I remember my first Young Professionals Network (YPN) mixer well. I believe it was covered by Rrampt, in fact. I was younger then, but I’m arguably more professional now, for what that’s worth.
June of 2018. The sun was setting over the rolling hills of Grey County as seen from the patio at Coffin Ridge Winery. A happy crowd mingled and connected over good tunes and great food. I was serving drinks and keeping the party rolling, and I recall thinking how uncommon and special the vibe was that night. As a younger, less professional man, I served countless drinks to countless parties, but this crowd was unique. Upbeat, positive, and eager to make connections. I could see community forming, live, in the moment.
These were the early days of the Young Professionals Network, and in the years since, these events have continued to grow, losing none of the magic of those early days. The vision has remained the same: to give young (19 – 40ish) people the chance to connect in beautiful venues, over delicious food, while supporting talented young musicians from the area. Forming friendships and working relationships which strengthen and develop the community.
The next YPN mixer, coming up on June 20th, is set to be the most spectacular realization of this vision yet. Titled the Young Professionals Mixer – Special Edition, this outing will be held at Rocklands Market, the stunning 12-acre multipurpose facility in Berkeley, Grey County. With a network of woodland trails offset by “the Black House”, a striking black steel building, Rocklands easily meets and exceeds the beautiful venue requirement.
The talented young musicians for the Special Edition are none other than the exceptional duo of JD Crosstown and Alison MacGregor. I had the absolute privilege of sharing the stage with these two recently and cannot think of enough superlatives to describe their live show, but I’ll try anyway: engaging, dynamic, genuinely funny, musically sophisticated, and bursting with the smoothest, sweetest, harmonies. These guys are worth the price of admission, any price of admission.
But the food, the food is where this mixer will truly shine, for great food is quite literally what Rocklands Market is built around. Remember the network of trails? They wander through the grounds connecting various live fire cooking areas featuring a butterfly grill, hog roasting pit, and a cyberpunk smoker (see it to believe it).
The Black House boasts a gorgeous open kitchen full of state-of-the-art equipment. Equipment, of course, is only as good as those who use it, which is great news for attendees, as the culinary experience will be headed up by none other than celebrity chef Roger Mooking.
Roger is the true definition of a renaissance man, a chef, television star, artist, author, and Juno award winning musician. Roger is also the brains behind Rocklands Market, and his ambition for the facility has turned it, in a matter of years, into a top tier event facility and multimedia studio. Roger’s talents may be a culinary highlight of the night, but he’ll be joined by a great group of local talent – which is just the way he likes it. Roger is passionate about many things (obviously), but especially passionate about supporting his local community. For this event he’ll be joined by Ceyla Kobayashi (Markdale), bringing the authentic flavours of Japan, and pit master Steve Bogdon (Bruce Peninsula), smoking and grilling meats to perfection, plus another special guest or two to round out the outstanding menu.
Food, music, community. It’s all set to come together in one of Grey County’s unique gems, Rocklands Market, on Thursday June 20th – the Summer Solstice. Whether you’re a first timer or a YPN veteran, grab a business card or two, prepare yourself for good conversation, and get ready to connect with a great community. Arriving on an empty stomach is strongly recommended. Find tickets and learn more here.
Written by Zak Erb
Photos supplied by the County of Grey
