Sophia Banks / Daryl Banks - Self-Proclaimed Most Famous Trans Woman in Canada

[Trombonista]

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Looks like Toren.

 

[Hellfire]

 

[AnOminous]

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REEEEEE REEEEE why is nobody paying me any attention: THE TWEET.

 

[BOLDYSPICY!]

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This thread has been dead since November of last year, Sophia. Gj.

 

[Sylvie Paula Paula]

What "high profile"? I didn't know who she was until I stumbled across this thread.

 

[sperginity]

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I agree with Daryl here, more people need to make fun of his tweets

 

[Hellfire]

He's going to be doing YouTube videos, is stressed because he is "older and not as pretty and skinny" as the "other women vegan chefs."





He's been sperging about a Canadian politician and trying to fearmonger that he will be bringing "Trump style politics" to Canada.







This is interesting and really demonstrates the "rat king" phenomenon. A troon got butthurt because his "FUCK TERFs" shirt was taken off Teespring for hate speech. The rat king is chimping about it, Banks asks into the void, "Why am I mad at Teespring?" but then goes full shit-glued rat and starts chimping about it.









He is trying to take the high road and encouraging troons to actually do something productive instead of just screaming on Twitter like idiots, but is still obsessively prattling on about "TERFs" himself.

 

[Hellfire]

Another rapist, Parker Molloy, was outed, "same way I called out [rapist Laurelai Bailey] years ago."

 

[Sissy Galvez]

Hahahaha Parker Molloy is being accused of rape? Goddamn this is the best timeline.

 

[Oh Long Johnson]

Parker Molloy sounds like some kind of Briana Wu SoConn character.

"I sometime miss all the women Parker Molloy raped. Even Minuette."

 

[Sissy Galvez]

Parker Molloy sounds like some kind of Briana Wu SoConn character.

"I sometime miss all the women Parker Molloy raped. Even Minuette."

If the name sounds ridiculous, even without looking at them because he obviously looks like a dude, you know it’s a white male larping as a female.

 

[SourDiesel]

I have a special place in my heart for this cow as I've met it personally and had conversation with it. Motherfucker is actually so big in real life. Built like a fat linebacker and sort of a large squishy rectangular prism sort of shape. I was thinking today that it's sad no one seems to keep up with this thread so I said to myself, "Be the kiwi you want to see!" so here's an update on Potato Banks.

First thing's first, he's back on meds.

And we learn that this fucking idiot dropped out of an entire degree program because a really cool printer(?) dropped.

Here's some of his shitty, upskirt photography.

But he's also reopening his shitty vegan cafe! I can only presume the first one failed since I can't find the info about it on his socials because this dude spergs about politics and trans issues like it's a full time job. Tbh, I think it very well may be his full time job. Anyway, a shitty vegan cafe in the middle of a 5000 person town is doomed to fail. Also, no website. Why not just say there's no website instead of this wierd statement that boils down to: I bought a domain name from GoDaddy but there's nothing on it.

Too bad there won't be any food there though, guess?

Lol this kills me for various reasons but he's buying his restaurant China at fucking Crate and Barrel

Ooh what's on the summer menu? I can't wait to hear what new and innovative dishes such an accomplished chef comes up with!

...Oh. It's just the same stupid shit you could get made better literally anywhere else.

Anyway, he's posted a photo now of the location and it literally looks like an Italian grandpa's basement.

Wow that's ugly. What I haven't yet been able to figure out is where the fuck did this kid get the money for this shit? Last I heard he was basically destitute in Montreal and we were laughing at his failure of a vegan food delivery service run out of his unsanitary apartment kitchen. So we've missed an entire failed cafe apparently and a move to some crap small town. And that's where Darryl the Potato is now.

 

[Diana Moon Glampers]

Crate & Barrel plates, $2 folding chairs. What a businessman.

 

[SourDiesel]

Crate & Barrel plates, $2 folding chairs. What a businessman.

This is extremely low end for sure but still, it's not cheap to get into a business lease at the best of times even if this is garunteed to be the world's least advisable restaurant lease to get into (that is to say, in a terrible location and for a term of less than at least five years). I honestly want to know how this is even a thing. Hopefully I'll figure it out.

 

[Hellfire]

The Val-David café lease was secured in late 2018.



"One thing I am stoked on is adding vegan milks to the menu. Sold in reusable glass bottles that we will buy back and re-use."

He got the keys in December.





He keeps kvetching that the law makes him learn how to safely handle and prepare meats.

