Statewide — The inaugural Alabama Black Restaurant Week will kick off Dec. 11. The ten-day showcase is designed to celebrate the best in culinary arts while growing the culinary industry for Black owned businesses. In addition to restaurants, catering services, bars, food trucks, and bakeries will also be spotlighted.
The Black Restaurant Week first began in 2016 in other cities around the country, and is dedicated to celebrating the flavors of African-American, African, and Caribbean cuisine nationwide, according to the event’s organizers.
As of 10 a.m. Thursday, five Birmingham-area restaurants are set to participate:
Eugene’s Hot Chicken (Downtown and Hoover locations)
Additional participating establishments will be posted on the website as well as updated through the event’s Facebook page.
Owners interested in participating and signing up for Black Restaurant Week may register at this link. The event is sponsored by Maker’s Mark and Pepsi.
While African-Americans are more than 25 percent of Alabama’s population, only 6 percent of Alabama businesses are Black-owned, according to data from the Census Bureau and University of Alabama. Half are in the service industry, and Black Restaurant Week’s publicity and awareness could boost the sector and those that work in those businesses. Update: This story was edited to include the participating restaurants.
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