J the Storyteller

Posture check, but make it self-care To celebrate their opening, expert massage & wellness hub @recoveryroom_uk room teamed up with the beautiful @indespoke gift shop to bring moments of deep relief right into the heart of the community. Customers were invited to pause, reset, and melt into nourishing chair massages while browsing thoughtful gifts. A gentle reminder that wellbeing can live in everyday spaces — between errands, conversations, and small acts of care. With Mother’s Day approaching, there’s no better time to gift rest, restoration, and feeling held 🤍 Head to @therecoveryroom to book your session. Because posture isn’t just physical — it’s how we hold ourselves through life. #MothersDayWellness #ChairMassage #CommunityCare #RestIsEssential WellbeingRituals GiftWellness SelfCareSpaces

We're not going to reveal Reis' @da_sylvaa @sylvascatering secret jerk recipe but we can put you on game as to why it’s called jerk? The word comes from the Spanish "charqui" (dried, preserved meat), which became "jerky" in English — and eventually "jerk" in Jamaica. But Jamaicans made it their own: meat marinated with scotch bonnet, pimento (allspice), and fresh herbs, then slow-cooked to perfection. Jerk chicken isn’t just food — it’s history on a plate. Born with the Maroons, Africans who escaped slavery into the Jamaican mountains, jerk was survival: a way to season and preserve meat, carrying the flavours and resilience of a people. Over time, it grew from survival to symbol — representing resistance, strength, and culture. From the mountains to the streets, jerk carries the same fire today: a taste of freedom, legacy, and Jamaica itself 🇯🇲✨ DM @sylvascatering for catering and event enquiries

Behind the scenes at @kstarcombatacademy x @sylvascatering SPA 🥊 . CLINCH 🫂. BBQ 🔥 collab event Before the feast, we feed the fire... Before the flavour, before the smoke, before the first plate gets served — there’s this moment... The coals get fed into the chimney starter, the drum waits with an empty belly, and the culture comes alive. The Jamaican oil drum BBQ isn’t just about food, it’s about legacy. It’s the taste of yard carried across oceans, the sound of fire kissing steel, the smell that calls the whole block to gather. This is how we keep it alive: coal by coal, plate by plate, people by people. Because BBQ for us isn’t just eating — it’s belonging. ✨ DM @sylvascatering for catering and event enquiries

Meet Reis @da_sylvaa , founder of @sylvascatering , giving the low down on what inspired his start-up and the recent SPA 🥊. CLINCH 🫂 . BBQ 🔥 community collab with coach Si @kstar_si of @kstarcombatacademy . Together they're showing the industry what happens when you push the boundaries to fuse food, fitness and friends 👊🏾

Spa . Clinch . BBQ @sylvascatering x @kstarcombatacademy collab bringing the heat 🔥 Shout out to @larryeliott_ for putting us on game to @brummifood for the drum ✊🏾

Navigating Birmingham Markets like a pro @ro_chaaee , keeping the vendors in check Standing on business to support local Featuring Birmingham Outdoor Market, Birmingham Rag Market and Birmingham Indoor Market

Les Ongles Noir was an experimental and experiential art installation @eprjcts that offered invitations to: play, grieve, hum; throw soil on white walls; dance, pray, touch and be moved by the unknown. The exhibition space was bought to life by artists, facilators and guests, emerging through rehearsals of non-verbal incantations, re-enactments of degenerative rituals, and gatherings and was infused by an intoxicating ‘i don’t know’ which punctuated the ana-choreography of the ever unfolding experiment. Les Ongles Noir resident artists: @vmelissandre @systellium @banworkshop @wutangu @ibrahima.kewe.ndome @mimi____green @jade.blackstock @ayesha_jones Cover photo: 📸 @ayesha_jones Videographer: 🎥 @getpappeduk

The beautiful new moon lunch for Les Ongkes Noir @eprjcts was served and eaten in mindful silence, gently signalled by a bell. There were written contemplations inspired by Thich Nhat Hanh to help guide guests to connect with themselves through the experience. Guests held silence for 45 minutes before breaking the collective pause to then re-connect with the space and each other. Resident artists: @vmelissandre @systellium @banworkshop @wutangu @ibrahima.kewe.ndome @mimi____green @jade.blackstock @ayesha_jones Cover photo: 📸 @ayesha_jones Videography: 🎥 @getpappeduk

A little reflective throw back from the new moon lunch by Carmen Wong as part of a collective expermental art experience Les Ongles Noir @eprjct . The meal was served as a ritual of togetherness and eaten in silence, in the spirit of mindful eating. advocated by Thich Nhat Hanh Les Ongles Noir artist residents: @vmelissandre @systellium @banworkshop @wutangu @ibrahima.kewe.ndome @mimi____green @jade.blackstock @ayesha_jones Cover photo: 📸 @ayesha_jones Videography: 🎥 @ @getpappeduk

Barbershop Series: Part 3 @victorscuts365 x @brum.blades For young Black boys like @brum.blades , the barbershop is more than just a place to get a fresh cut. It’s a safe space—a place where they can be themselves, where their voices matter, and where they can see what it means to grow into strong, confident men, especially when growing up in a fatherless household. ⠀ From the first nervous haircut to the proud moments of manhood, these boys sit in the chair surrounded by wisdom, culture, and care. The barbershop becomes a school of life—lessons passed on through jokes, stories, and the hum of clippers. Barbers, uncles, and older brothers all play a part in showing them the ropes. Here, they learn how to carry themselves and how to navigate a world that might not always understand them. ⠀ Each visit is a moment of connection, a chance to see Black men who look like them and talk like them—who remind them that they belong. It's where they discover that they are not just part of a community but an important part of its future. The barbershop nurtures their growth, builds their confidence, and shows them that greatness is already within them.

Barbershop Series: Part 2 @victorscuts365 x @mraudenallen "Eagles fly alone, I'm in a lane of my own, King in my kingdom, can't sit in my throne. " @mraudenallen on the throne @victorscuts365 , sharing his views on how babershops help underpin black culture in the UK and the unwritten law of loyalty and not cheating on your barber. There’s power in the chair. When you sit down in that old, worn leather, you’re not just getting a cut—you’re being seen, heard, and respected. ⠀ The UK’s Black barbershops have always been a place of reinvention. You walk in with the weight of the world on your shoulders, and with every snip of the clippers, it feels like a little bit of that burden falls away. It’s a ritual, a rhythm as old as time. Your barber knows your story, sometimes better than you do. ⠀ Each fade, line-up, or shave isn’t just an act of grooming—it’s an act of self-empowerment. It’s a moment to claim your space in a world that doesn’t always make room for you. You leave that chair standing taller, ready to take on whatever life throws your way. 🎶 ICEBOX SESSIONS ft Mr Auden Allen, Prod by @dottabeats So...have you ever cheated on your barber?

Barbershop Series: Part 1 Caught the main man @danieljblyden on the big chair @barberstop.uk ...inspiring this series. There's a place that beats with life, laughter, and connection. It's more than just a barbershop. It’s the Black man's sanctuary—where generations meet, where wisdom flows like a fresh line-up, and the latest fades come with a side of knowledge. ⠀ Here, elders talk about the old days, fathers share advice with their sons, and young men find their footing. The barbershop is a cultural touchstone, a place where conversations range from football and politics to love and identity. You can feel the history in the air—decades of stories, shaped by clippers and community. ⠀ It’s not just about the hair. It’s about Black pride, resilience, and brotherhood. It’s where men gather strength, both in silence and in the hum of voices. A place to remember where they’ve come from and to celebrate where they’re headed.