Juneteenth Events Highlight Black-Owned Food Businesses
Community festivals and other events around the country are showcasing Black-owned restaurants, food trucks, and specialty food makers as part of their Juneteenth celebrations.
The June 19 holiday, commemorating the day in 1865 when the last U.S. slaves were informed of their freedom in Galveston, Texas, has increasingly shone a spotlight on Black-owned food companies and African-American culinary traditions.
In New York City, Juneteenth coincides with the fifth annual New York Black Restaurant Week promoting Black-owned restaurants and other food businesses in the metro area. The event is running June 16-30 with 36 participating restaurants. It is one of series of Black Restaurant Weeks in regions around the country.
The Times Square location of Brooklyn Chop House is hosting an official kick-off event for New York Black Restaurant Week this Wednesday, in partnership with Stella Artois, offering food and drink specials. Other participants include well-known restaurants such as Red Rooster Harlem and Sylvia’s Restaurant, also in Harlem, as well as several other restaurants, cafes, and bakeries specializing in Southern, African, Caribbean, American, and fusion cuisines.
“Join us as we celebrate black heritage with drinks, food, and music,” Red Rooster said in a post on social media, citing its Strawberry Soda with Uncle’s Premium Whiskey, from an acclaimed Black-owned distillery.
Other Juneteenth festivals in Brooklyn also showcased local Black-owned food vendors over this past weekend.
The third annual Juneteenth Food Festival at the Weeksville Heritage Center in Brooklyn on June 15 included more than 40 Black-owned food vendors and artisans, along with performances, demonstrations, hands-on activities, and music. The event was a collaboration between Jummy’s Picks—Black-Owned Brooklyn and the Weeksville Heritage Center.
“Outdoor cooking has always been an integral part of Juneteenth, with its earliest celebrations held in parks,” said Holly Drew, owner of Miss Holly’s Smokehouse and one of the vendors at the festival, in an Instagram post. “I think we have definitely carried that tradition forward.”
Drew also showcased Miss Holly’s Smokehouse on June 16 at The Lay Out’s BuyBLK. ByBLK. marketplace in partnership with payments platform Square at The Lay Out’s 5th Annual Juneteenth Celebration in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene Park.
Other regions around the country are also showcasing local Black-owned businesses, including Greensboro, North Carolina, which hosted its fourth annual Black Food Truck Festival on June 15 in two downtown parks.
Meanwhile Chicago TV station WLS On June 15 and 16 aired a feature on the history of soul food, including an interview with Charla Draper, founder of Soul Food Month, which seeks to promote African-American food traditions throughout June. Other guests included Erick Williams, executive chef at Virtue Restaurant & Bar in Chicago, and Clifford Rome of Peach’s Restaurant and other local venues.
“Hearing the story about where food came from sometimes makes it taste even better,” said Rome. “If we don’t attach food to stories, then we lose that legacy.”