Tahiirah Habibi

FOUNDER & CEO, the hue society

Tahiirah Habibi is a speaker, host, and the Founder and CEO of The Hue Society. She is a globally recognized, award-winning sommelier by trade and a creative entrepreneur.

As the architect of wine & culture, She has long advocated for more Black, brown, and Indigenous representational equity in the wine industry. Tahiirah honed her expertise at prestigious restaurants, most notably including J&G Grill in the St. Regis Bal Harbour and the legendary Michael's Genuine.

Tahiirah was selected in the Wine Enthusiast’s prestigious 40 under 40 list, also gracing the cover as the first Black woman to do so. She has also won the magazine's Wine Star Award for Visionary of the Year, as well as the honor of Advocate of the Year from Vine Pair Magazine. In 2023 she starred in her documentary entitled “The Power of Travel”. Tahiirah has been featured in Wine Spectator, Essence, Ebony, The Robb Report, and Vogue, to name a few. She also sits on the board of the James Beard Awards and will continue pioneering the necessary change for wine culture.

Brian Lumley

EXECUTIVE CHEF

Award-winning Executive Chef Brian Lumley ranks among Jamaica's best-trained culinarians. Chef Lumley is highly regarded amongst industry stakeholders and stands out for his humility, warmth, and impeccable work ethic he demonstrates inside and outside the kitchen.

A creative visionary, he wanted to open his restaurant at the age of 26.  Lumley became head chef behind what was one of Jamaica's most loved restaurants; 689 By Brian Lumley which was met with critical acclaim and operated successfully for two years before its closure. Upon leaving the restaurant business behind, he traversed oceans taking up stints in Doha, Qatar, and St. Georges, Grenada before returning to Kingston, Jamaica.

Honored on numerous occasions over the last decade, Chef Lumley has been recognized for outstanding accomplishments including: 

• Copping the coveted Taste of Jamaica’s "Chef of the Year" award twice: in 2008 and 2012 – the youngest ever chef to win this prestigious honor - at ages 21 and 25. 
• He joined forces with the Jamaica national culinary team and competed at the 2009 staging of Taste of Caribbean (Puerto Rico) copping a team gold medal while winning a personal bronze. 
• He returned in 2010 to the Taste of Jamaica culinary competition where he was awarded the Hans Schenk prize for “Most Innovative Use of Caribbean Ingredients” alongside a personal silver medal.

It was in 2013 that the young prodigy earned the top individual prize of "Caribbean Chef of the Year" at the Taste of the Caribbean's regional culinary showcase which he aptly described as "the best moment of my life." An award of this magnitude had not been won by a Jamaican chef since 1999.