It didn't open until February but he claimed "meat eaters" kept trolling it online in January.

Still getting furnishings and decorations in February.



Not sure if he was legally compelled or just wanted to add a changing table to the "tiny washroom."



Opening day February 23rd.









He began testing "vegan donuts" to put on the menu in March





It sounds like the menu is constantly shifting. The delivery service is supposedly still operating in Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa.




The café received news coverage on VegNews and VICE and others due to Banks' "no tipping" policy.

@SourDiesel it didn't close in the way you think, it apparently was being used as a vegan "sugar shack" open on the weekends only according to this article, and just got changed back to a café with regular hours http://archive.li/hcJZg

Seven years ago, Sophia Banks was a wedding photographer in Toronto when she made the decision to stop living a lie. She shed her male identity and came out as a trans woman. The first year after that decision was a struggle—both personally and professionally. “After I came out as trans, all these people cancelled their contracts on me. My sales on the wedding studio went from $100,000 to $10,000 a year,” she told VICE.

She lost her business and had to rebuild her life. That meant going back to the restaurant industry in her early 30s as a trans woman who was trying to figure things out. It also meant working behind the scenes for minimum wage because she says no one would hire her for a position that dealt with customers, despite her years of experience. “I ended up leaving Toronto because I couldn’t afford to live there anymore and I moved to Montreal and it was the same shit there too. Horrible kitchen work with low wages and shitty hours. It was just slavery.”

As someone with two decades of experience in the restaurant industry, Banks saw a lot of problems related to the practice of tipping, and the uneven distribution of that tip bounty. “There’s a lot of exploitation that comes with tipping and people’s biases or prejudices. Generally speaking, they’re going to tip the pretty blond waitress more than the elderly woman of colour,” she said.

Banks had done it all, from being a dishwasher, to being a sous-chef, but coming out gave her a unique perspective into how differently the industry treats workers who fall into different levels of the hierarchy. She describes the culture as one of “toxic masculinity,” which is inherently unfair.

She vowed to build something better. These days, she owns and runs a business called Vegan Canteen, which includes a vegan restaurant in Val-David, Quebec, with a no-tipping policy. And both of her employees—who will be joined by others in the coming weeks—make a “liveable wage” of $25 an hour, which is more than double the $9.80 minimum wage for servers in the province of Quebec (the province’s general minimum wage rises by 50 cents to $12.50 next week). The $25 her workers are making is slightly more than the average wage across the province, in all industries, which is $24.92. Banks says this combination of good pay and no tipping solves a lot of issues that are rampant in the food industry.

Banks and her life partner, who is from BC, picked Val-David because “it’s a super-chill little village that is queer and trans-friendly.” Many have described this community of about 5,000 people, nestled in the Laurentians, as being “like Tofino, but with snow.” And the cost of living is significantly lower than it is on Vancouver Island.

In addition to the restaurant, Banks has carved out a niche for herself with an organic vegan food delivery business that serves Montreal and Ottawa, with Toronto in its sights. Based on what she’s seen, there are places in her area that offer vegetarian-friendly options, but nothing comparable to her all-vegan business.

The ranks of Canadians choosing to cut out meat, have been climbing yearly, with approximately ten percent of the population identifying as either vegan or vegetarian. According to a survey by Dalhousie University, more than half of that meatless community is under the age of 35. “People seem very excited about it all because essentially there’s nothing vegan outside of Montreal. As vegan is growing more trendy, more people are getting onboard with it,” she explains.

Banks’ restaurant is adaptable, just as she has learned to be. For the last two months, it has offered a vegan alternative to the popular sugar shack experience in la belle province, which traditionally centers around maple syrup and all kinds of meat including tourtière and bacon. And you won’t find horse-drawn carriages or petting zoos that are often part of the cabane à sucre experience. “We offer an a vegan experience that doesn’t abuse or exploit animals,” says Banks.

In the next couple of weeks, the sugar shack will transition into a cafe and deli-style eatery which will be open seven days a week, rather than the current two days they operate on now. A new manager will be joining the company as well as other staff, all making a “liveable wage.”

High-quality, organic, locally-sourced vegan ingredients and well-trained staff with minimal turnover don’t come cheap. Banks says if you’re looking for an $8 meal, this isn’t the place for you. To offset the lack of tipping, there is an extra 20 percent baked into the already steep prices. A proper meal in the cafe can run $30, and Banks understands that may mean some customers can’t come in as often as they’d like.

