The spirit of Dry JanuaryThe spirit of Dry January

Several founders—and a master distiller—of some of the most notable spirit-free adult beverage brands discuss the significance of the movement to curtail imbibing the first month of the year. This is the first episode of a three-part series on spirit-free beverages.

Audarshia Townsend, Content Director, SupplySide Food & Beverage Journal

January 12, 2023

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In this first episode of a three-part series, we chat with leaders in the spirit-free movement. Here, Shelley Elkovich, co-founder, For Bitter For Worse; Zane Adams, co-CEO, Buchi; Matt Cechovic, master distiller, Dhos; and Kerr Nicoll, production director/co-founder, Spirits of Virtue, discuss Dry January, "Damp January," the health benefits of a sober lifestyle and more. 

About the Author

Audarshia Townsend

Content Director, SupplySide Food & Beverage Journal, Informa Markets

A lifelong Chicagoan, Audarshia Townsend is an award-winning, veteran food and beverage journalist who serves as the content director for the SupplySide Food & Beverage Journal media brand. She is Informa Markets' 2023 "Star Storyteller" winner. Her experience as a visionary editor and writer spans 30 years, with an emphasis in print and digital magazines. Audarshia's professional passion is to champion and amplify underserved business communities.

Some of her most recent content includes her "The Month in 2" video series, a deep dive into sensory science at Cargill and a feature on women's wellness and fiber.

She also appears regularly on local and national media outlets to discuss food and beverage trends, most notably FOX-32 Chicago, plus WGN-TV, WXRT-FM, NPR-Chicago and the Travel Channel. She is often called on to serve as a judge for prestigious food, beverage and restaurant awards, including the James Beard Foundation, SupplySide Food & Beverage Journal's "Ingredient Idol" Awards, New Hope Network's NEXTY Awards, The Organic Center and Organic Voices' "Organic Excellence Awards," Naturally Network "National Pitch Slam" awards, Culinary Fight Club and Black Women in Food Awards.

Additionally, Audarshia has served as a keynote speaker at Niche Media Conference, moderated panels at SupplySide Global, Newtopia Now, Philly Chef Conference, the Chicago Tribune and Black Women in Food Summit, and participated on panels at Diversity.org, the National Association of Black Journalists Convention and countless other events.

She continues to write for Chicago magazine, and previously she has written for the likes of the Chicago Tribune, Eater Chicago, Esquire, Essence, The Huffington Post, Los Angeles Times, Playboy, Time Out Global and World’s Best Bars.

With food and beverage being her longtime, chosen beat in media, she has created content for a number of prestigious brands such as AOL, Google, Lawry’s Seasoned Salt, Lexus, MasterCard, Markon Cooperative Inc., Miller Brewing Co., Resy and Simplot Foods.

To date, Audarshia has guest lectured at the following higher-education institutions: Columbia College Chicago and Loyola University Chicago for undergraduate journalism students; Northwestern University for graduate journalism students; and Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) for undergraduate, graduate and Ph.D. food science students. She also mentors aspiring young writers and journalists whenever she can. Email her at [email protected] and also connect with her on LinkedIn.

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