There's a rhythm to Chicago in September. The first crisp breeze after summer, the sound of house music pulsing from an outdoor stage, the laughter of people gathering around food, wine, and cocktails. And for the past four years, that rhythm has found its heartbeat at Clink and Sip Festival—the city's most intentional celebration of food, wine, and spirits by women, for women, and for communities too often left out of the industry.
But to understand Clink and Sip, you have to understand the women behind it: Joyce Dawkins, founder of She ROCKS It, and Chrishon Lampley, winemaker, entrepreneur, and the powerhouse behind Love Cork Screw and The Lampley, her lifestyle brand curating home goods from underrepresented artisans. Both came into the partnership with thriving businesses, powerful networks, and their own lanes of success. Together, they've built something larger—a movement that shines light on the underrepresented while inviting everyone to raise a glass.
One Meeting. One Movement.
Dawkins remembers the spark vividly. "Chrishon and I are both sorority sisters through Delta Sigma Theta," she explained. "I had followed her work and invited her to speak at one of my galas. Years later, she reached out and said, 'I want to run something past you.' We had one meeting, and Clink was birthed. One meeting. Because when you're intentional and doing things on purpose, for purpose, with purpose, it doesn't take 25 meetings."
Lampley agrees. "She knew what she had. I knew what I brought to the table. We both had busy lives. It went off without a hitch. You would've thought we had a hundred meetings."
Their synergy was instant—Dawkins brought event expertise honed through her nonprofit and magazine, while Lampley contributed more than 15 years of experience in the wine and spirits industry. Together, they turned a spark into a festival that's now become a city-backed celebration.
The Clink Effect: Women Breaking Barriers in Spirits
This festival isn't just about celebration; it's about disruption. The wine and spirits business has long been built on invisible walls—and Dawkins and Lampley are working full-force to smash them.
"When it comes to wine and spirits, we're less than 1% of the entire industry," Lampley said. "And yet, people of color are the biggest consumers. So why aren't we being highlighted on the ownership side? Why aren't we part of the business side? Something's wrong with that."
The data underscores her point: out of more than 11,600 wineries in the U.S., fewer than 1% are Black-owned, and less than 0.1% of brand owners are Black. Only 14% of California wineries report a woman as their lead winemaker, and less than 20% of winemakers and distillers overall are women. Consumers may be diverse, but ownership is not.
Lampley points to distribution as the real chokehold. "You can't just walk into a restaurant or grocery store and sell your product. It's a three-tier system: supplier to distributor, distributor to retailer, retailer to consumer. And if distributors don't want you, they don't take you. It doesn't matter if the largest restaurants are begging for your product—if the distributor won't put it on a truck, you're invisible."
And then there's the shadow of celebrity-backed spirits. "Celebrities aren't winemakers, they're not distillers, but they have the money," Lampley said. "So when you're put in the same category, you get squeezed to the bottom shelf. Imagine if these celebrities actually partnered with Black and Brown makers instead of the big corporations. We'd be unstoppable."
A Different Kind of Festival
What makes Clink & Sip so unique is how it flips the industry script. Many festivals charge thousands in vendor fees before makers even pour a glass. Clink and Sip doesn't.
"As many festivals as I've been part of, you're always asked to pay a fee. By the time you arrive, you're out $3,000 or $4,000 just to maybe get some pictures and emails," Lampley explained. "So I said to Joyce, what's going to make Clink different is that we're not going to charge them a dime. Just show up and show out. Bring your best activation. All the stuff you couldn't afford to bring to other places—bring it here."
The result? Energy, creativity, and elegance. Makers email Dawkins with elaborate ideas—from vintage cars to full-scale activations. "It becomes an adult amusement park," Lampley laughs. "The consumers will always leave happy, but at Clink, the suppliers are happy too."
Responsibility and Celebration
While this may be a celebration of wine and spirits, it's also deeply intentional. "Our makers are instructed to give one-ounce pours," Dawkins said. "This is sampling, not cocktail hour. It's about exposure, not excess. And we have non-alcoholic makers too. We're very big on drinking responsibly."
Lampley adds, "Wine isn't going anywhere. From the beginning of time, wine, water, and sex have been constants. It's not about excess. It's about enjoying responsibly. I was the first to put nutritional value on the back of my bottles, because it's not as bad as people think when done right. This industry is heavily regulated. We protect consumers. And I'll never promote overdrinking. But I will promote joy."
Beyond the Festival: Education and Empowerment
Clink and Sip's impact goes beyond what's poured. On the Saturday before the festival, industry leaders gather to teach aspiring makers about branding, marketing, and navigating distribution. "We bring in industry leaders to talk about how to grow," Dawkins explained. "We've had Rémy Martin come in to share their journey. It's priceless."
It's part of what makes Clink and Sip more than an event. It's a platform for legacy-building, one that acknowledges that underrepresented voices need not just visibility but tools.
Sponsors, Support, and Authenticity
From day one, sponsors believed in Clink and Sip because of Dawkins and Lampley's authenticity. "We literally put pen to paper and shared our truth," Dawkins said. "Who we are, why we're doing this, what we need. Mariano's said yes immediately."
They've since been joined by Rémy Martin, United Airlines, White Castle, and more. Mariano's CEO even flew in to see the festival firsthand. "They saw that what we said was true," Dawkins explains. "And they wanted their name attached to something making a difference."
A Classy Chicago Celebration
If you ask the women to describe Clink and Sip, they'll tell you it's classy. "It's sponsored by Mariano's. We've got old-school house music, chefs from across Chicago, real food. Not just cheese plates—chefs cooking full meals. It's a culinary amusement park," Dawkins said. "It's sexy, fun, and for people who want to be outside on the first day of fall in a classy environment."
For Chicagoans, it's also about pride: local chefs, local culture, and community—elevated and celebrated.
"It really was like a God collaboration," Dawkins reflects. Four years in, Clink has proven that when intention meets execution, when empowerment meets expertise, something bigger than the sum of its parts emerges.
Clink and Sip isn't just a festival. It's proof that women—Black women, women of color, women with vision—can create platforms that don't just highlight diversity, but normalize it.
In Dawkins and Lampley's hands, Clink is a toast to joy, to empowerment, and to the possibility that when we clink glasses together, we create not just a sound, but a future.
Chicago News Weekly is the Official Media Sponsor of this event, for more information and to purchase a ticket to the festival at www.clinkfestival.com.