She and her two arms-length business partners (who have invested in the company but give her free reign to run it) have agreed that profitability shouldn’t come at the expense of their staff. “Maybe we’ll make a bit less, but me and my business partners are fine with that. I don’t want to be contributing to exploiting people.”

A health inspector started cracking down on him in May for his "vegan cheese" products, leading to a GoFundME to pay for shelf-life testing, where he got $688 out of a $2,500 goal http://archive.li/Zcxcd

Hi Folks,
My name is Sophia Banks. I own Vegan Canteen. We are a fairly new vegan deli and cafe with a meal delivery option. Started two years ago as a meal delivery business.
We make vegan cheese and faux-meats and are excited to bring our products to retail. We recently invested in opening a cafe that also serves as our main production kitchen. We currently offer weekly delivery in Montreal and Ottawa, and are looking to add Canada wide shipping on our vegan cheese powder.
The hurdle....
We have however recently been informed by our health inspector that we must do shelf life testing on every single one of our products that we want to keep longer than 7 days. This means all of our vegan cheese such as the fermented cashew cheese, and vegan mac and cheese powders must be thrown out with 7 days of starting the recipe.
We know full well that our vegan cheese is perfectly good for 45 days. The powder cheese will keep for months. But alas, we are required to undergo very expensive lab testing on each and everyone of our products that we want to put a 7 day self life on.
Because we are in Quebec we are also required to do these test in French, so we have limited range of companies to choose from.
These tests are around $500 each and we are needing at least 10 test done.
We are a queer and trans run company with a commitment to paying livable wages. We strive to run our business fair and because we believe strongly in paying livable wages we don't generate as much profit as we might if we were simply paying minimum wage.
So that brings me here, looking for a help to get over this last hurdle, so we can keep moving the business forward as planned.
We have been featured in Chatelaine magazine, VICE, CBC, Montreal Gazette, and more.
Any donation helps us greatly in moving forward with out goals and employing even more folks at livable wages.
It would be rad if we make this goal, but even just getting the total cost of all this down would be really helpful.
If you prefer, you can also head over to our website and purchase a gift certificate which can be used down to road once we start shipping our powdered vegan cheese across Canada.

 

[SourDiesel]

The Val-David café lease was secured in late 2018.
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"One thing I am stoked on is adding vegan milks to the menu. Sold in reusable glass bottles that we will buy back and re-use."
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He got the keys in December.
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He keeps kvetching that the law makes him learn how to safely handle and prepare meats.
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It didn't open until February but he claimed "meat eaters" kept trolling it online in January.
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Still getting furnishings and decorations in February.
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Not sure if he was legally compelled or just wanted to add a changing table to the "tiny washroom."
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Opening day February 23rd.
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He began testing "vegan donuts" to put on the menu in March
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It sounds like the menu is constantly shifting. The delivery service is supposedly still operating in Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa.
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The café received news coverage on VegNews and VICE and others due to Banks' "no tipping" policy.
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@SourDiesel it didn't close in the way you think, it apparently was being used as a vegan "sugar shack" open on the weekends only according to this article, and just got changed back to a café with regular hours http://archive.li/hcJZg

A health inspector started cracking down on him in May for his "vegan cheese" products, leading to a GoFundME to pay for shelf-life testing, where he got $688 out of a $2,500 goal http://archive.li/Zcxcd
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Jesus, good on you for figuring all that out! Thanks for that. I'm still floored that this is even a thing. Where is this money coming from? Like wtf? Obviously he's not that good at business or he wouldn't need to GoFundMe for such a stupid amount of money that at worst he ought to be able to easily borrow from the bank if he's been in business for so long.

Lmao that he still thinks food safety regulations are beneath him. I honestly cannot wait for that shit to catch up with him but I don't know the regulations in Quebec or how on top of that shit the government is over there. Restaurants are regulated differently in different areas but it sounds like he's got at least one health inspector up his ass so that's good. I hope if they aren't able to fuck him hard enough, at least he makes someone sick and they fuck him up in court.

Edit: hang on, does this fucker have employees? Oh if he has employees, eventually his dumb ass is definitely gonna fall afoul of one of em.

Edit 2: I'm dumb, I misread the tweet. There are no employees. That fucker has a business partner, apparently! That's what's going on here. Some fucking idiot is funding this shit for him. It's just confusing because he refers to the cafe as "my cafe" all the time and at least puts himself out as the only one making, what appears to be, every decision from the menu to the decor to the name. Interesting.

