PHOTO | EAT BLACK CHARLOTTE WEEK

Eat Black Charlotte Week organizer DeAnna Taylor.

#EatBLKCLT transformed from a hashtag to a movement.

Eat Black Charlotte Week kicks off on June 4, culminating in several events on June 12. The entire week celebrates Black food and culture in the Charlotte area and tickets are not required. A prix fixe menu will be offered at participating restaurants, and patrons may still order off a restaurant’s traditional menu. Twenty-eight establishments are set to participate, representing a range of brick and mortar spaces, ghost kitchens, food trucks and mobile businesses.

Eatblkclt.com breaks down the spaces based on location, includes a description of the type of business, such as food truck/mobile business or brick and mortar/ghost kitchen, as well as a link to the participant’s website or menu.

Among the participants are Derita Dairy Bar & Grill in North Charlotte, LuLu’s Maryland Style Chicken and Seafood in West Charlotte, What the Fries in South Charlotte, Burney’s Sweets & More in Uptown, 1501 South Mint in South End, Two Scoops Creamery in Plaza Midwood, Hot Box Next Level Kitchen in Concord, Poppin’ Sweets in Fort Mill, Popbar at Camp North End and Detour Coffeebar, a mobile business.

“You may have a Black-owned restaurant in your neighborhood that you did not know was there, and they are participating in our weekend,” Eat Black Charlotte’s Amber Owens said. “Now you may come upon a new favorite that is right down the street from your house or job.”

June 12 features two events. The Food and Brew Fest at The Unknown Brewing Company (1327 S. Mint St.) runs from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. and will feature food trucks and carts including, Another Food Truck, Q’s Culinary Cart, Ms. Didi’s Caribbean Kitchen, Made From Scratch NYC, Ve-go Food Truck and Jimmy Pearls. A deserts and drinks after party from 4-6 p.m. at 1501 South Mint, highlighting local dessert businesses and bakers. While neither event requires a ticket, the latter is a membership lounge, which will require an entry fee.

Interested establishments filled out a registration form, which the Eat Black Charlotte’s Jenelle Kellam reviewed. Accepted participants paid a $75 fee. Eat Black Charlotte set up a series of virtual workshops with Google Partner Latesha Byrd of Byrd Career Consulting, Chef Michael Bowling of Hot Box NC and social media professional Asha Ellison to discuss how to take the next step with their business, whether that meant exploring the transition from food truck to brick and mortar or utilizing social media to increase brand awareness.

#EatBLKCLT emerged last summer in an effort to highlight Black-owned eateries in Charlotte. Owens, Erique Berry, Lorri Ashly Lofton, Ryan Jones, Cory Wilkins and Shay Jackson were the original creators, and DeAnna Taylor and Kellam have since joined the team. The hashtag grew into an Instagram account with over 7,500 followers.

“The original six members created the #EatBLKCLT hashtag to simply bring more visibility and awareness to Black food and drink businesses across the city,” Taylor said. “It was just their way of giving back, especially when people were asking where were all the Black-owned businesses they could support. This was their way to contribute to the movement.”

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