Cynthia Daniels says Memphis Black Restaurant Week is “all about pouring back into our locally owned restaurants.”
Daniels is the founder and organizer of this event, which has grown from eight participating restaurants in the first year to 14 restaurants in 2019.
The fourth annual Memphis Black Restaurant Week starts Sunday and runs through March 9. This year's list of restaurants is eclectic and diverse in menu offerings and parts of town. The common denominator is that they all are minority-owned establishments.
“This week is for everybody,” Daniels said. “Just like various festivals around town celebrate different cuisines like Italian food, Indian food and Greek food, this week highlights minority-owned restaurants. There are some real jewels in the black restaurant community.”
Each participating restaurant will offer a special — or, in most cases, several specials — for the week.
Chef Tam’s Underground Cafe is one of the featured restaurants this year.
“This is my third year to participate. My first year I was only open two days before the weeklong event,” said Tamra Eddy, Chef Tam’s owner and chef.
For lunch, Eddy will offer a two-course meal. At dinner, a three-course prix fixe meal will be featured.
At lunch, one of Chef Tam's special offerings is Eddy's “My Darling Nicky” sandwich. It’s a whopper of a sandwich made with fried catfish, spaghetti and slaw all on Texas toast. If you have room for dessert after that, order her Peach Cobbler Nachos. Cinnamon sugar chips are topped with warm peach cobbler filling and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. (That’s worth saving room for, don’t you think?)
And speaking of peach cobbler, on her Memphis Black Restaurant Week dinner menu, Eddy will offer the dish that helped her win Food Network’s “Guy’s Grocery Games” — Peach Cobbler French Toast with Wings.
Eddy said Memphis Black Restaurant Week comes at just the right time for small-business owners. “After the holidays, the restaurant business slows down," she said. "This event blows life back into our businesses for the coming year.”
Valerie Peavy, owner of The Office @ Uptown, has participated in Memphis Black Restaurant Week every year.
“It’s great exposure, and (Daniels') selection shows the breadth and depth of the different culinary offerings in Memphis,” Peavy said.
Her best-selling sandwich, the Bluff City Classic Club, will be one of her specials for the week. Peavy’s club is piled high with ham, turkey, bacon and cheese. She recommends ordering it with their chipotle mayo.
The Four Way restaurant will participate for the first time this year.
“I had the privilege to meet Cynthia Daniels personally for the first time about six months ago. She extended the offer, and after talking to her, I was so excited,” said Patrice Bates Thompson, owner of The Four Way.
“ ... Having The Four Way being a part of the week will help to strengthen the Soulsville community and bring awareness to what great things we are doing on this side of Memphis, not just at The Four Way, but also at LeMoyne-Owen College, Stax, Soulsville Academy, Metropolitan Baptist Church, Cummings School, Memphis Slim House and Knowledge Quest," Thompson said. "There are many lifetime Memphians that know nothing about the rich history of the College Park and Soulsville community and what we have to offer. There are great things going on in our neighborhood.”
In addition to several entree specials, The Four Way will offer a “2 for $20” Memphis Black Restaurant Week special. Guests can choose two selected entrees, two sides and two drinks for $20. The offerings for this deal include The Four Way’s famous turkey and dressing, baked chicken and fried wings. For an extra $5, you can substitute its fried catfish.
Memphis Black Restaurant Week participants aren’t just in Downtown and Midtown. Daniels made sure to include some East Memphis restaurants.
The Waffle Iron in Collierville also is a returning participant. Owner Danielle Richardson said she participates each year because “it is a great opportunity for us to showcase businesses in Memphis. It’s a great marketing opportunity for me since I am not in the Downtown area. It’s a way to let folks in the inner city know we are out here.”
Richardson plans to use this week to introduce some Mardi Gras-inspired specials — including a return of their Shrimp and Grits. Her famous Sweet Potato Pancakes also will be on the menu. “What makes them special is an ancient secret,” she joked. “But seriously, though, I think people like them because you can actually see and taste the sweet potatoes in them.”
Richardson does take reservations and suggests calling before heading to The Waffle Iron for Black Restaurant Week. The building had a small fire this week and closed for repairs, but it expects to be open in time for Sunday's kickoff.
Other participants include Bluff City Crab, Sage, Slice of Soul Pizza Lounge, Mr. P’s, Robusto by Havana Mix, Ballhoggerz BBQ, Phillip Ashley Chocolates, Big Momma’s & Granny’s, Downtown Nutrition and the East Memphis location of A&R Barbecue.
The week of dining concludes March 10 with the Soulful Food Truck Festival at Clayborn Temple. The festival is noon-6 p.m. and includes food trucks and live music.
“It’s a big family celebration to cap off Memphis Black Restaurant Week,” Daniels said.
For more information visit blackrestaurantweek.com.
Jennifer Chandler is the Food & Dining reporter at The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at jennifer.chandler@commercialappeal.com, and you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @cookwjennifer.
DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get more food news from The Commercial Appeal straight to your phone.
https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/entertainment/dining/2019/02/28/memphis-black-restaurant-week-memphis-restaurants-chef-tams-the-four-way-soulfood-truck-festival/2947306002/ 2019-02-28 13:00:00Z
0 Comments:
Post a Comment