By Olivia Mizelle | Images courtesy Madison Black Chamber of Commerce
At this year’s Black Restaurant Week, Black-owned food trucks, restaurants, caterers and specialty food products will be showcasing their Madison-based businesses. Taking place from Aug. 13-20, the week features specials from area restaurants, a Food Taste Jamboree and a Soul Food Brunch.
The event, started by in 2016 Camille Carter, president and CEO of the Madison Black Chamber of Commerce, was one of the first Black Restaurant Weeks in the country. Tiffany Kenney, director of communications for the Madison Black Chamber of Commerce, says the Chamber’s event is different from other restaurant weeks that attendees may be familiar with.
“Our restaurants are so varied in what they offer that it really is unique … [what] each of the restaurants [will] be highlighting,” Kenney says. “It’s things like featuring an item or offering a discount, maybe bringing something on to their menu they’ve never done before.”
Some of featured restaurants include:
- Melly Mell’s Soul Food
- Justveggiez
- Keur Fatou Catering
- Mentoring Positives
- Ernie’s African Kick Sauce
The Soul Food Brunch on Aug. 13 at Robinia Courtyard will have tasty eats, live music and local art. The chamber’s Mix and Mingle event on Aug. 16 (free, but RSVP requested) will feature networking and food samples from area Black-owned restaurants. On Aug. 20, attendees can check out the Food Taste Jamboree at FEED Kitchens, where businesses like Ernie’s African Kick Sauce will highlight their products, along with offerings from food carts and caterers.
Kenney says that she was a fan of Black Restaurant Week for years, but that her motivation to get more involved with it this year was to “get a chance to get even closer to some great food.”
For more information on Black Restaurant Week, visit madisonblackchamber.com.
