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Black Restaurant Week returns Nov. 10

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Restaurants, Food & Drink |
Black Restaurant Week returns Nov. 10

Promotion aims to expose more people to Black-owned restaurants, stimulating local palates along with the economy

Chef Crystal Clarke's jollof rice recipe was inspired by her discovery that she's 42% Nigerian. Sample some during Black Restaurant Week. (Courtesy Crystal Clarke)
Chef Crystal Clarke’s jollof rice recipe was inspired by her discovery that she’s 42% Nigerian. Sample some during Black Restaurant Week. (Courtesy Crystal Clarke)
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By | amthompson@orlandosentinel.com | Orlando Sentinel
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Black Restaurant Week was established in 2016, in part to bring awareness to Black-owned culinary businesses, from makers and caterers to food trucks and restaurants with events around the country. From Nov. 10-19, it’s Florida’s turn. More than 130 businesses statewide have signed on for the campaign, with several right here in the Orlando metro.

For Seana’s Caribbean Soul Food, it’s Year Three of participation. Owner Joshua Johnson says that historically the event has definitely brought new customers to his door, though not necessarily at the outset.

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“Sometimes it happens a week or two weeks after. Sometimes longer,” he says. “People who saw us listed as part of the promotion but didn’t have time to make it in right away.”

You’re going to want to make it to see chef Crystal Clarke before Nov. 19, though. Hers is an unconventional business that doesn’t always offer lunch and dinner. Clarke has 29 years of experience in hospitality, everything from small, local indies to elevated French fare to high-volume, big-name hotel kitchens. She cooks. She bakes. And she operates inside a church.

This is Chef Crystal Clarke's second year participating in Black Restaurant Week. She'll be hosting folks for lunch and dinner from Nov. 10-19. (Tamara Knight Photography)
This is chef Crystal Clarke’s second year participating in Black Restaurant Week. She’ll host folks for lunch and dinner from Nov. 10-19. (Courtesy Tamara Knight Photography)

“We have a ghost kitchen,” she explains. “But we have parking and a receptionist, and we do lunch hours for the community when we can. Last year, Black Restaurant Week was one of the weeks we could, so we offered it, and people came. It was unexpected and wonderful. It got me a lot of exposure I wouldn’t have gotten otherwise.”

Orlando’s roster of participants includes several Orlando Sentinel Foodie Award winners, both Critic and Reader Picks like Seana’s, as well as Nikki’s Place in Orlando’s Parramore neighborhood, DaJen Eats in Eatonville and Island Thyme in Avalon Park. Johnson says he’d have liked to have seen a longer list. Clarke’s results confirm his belief in participation.

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“You might be trying to serve your community, which is great, but reaching out beyond it may bring in people from outside. You reach the right person, and that’ll bring even more to your door. That’s why it’s so important to make the effort and participate in things like Black Restaurant Week.”

In fact, Johnson noted, it’s people outside the Black community who come in more often as a result of the promotion, “but that’s based on who actually tells us they’re here because of Black Restaurant Week.”

Clarke said it was the same for her. “It was another really nice surprise. It’s people curious to try what we have to offer.” Clarke says she relates. “I’m an adventurous person, and I don’t like to eat the same things all the time.”

Johnson will be offering several dishes at a discounted rate if customers mention they’re in specifically for Black Restaurant Week. For Crystal Bakes, the special is that she’s operating conventionally for the week. On deck: Red velvet cake by the slice and her jollof rice, a recipe inspired by her recent discovery that her background is nearly half Nigerian.

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“And so, of course, I delved into the food! I had no idea what I was doing, no experience with these ingredients before, and I kind of just threw myself into it,” she says. Her first take on jollof was quite different compared to the traditional version, but she was delighted to learn the history. “I went all the way down the rabbit hole and found that jollof is a predecessor to jambalaya.”

Her enthusiasm can be contagious, inspiring many catering clients to sign on for her regular supper club events, which she also hosts in the church space. Johnson believes that many restaurant owners are spinning too many plates to participate but that it’s worth the extra effort.

Crystal Bakes is the business, which will be popping-up in its unconventional space inside a local church. Guests will be able to sample her red velvet cake by the slice. (Courtesy Crystal Clarke)
Crystal Bakes is the business that will pop up in its unconventional space inside a local church. Guests will be able to sample her red velvet cake by the slice. (Courtesy Crystal Clarke)

“Four years in here at Seana’s, what I’ve seen is that most Black-owned restaurants are also chef-owned restaurants. And often, they don’t have the time or aren’t making the time to read emails because they’re too busy doing everything.”

That can mean missing out on opportunities like Black Restaurant Week, but both he and Clarke say it’s been a worthy time investment for the turnout. Here’s a list of who’s in the mix this year:

Participating businesses

More information: blackrestaurantweeks.com/florida-black-restaurant-week

Find me on Facebook, TikTok, Twitter or Instagram @amydroo or on the OSFoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie. Email: amthompson@orlandosentinel.com, For more foodie fun, join the Let’s Eat, Orlando Facebook group.

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