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Patrons enjoy the food truck event Mobile Soul Sunday. The Richmond Black Restaurant Experience kickoff takes place March 5, with events continuing through March 12. (Photo by Courtney Jones)
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2023 RBRE Restaurant Passport - Final - Final
The list of restaurants, food trucks, caterers and other businesses participating in RBRE (Image courtesy Richmond Black Restaurant Experience)
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Donna Scott-Dadzie, owner of Bellos Lounge & Restaurant (Photo by Courtney Jones)
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(From left) Richmond Black Restaurant Experience founders Kelli Lemon, Shemicia Bowen and Amy Wentz (Photo courtesy Richmond Black Restaurant Experience)
Entering its seventh year, Richmond Black Restaurant Experience feels a little older and wiser. The annual weeklong celebration dedicated to empowering and supporting Black owners and operators in the local food and beverage industry returns March 5-12 with its largest class of participants to date, featuring a mix of fresh concepts alongside seasoned favorites.
In 2017, co-founders Shemicia Bowen, Kelli Lemon and Amy Wentz launched the event with 19 restaurants; this year there are over 50, in addition to caterers and food trucks. Lemon says one of the biggest changes this time around is the sheer diversity of food vendors.
“From a concept or trend standpoint, we’re getting into more things,” she says. “Vegan [cuisine] is getting real big in the Black community, which it wasn’t before. Juice bars, dessert is big with us now, the traditional fried chicken and fish, that’s there … but we have options. I think we have found our niche in every area.”
And while the sheer range of offerings is noteworthy, Lemon adds, “I want to get to a place where I don’t even have to ask if there’s Black participation … when looking at food in Richmond, it should be a diverse conversation — period.”
Natives of Ghana who relocated to Richmond from Long Island, New York, Bellos Lounge & Restaurant co-owners Donna Scott-Dadzie and Ralph Dadzie first participated in RBRE in 2019. Approaching their fifth event, Scott-Dadzie says that, along with purchasing the Bellos Lounge building at 1712 E. Franklin St., signing up for RBRE (businesses pay a fee to participate) has been one of the best business decisions the couple has made.
“The response was insane, the place was packed, and we were totally not expecting that; we just wanted to see how people responded to a new place and what we were trying to put out,” she says. “It was very rewarding.”
Looking to channel a concept found in hubs such as Washington, D.C., and New York, Bellos doubles as a restaurant and lounge, serving African and Caribbean dishes such as jollof rice, fufu and curry while staying open until 2 a.m. and exuding nightclub energy. While Scott-Dadzie’s dishes, from the soya burger to jerk chicken wings, and cocktails named for African cities attract diners from near and far, the former project manager says the marketing offered through RBRE has been beneficial in their success.
“They do a lot of promo as well, so it was really nice how they did that as well to get the name out there, and people came wondering, ‘What are you guys doing, what are you serving over here?’ ” she says.
Marketing for RBRE is intentional, with promotional videos filmed by Chris T. Versal of Black Wunda Films. Leading up to RBRE, social media reels have gone behind the scenes with owners of participating businesses, including Ashley Lewis of The Beet Box, Ronnie Logan of The Original Ronnie’s BBQ and Reggie Littleton of Family Secrets.
This year’s edible bill includes a number of first-time participants, many of whom are also inviting diners into their spaces for the first time. “This year is the first year we had a lot of new restaurants come through,” Lemon says.
Located at 2526 Floyd Ave. in the former Spoonbread Bistro space, Mike’s Jazz Cafe had a soft opening this week. Following a series of location changes, frozen treat purveyors Suzy Sno will unveil their new digs in Carytown at the start of RBRE. The owners of Manchester barbecue venture Pig & Brew, Lamarr Johnson and Lamont Hawkins, plan to introduce a second concept, dubbed Red Hibachi and Beer, at 1011 Hull St. In addition, Wok This Way from Trey Owens, formerly of Soul Taco, debuted over the weekend at 13 W. Broad St.
Other first-time participants include virtual food hall A.M. Kitchen Co.; grilled cheese shop Cheddar Jackson; Shockoe Bottom juice bar Blacker the Berry; Buttermilk and Honey, Jubilee, and ML Steakhouse from Lindsey Hospitality Group; Grilled Meats and Treats, which graduated from a food truck to brick-and-mortar restaurant; and Jus Crab Bar & Grill. Among returning participants are Jackson Ward mainstay Mama J’s, Sugar’s Crab Shack, Charles’ Kitchen and Africanne on Main.
Kicking off RBRE on Sunday, March 5, is the signature event Mobile Soul Sunday, a food truck gathering held at Monroe Park from noon to 5 p.m. Other events include a luncheon with Huguenot High School students and Howard University graduates, Art for the Soul at Studio Two Three, and a listening session and birthday party for rapper Notorious B.I.G. on March 9. The culminating celebration, Stick a Fork in It, a walk-around feast showcasing 20-plus caterers, small bites and cooking demos, returns to Main Street Station. The event’s nonprofit beneficiary this year is the Urban League of Greater Richmond.
“We’re making sure at all levels, from our food trucks to our brands to our caterers to our restaurants, that they are getting maximum exposure,” Lemon says. “To be able to give some of these small places their props and these new concepts, we want to make sure they’re recognized and supported and we give everybody love as much as we can.”
One of the city’s fastest growing food events, RBRE is embracing the collaborative energy of its participating businesses.
“We’re now at a point where they’re seeing how their collective conversations can make a greater impact in the hospitality industry,” Lemon says. “I think more so, there is some forward thinking in how much partnerships and collaborations can help us as a collective. That week is a huge hub for us, but there are so many other dates that you need to be mindful of .... and support Black culinary businesses 365 days a year."