 

[UselessRubberKeyboard]

God that place is ugly. From the decor to the tables and chairs, the staff, and the "donuts" that look like dog treats.

Of course it's all "my restaurant" despite him having a business partner. This guy has an ego so big it has its own gravity. He failed at a photography career (and blamed that on transphobia) and he'll undoubtedly fail at this for the same reason - he thinks he's unique and special, when he's just doing the same tired hipster shit people have been used to for a decade at least. But he's a man in a dress, so that apparently makes it all new and awe-inspiring.

Cesar salad, indeed.

 

[SourDiesel]

That one place he used to go on about being fired for transphobia from is a fucking tiny little "queer women's" bar on the poor side of town, not even a restaurant. It technically has to serve food so it can stay open during the day due to regulation but it really doesn't sell food. This is the place this idiot couldn't just shut up and wash dishes at. Not even a restaurant. The sort of place that if you just manage to stfu, you can make a paycheck for literally just being there and not working. This fake professional dude is gonna fail again so hard and I'm going to laugh my little kiwi ass off when it happens.

 

[Behavioral Sink]

Someone shared this article about this oppor-troon-ist with me, and the name sounded familiar. I knew there had to be a thread here on the farms.

Val David café owner closes shop amid 'transphobic' attacks, vandalism
The trouble started almost immediately after she opened her vegan café last spring, Sophia Banks says.
CHRISTOPHER CURTIS, MONTREAL GAZETTE
Updated: September 9, 2019

SHARE ADJUST COMMENT PRINT

A trans woman says she was forced to close her café in Val David last month after it was repeatedly vandalized and amid a barrage of online reviews deriding her gender identity and political views.

The trouble started almost immediately after she opened her vegan café last spring; people smashed bottles outside the building and left dead animals at its doorstep, Sophia Banks says.
“At first I thought it was maybe some local kids, but the vandalism was just so persistent,” Banks told the Montreal Gazette. “And there were all these negative reviews — that were clearly fake — and the transphobic messages, it just kept happening. … Eventually, it just became so stressful, I felt so singled out.
“Because the vandalism kept happening and the online stuff was just so non-stop, I didn’t feel safe anymore, I didn’t feel like my staff was safe anymore. I was losing money, I was going into work and having a panic attack every week. So we decided to close the business.”

Banks and her partner chose to open a café in the Laurentians because it reminded them of a mountain town in British Columbia; it boasted a charming arts scene, was close to ski hills and, in the summer, lush green forests cover the surrounding mountains.

Things seemed promising at first. Their concept — vegan, cabane à sucre-style food combined with paying their employees $25 an hour instead of asking customers to tip — drew rave reviews from VICE Canada and Veg News.
Banks says it’s possible this wave of publicity combined with her activism on social media began drawing the attention of “right-wing trolls.” In particular, many appeared to be outraged at her opposition to Bill 21, Quebec’s religious symbols ban.

The reviews said nothing about the restaurant’s food or service. They simply left messages like “go home,” “Say no to gender ideology,” “I’m probably too white to be welcome in this establishment” and “We stand with Quebec and Bill 21.”
Kathy Poulin, the mayor of Val David, says what happened to Banks is deplorable.
“There’s a serious problem of intolerance and radicalization online,” Poulin said. “That’s undeniable. But I don’t think what happened to her café says anything about Val David’s openness to diversity and its support for marginalized people.
“We’re a village of 5,000 but also a place where artists and creative people thrive. We have an electronic music festival, we have yoga studios and tai chi. It’s a place that’s very accepting of diversity, be it religious, sexual or otherwise. But even in a place like this you can have a few individuals who cause trouble. It’s sad.”

Poulin offered to get the Sûreté du Québec involved, but Banks felt uncomfortable about speaking to the police.
“As a trans person and as queer couple, as a family that’s experienced police brutality, we didn’t feel going to the police was an option,” Banks said. “And even if we did, what are they going to do? We’re dealing with the provincial police, not a local department. What are they going to do, drive by a few more times a week?”
The cost of closing up shop has saddled Banks and her partner with $10,000 in debt, she said. But the couple set up a crowdfunding page Tuesday and have raised more than $3,000 so far. Banks says they’ll be moving to Nova Scotia where they may open a farmer’s market.
“Maybe this would have worked in a big city, but in a little village, with things getting so political, it was way too much controversy and stress,” she said. “Hopefully, things get better when we move.”

