Lokal Artisan Foods in Philadelphia wins annual 76ers' 'Buy Black Program'

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The Philadelphia 76ers announced the latest recipient of its annual Buy Black Program on Tuesday.

The team received hundred of applications from local Black-owned businesses and they selected Lokal Artisan Foods, run by a Philadelphia businesswoman who has truly been a trailblazer.

In 2018, Charisse McGill started selling her now famous French toast bites at the city's holiday market.

"I was able to take that product and turn it into a coffee, a beer, a spice blend," McGill says. "We have five locations now, in five years. This was a tough pool, with more than 400 applications for the Buy Black Program for the 76ers."

"Being recognized is huge for me," she continued. "What I'm really excited about is the awareness that it'll bring to the company. Innately, it'll help us grow, and it will help me hire more youth from the community. That's my goal."

With this partnership, McGill now gets marketing opportunities with the 76ers, and you'll find her food and drinks at concessions during the games.

This is a very full-circle moment for McGill, who was an intern for the team exactly 20 years ago when she was a student at Temple University.

She's the team's third Buy Black recipient.

76ers star James Harden tweeted his congratulations to McGill saying he's "been a fan for a while."

"Charisse is just a tremendous ambassador," says 76ers Chief Diversity and Impact Officer David Gould. "Her charisma and energy is unmatched. A lot of what Charisse does is to employ youth from Philadelphia communities, teach them about entrepreneurship, and teach them about work ethic. A lot of them have gone on to do great things, just working under her mentorship and leadership."

In fact, some of her employees are her former students. One of them is Lokal Artisan's general manager.

The 76ers will celebrate McGill on Wednesday night at the game.