Community
Restaurant Roundup: Celebrating Black-Owned Restaurants
June 19, 2020
Here are 8 restaurants across the country to support right now.
The hospitality industry is a diverse and inclusive community. Celebrating the rich cultures, cuisines and traditions in hospitality is a pursuit we value here at BentoBox. In March — as part of our Restaurant Roundup series — we covered 16 women who are redefining hospitality. To continue to support and celebrate minority-owned restaurant owners, operators and chefs, we’re highlighting a few of our talented Black-owned restaurant partners, including actionable ways you can support them and their businesses right now.
Southern Girl Desserts
Catarah Coleman and Shoneji Robison | Los Angeles | Co-Owners
Co-Owners Catarah Coleman and Shoneji Robison met through a fellow Delta Sigma Theta sorority sister in Los Angeles. Together they have built a successful business beloved by the Los Angeles Hollywood community. The two received national recognition after winning Food Network’s “Cupcake Wars” which included a $10,000 prize and a black-tie gala catering event. Southern Girl Desserts mission is to “remind guests of all of the great flavors of the South.” Enjoy it at home by ordering online via their website which now includes nationwide shipping.
Café Du Pain Bakery
Marie Onyeani | Lawrenceville, NJ | Co-Founder and Chief Baker
Café Du Pain is an award-winning globally-inspired creole bakery in Lawrenceville, NJ. Founded in 2018 by Co-Founder and Chief Baker Marie Onyeani and Co-Founder Judithe Registre, the bakery seeks to leverage the power of food to create a more delicious world. Besides selling their freshly baked goods, coffee and teas, the bakery is actively leading community efforts by partnering with local food pantries, churches and non-profits. But that isn’t the extent of their good. Café Du Pain’s signature initiative is The Birthday Cake Project which donates birthday cakes to children and young adults affected by homelessness. If you’re in the area be sure to order online for pickup or purchase a gift card to gift freshly baked pastries, bread and more to someone you care about.
Cork Wine Bar & Market is a must-stop near the Logan Circle area of Washington D.C. Owners Dianne Gross and Khalid Pitts founded Cork in 2008 and offer their guests access to over 300 small production, sustainably made wines from around the world at their market. Website visitors can purchase an array of wine and provisions directly through their online shop. They’ve been included in Food & Wines Best Wine Bars in the U.S. and covered by Bon Appetit. Enjoy alternative Cork offerings such as joining their “Flight Club” which includes a hand-curated selection of wines each month and exclusive invitations to wine tastings and events.
The Edge Harlem is all about a shared experience – Juliet, a graduate of the Natural Gourmet Institute has over 15 years’ experience in the culinary arts, while Justine, who comes with a background in real estate, fashion, and music, curates the ambiance and the décor. Since its opening in 2014, it’s become a community hub, as stated by Eater New York. The Edge is a family effort: Juliet and Justine are sisters. Together they have merged their British and Jamaican heritage to bring Harlem something characteristically unique in a historic building, once a meeting place for key figures of the Harlem Renaissance such as Langston Hughes.
Situated in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, Erick Williams cooks up familiar southern American cuisine with a focus on heritage techniques that bring a unique aspect to the table. Virtue is one of Esquire’s Best New Restaurants in America 2019 and was profiled in The New York Times’ 16 Black Chefs Changing Food in America. Virtue’s most recent praise? Their inclusion in the 2020 Michelin Bib Gourmand list in Chicago. Bring a touch of Williams’ cooking into your home by ordering online through their website.
Alma is a cafe, boutique hotel and restaurant in downtown Minneapolis. Alex Roberts opened this destination dining getaway in 1999. The restaurant is a 2020 James Beard Foundation Awards Semifinalist for Outstanding Restaurant presented by S.Pellegrino. His business and life partner, Margot, is involved in events as well as developing signature scents and products for the hotel. Interested in taking Alma’s cooking into your home? Purchase a provisions box from their online store. Options include a Turkey Burger Grill Package and a New York Strip Grill Package, to name a few.
Kelz Kitchen is a family-owned restaurant in Atlanta, GA that focuses on southern soul-food. Owner Kelz Chavis grew up Gullah Geechee on a farm with his grandparents on James Island in Charleston, South Carolina. Part of his everyday upbringing included shrimping, crabbing and oyster shucking — preparing him for the life of a chef. With two locations in the greater Atlanta community, Chavis’ family heritage and the traditions of the Gullah Geechee culture are preserved in his cooking and hospitality. Looking to share Kelz Kitchen with a friend or loved one? Purchase a digital gift card through their website.
Addis NOLA stands out as one of the only Ethiopian restaurants in New Orleans. Owner Biruk Alemayehu and her staff bring traditional Ethiopian flavors to the mid-city dining scene which centers around injera, a slightly fermented, crepe-like flatbread. Diners eat with their hands here which Alemayehu believes “exercises a tradition built on sharing, trust, and love.” Interested in sharing Addis with others? Have them cater your next (socially-distant) gathering by inquiring through their website.
Demo Request
14,000+ restaurants trust BentoBox
Increase your profits and elevate your guest experience with a digital storefront that keeps diners coming back.
Recommended
Community
Restaurant Roundup - The Women Who Are Redefining Hospitality
March 8, 2021
A celebration of International Women’s Day with the leading women in hospitality
Interview
Q&A with Jen Pelka of The Riddler and Une Femme Wines
March 4, 2020
A conversation on her typical workday, how technology has influenced the industry and the importance of a healthy work/life balance.
COVID-19
BentoBox Launches Reopening Guide for Restaurants
May 15, 2020
Introducing a three-section guide for U.S. restaurants reopening on how to effectively train staff, prep space and market.