Val David café owner closes shop amid 'transphobic' attacks, vandalism

The trouble started almost immediately after she opened her vegan café last spring, Sophia Banks says.

montrealgazette.com

Archive: http://archive.is/C21jr

 

[SourDiesel]

Someone shared this article about this oppor-troon-ist with me, and the name sounded familiar. I knew there had to be a thread here on the farms.

Val David café owner closes shop amid 'transphobic' attacks, vandalism

The trouble started almost immediately after she opened her vegan café last spring, Sophia Banks says.

montrealgazette.com

Archive: http://archive.li/C21jr

Oh the thread updated!! IS HE DEAD YET??

I get so happy when this thread is updated. I hate this guy so much. I tried to keep it going myself but he's just so boring these days and doesn't say much. This is fucking comedy gold though.

Losing money at your tiny, ugly restaurant with no actual hot line, Darryl?

"...paying their employees $25 an hour instead of asking customers to tip..."

Well there's your problem dumbass.

A) you don't need staff when there are two of you and it's just a shitty tiny cafe with no full kitchen.

B) the whole "pay my staff more so people don't have to tip" thing only works at restaurants. Like, restaurants with kitchens that cook food and require a whole exhaust system and equipment and permits and shit, you know? Not stupid little vegan coffee shops. How's your food cost? So you even measure it or did you just pull menu prices out of your ass? You're insane, sir.

C) still super curious about this "business partner" who is clearly just the one with the money/credit here.

D) who are these idiots that give failed businesses GoFundMe money? No seriously. $10k in debt is NOTHING and opening a business is a risk. Better businesses than this close down every day. I honestly don't know who's the cow here, the guy who thinks others should pay his business debts because he put on a dress or the idiots that actually fork over money to pay the business expenses of a potato in a dress.

E) I do not believe he was targeted with trans hate. Pics or it didn't happen, Darryl. Especially since the damned mayor was willing to help but this potato refused to talk to the police about this alleged awful, ongoing vandalism and harrassment campaign.

Comments are hilarious. "Dr. Gonzo" sure seems invested in this pathetic little story, no?

Spoiler

• Ray Eau
• 1 hour ago

I agree that entrepreneurs catering to and dependent on the general public should really keep their sexual orientation and political views to themselves. To do otherwise is to alienate part of or all of your customer base.
Nova Scotia !? The winters are 10 times worse and the populace perhaps not so welcoming of differing from the stereo type. In any event keep your politics and orientation to yourselves.

https://montrealgazette.com/news/lo...oses-shop-amid-transphobic-attacks-vandalism#

FD

• Felix Davoudi
• 2 hours ago

Very bad idea to be running a business in this province and then mouthing off against Bill 21. Not very smart at all and very discriminatory against your potential customers and the city-province who welcomed you. That would be like promoting a Nazi group in Israel or promoting the KKK in a predominantly black neighborhood. You need to smarten up lady...

https://montrealgazette.com/news/lo...oses-shop-amid-transphobic-attacks-vandalism#

• Riley Ramsey
• 4 hours ago

Why not buy a security camera? I am 100% sure the business was failing and this an out to save face and get attention to crowdfund. If you look at the Google reviews most complain about food and ventilation.

https://montrealgazette.com/news/lo...oses-shop-amid-transphobic-attacks-vandalism#

• Rock Chip
• 6 hours ago

Someone would think that after the first second or even third vandalism some surveillance equipment would have been installed to capture the individuals in the act. A small price to pay to keep a business going and growing. I think you had it right by saying "some people just love playing the victim role." @julie laflamme.

DG

• Dr. Gonzo!
• updated 2 hours ago

Reply to @Rock Chip: Camera's don't stop crime, are expensive and not very effective.....and certainly won't keep her business growing!? lol!
https://montrealgazette.com/news/lo...oses-shop-amid-transphobic-attacks-vandalism#

JL

• Julie LaFlamme
• 7 hours ago

So, what will she use for operating capital if she has no money & had to set up crowdfunding to pay off her debts?
And by the way - Nova Scotia doesn't have a whole lot of big cities, so chances are, this won't be the only boo-hoo story we hear from this one.
some people just seem to love to play the victim role.

DG

• Dr. Gonzo!
• updated 2 hours ago

Reply to @Julie LaFlamme: Store is closed, no operating capital needed. Crowdfunding was to pay off debts....did we read the same article?. some people just seem to love to make up and publicly share their own truths on things they know nothing very little about.