A meal from Jackson Ward's Mama J's, among the participating eateries in this year's Black Restaurant Experience March 3-11 (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
“Step outside your comfort zone,” says radio personality Kelli Lemon as we sit inside Urban Hang Suite RVA, the Jackson Ward coffee shop and social cafe she opened earlier this year.
Lemon is talking about the third annual Black Restaurant Experience, a weeklong series of events March 3-10 showcasing black-owned restaurants and businesses and the diversity of the Richmond dining scene.
“The intent is to make sure that these owners get the exposure they don’t even think about, know how to do, want to do, and to drive new traffic in there,” explains Lemon.
“This event takes away the ‘Is it okay to eat here?’ factor," Lemon says. "We want people to go to places they’ve never, ever even heard of. There’s still Richmonders who don’t know about some of these restaurants.”
When Black Restaurant Experience, the brainchild of Lemon, BlackRVA founder Amy Wentz and Shemicia Bowen, kicked off in 2017, there were 19 restaurants participating; this year there are 29.
Owner Michele Wilson of Ma Michele’s Cafe in Midlothian says the increase in customers since her business first participated in BRE has been rewarding.
“[Speaking] as a business owner, this event validates our efforts out here in the community,” says Wilson, who has participated in BRE since the beginning. This year her cafe will host a vegan pop-up from Shayola, The Vegan Artisan, on Tuesday, March 5, among other events.
BRE does more than simply highlight the participating restaurants; looking at the larger picture, it provides a platform for education and open discussion about the difficulties and disadvantages often faced by African-Americans within the dining industry.
“Small, minority-owned business go unnoticed on a grand scale sometimes, and BRE shines light on what we do,” explains Wilson. “We may not have those same resources that our white counterparts may have, but we're unique and we have unique situations to overcome, and it's important to celebrate all of us.”
Nationwide, African-American restaurant owners and managers comprise only 8 percent of the industry, according to the National Restaurant Association. In Richmond there are an estimated 70 black-owned restaurants and food businesses, according to the BRE founders, but apart from those in ownership roles, the number of African-American executive chefs is slim.
“This isn’t meant to separate black-owned restaurants, but instead give them that push they need [for the industry] to be equitable and have a level playing field,” notes Wentz. “We love and accept everyone and want everyone to be able to enjoy the cultural flavors our owners have to offer, but want to make sure we’re supporting and uplifting them all.”
Graduate Richmond hotel staff serve up jerk chicken and rice at Main Street Station during Black Restaurant Experience 2018. (Photo by Susan Winiecki)
In previous years, Black Restaurant Experience participants offered prix-fixe lunch and dinner menus, but this time around, restaurants have the freedom to create their own experiences and showcase what sets them apart, Wentz says.
One of Wentz's favorite BRE moments occurred during the inaugural year. The restaurant owners and event organizers were invited to the Virginia executive mansion, but it wasn’t the high-ranking officials — including former Gov. Terry McAuliffe and the Rev. Jesse Jackson — who had everyone stopping in their tracks; it was Velma Johnson of Mama J’s, recently nominated as a James Beard Award semifinalist for Outstanding Service.
“They all walked up to her and were so glad to be able to meet her,” Wentz says. “It gave them that opportunity, for some of our veteran owners, to speak life into some of the younger owners that had just started on their venture.”
The competitive nature of the restaurant industry was pushed aside.
“It was a room filled with support and uplifting and sharing of journeys,” Wentz adds. “There was that sense of camaraderie."
The spirit of the event has drawn visitors to Richmond from Charlottesville, Hampton Roads, Northern Virginia and North Carolina.
“We’ve seen an increase in the diversity of it all, and [in] people understanding that having BRE is not being divisive, we're creating a more inclusive experience for everyone about what RVA is known for — dope art, dope culture and dope food — and bringing those all together,” Wentz says.
Last year a reported 32,000 patrons joined the experience, and there were $620,000 in sales. New participating businesses this year include Soul Taco in Jackson Ward, Maple Bourbon downtown, Spoonbread Bistro Deux, Main Stage Bistro, Soul Bistro, and Pig & Brew in Manchester, featuring the youngest co-owner in the mix, 23-year-old Lamarr Hawkins.
The BRE kickoff event, Mobile Soul Sunday, highlights caterers and food trucks, a component the organizers realized they had been missing after the first year. The event will be held in the Blackwell corridor on Hull Street between 11th and 14th streets from noon to 5 p.m. on March 3 and has increased from 10 participants to 15.
The final event, Stick a Fork in It, will be held Sunday, March 10, at the Arthur Ashe Center and feature various cooking demos.
This year's event beneficiary is the nonprofit Mary G. Brown Transitional Center, working with the Food Justice Corridor and the Richmond Food Justice Alliance.
Find the full list of participating restaurants in this year's Richmond Black Restaurant Experience.
