Toccara Jones, of Dayton, Ohio caught our attention during the third season of “America’s Next Top Model” as we watched her intensely compete with other aspiring young ladies for a shot at the desirable title.

STACY STEWART
Contributing Writer

Toccara Jones, of Dayton, Ohio caught our attention during the third season of “America’s Next Top Model” as we watched her intensely compete with other aspiring young ladies for a shot at the desirable title.

As viewers, we cheered her on almost six years ago, as she defied the odds and found her niche as a “plus-size” model in an industry that is less than favorable to curvaceous women, and she commanded the attention of not only the camera, but also that of noted fashionistas and the modeling industry worldwide. Toccara has kept busy not only by ‘Ripping the Runway,’ but also by embracing several new challenges, including her upcoming television show to be aired on TV 1 this spring, with executive producer Donald Trump, “The Ultimate Merger.”

Though she has been an extremely busy young lady, she still finds the time to serve in her current role of holding the title as “Lady Hennessey,” as she is conducting an eight city promotional tour for this very popular brand of cognac and with Cleveland being the fourth stop of the tour, we had a chance to speak with her, as she gave us more detail about herself, the upcoming show and the newly reconstructed approach of the Hennessey brand.

While sitting inside Carney’s in the flats of Cleveland, on a chilly spring afternoon, Toccara continued to deliver a polished, energetic, mature version of herself, saying with confidence, “...with age comes swag.” Toccara made it evident as to why Hennessey has chosen her to represent their newest campaign, “Hennessey Remix,” a remix program geared toward educating families and friends on the versatility of Hennessey products, as she spoke highly of the four new flavors, and the fact that women, are really going to enjoy testing their skills at the different levels mixology and recipes now being offered.

As Toccara mixed things up at Carney’s, she was also in the company of yet another member of the Hennessey team, Mixologist Jordon Bushell. Jordan offered recipes ranging from easy to expert and suggested that Hennessey consumers, begin trying the four new flavors of Hennessey, which are Apple, Citrus, Berry, and Ginger, or simply add some flavor by including cranberry and ginger ale to the original Hennessey. To learn about the ‘Hennessey Remix’, log onwww.facebook.com/Hennessey.

While Toccara enthusiastically continued to promote the ‘Hennessey Remix’ campaign, before ending our conversation , I asked if there was anything that she wanted her fans to know, and she simply stated, “I want them to know that I’m the same Toccara as before ‘Top Model,’only now I am the one that I envisioned for myself.”

There’s no doubt that her magnifying self-confidence has assisted in opening many doors for her, such as mentioned with the upcoming airing of “The Ultimate Merger.” Here, Toccara will be the desirable bachelorette of whom twelve young men will vie for her affections. “I am not an actress,” Toccara jokes, but makes clear, “any show that I affiliate myself with has a purpose.” When asked if she thought she knew what she wanted when it comes to dating, Toccara blushes and comes to the conclusion that, “dating is sort of like shopping, you’ll know what you want, when you see it,” but she does stand firm on being open in her selection and not allowing race to be a factor.