherings elsewhere aimed at elevating Black ownership in the wine and spirits industry. Last month, the Philly Black Wine and Spirits Fest was held at Girard College with a goal described by its founder, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer, as making wine approachable while promoting Black winemakers. The Philly festival and Jacksonville's planned Experience both focus on Black ownership in wine and spirits.
Chestnut and Good are set to appear at the event, following Chestnut's earlier Sable Bourbon stop in the city.
