Basem Harb and Cyndi Smith
Local distilling company Fierce & Kind held a 2-year anniversary soirée recently at the new Skylounge high atop the new 800 Broadway residential tower located in Downtown San Diego. Founders Basem Harb and Cyndi Smith were on hand to celebrate their success in not only producing some fantastic Bourbon and Vodka, but also in raising money for philanthropy. Basem reflected on the two-year journey that has been the history of Fierce & Kind. “Fierce and Kind started during the pandemic – a very hard time for everybody – and it is a marriage of two of our passions,” noted Basem. “Whiskey being one of our passions of course, and also philanthropic work – wanting to help people. So Fierce & Kind Spirits gives 25% of its profits to the Fierce & Kind Equity Foundation which helps underserved communities build entrepreneurship and economic equity.”
Lauren Campbell with Fierce & Kind Vodka
Guests sipped on several different classic cocktails featuring Fierce & Kind Spirits served by Lauren Campbell – insta @lolo_on_the_rocks – the Whiskey Sommelier at the Inn at Rancho Santa Fe. Exotic bites where provided by Lailie Ibrahim, who is the chef and owner of Falafel Heights, and DJ Courtney – Insta @bluejademusic – provided tunes for the evening. This included some dancing fodder for Tango Instructor Colette Hebert who was on hand to offer some quick hands-on dancing instructions for the guests.
Cyndi Smith said that it has been a very exciting ride with Fierce & Kind and they have just secured a deal with Whole Foods Market who will now carry their spirits line. Another fun event they’ve put together is the Bourbon & Blues concert series where they hold pop-up blues concerts across San Diego as a thank you to their fans. The first concert was held at The Jazz Lounge in the college area, and was a free event for industry bartenders, mixoligists, and food & beverage directors. Harb says the event was a lot of fun and featured a performance by San Diego stars Whitney Shay and Robin Heinkel. The latest concert was at The Guild Bar Downtown featuring Lady Dottie & the Diamonds. Cyndi told me the next event will be at a very special location that will impress everybody, but the location is off the record for now, so you’ll have to stay tuned to TheSceneSD for future details.
Don’t miss out! Discover the full magazine of this issue#10!
Don’t miss out! Discover the full magazine of this issue#10!
