Raise (and Rethink) the Bar with Chockie Tom on Independent Restaurants Day
Presented by Maple Leaf Foods, Presenting Sponsor: Independent Restaurants Day & Local
Independent Restaurants Day is built for operators who are making hundreds of decisions a day—about margins, labour, guests, and what still inspires and motivates the mind and soul in a fast-shifting industry. On Sunday, March 8, RC Show opens with a full slate of programming designed to meet independents where they are right now, and to point toward what’s next.
One of Day One’s standout moments is the Bar & Beverage Keynote with Chockie Tom—an Indigenous storyteller, bartender, drinks writer, and educator working at the intersection of hospitality, labour, and culture. Proudly Numu (Paiute) and Pomo, Tom brings an Indigenous perspective that shapes how she approaches hospitality, labour practices, and cultural accountability within the global beverage industry.
Chockie’s keynote is rooted in a philosophy of cultural integrity, community care, and creative expression—and it’s designed to be practical, not performative. Through solutions-based approaches to cultural sustainability, she examines pre-colonial fermented beverages of the Americas and the historical narratives that continue to shape contemporary hospitality practices. Along the way, she offers frameworks for ethical collaboration and responsible foraging, emphasizing accountability, shared knowledge, and long-term relationship building with Indigenous peoples on the lands where hospitality operates.
“I’ve had the chance to collaborate with First Nations peers from Canada, both virtually and in person, but what matters most is the conversation. I’m honoured to bring my perspective to a new stage and to keep learning.” – Chockie Tom
For independent operators, the relevance is immediate: a beverage program isn’t just a list of products—it’s a set of choices about sourcing, storytelling, and what values show up in the guest experience. Moving beyond symbolic inclusion, Tom’s keynote centres collective reasoning and concrete strategies for creating a more collaborative industry—one that recognizes Indigenous presence as active, current, and essential.
About Chockie Tom
With more than twenty years behind the bar, Chockie began her career in Los Angeles, refined her craft in New York, and is now based in London (UK). She is the founder of Doommersive (formerly Doom Tiki) and the creator of The Cornsilk Road, the first all-Indigenous bar takeover series, which debuted in Paris in April 2023. Through sustained education and industry engagement, her work has contributed to measurable shifts in reducing the misuse and unethical deployment of sacred Indigenous ingredients within cocktails and spirits. Her writing and work have appeared across leading international food and beverage publications, and her education has been presented on global industry stages.
Join us on Independent Restaurants Day for a keynote that expands what “bar and beverage” can mean—grounded in real-world practice, cultural accountability, and ideas that strengthen hospitality from the inside out.
Bar & Beverage Keynote:
Chockie Tom
Presented by Maple Leaf Foods
Sunday, March 8 | Bar & Beverage Stage | Hall 1 | 3:30 – 4:30 PM
Get the full session details here.