Now in its fourth year, Support Black-Owned Restaurants Week (SBORW) is back and ready to serve up some delicious eats for a very worthy cause. What originally started off as a weekend-long celebration proved far too popular and widespread to confine to only a couple of days, and now this celebration of Black culinary culture has expanded to feature a whopping 88 eateries, and lasts an entire week starting TODAY (August 20) and ending Sunday, August 26.
Why is it so important to support (and enjoy) SBORW? Here’s what the organizers say:
In the whitest major city in the US, with gentrification pushing out small businesses and with hate crimes targeting visibly black-owned restaurants on the rise: it is harder than ever to keep a small business afloat. We want to show love and support for our local, black-owned eateries. The people who run them literally feed a village. They bring flavor to our lives and to our town. They feed multiple communities and our local economy.
You can read more about the origins of SBORW in this 2017 interview by the Mercury‘s Andrea Damewood, but check out all the events this week has in store!
Schedule:
Monday, Aug. 20 Theme: West African Dining
Also: Happy Hour for Human Solutions at Oregon Public HouseTuesday, Aug. 21 Theme: Caribbean foods
Wednesday, Aug. 22 Theme: East African dining
Thursday, Aug. 23 Theme: Soul food & BBQ
Friday, Aug. 24 Theme: Fusion Friday
Entertainment: Live jazz at Solae’s Lounge;
DJ featuring an evening of pan-African music of multiple genres at Sengatera Ethiopian Restaurant.Saturday, Aug. 25:
Black Street Bakery vegan pop-up bakery will be selling sweet and savory pastries at Jade District Night Market from 5-10–come early while supplies last!
Entertainment: Gergish performing live at Solae’s Lounge;
Entertainment: DJ featuring an evening of all-Ethiopian music at Sengatera Ethiopian Restaurant.Sunday, Aug. 26:
Black Feast pop-up dinner by Chef Salimatu Amabebe. Each Black Feast event is a themed, curated event celebrating black artists and writers. Stay tuned for theme and details. Reserve early!
Epif pop-up dinner. Afro-Cuban chef Ant S. will be serving a 4-course, plant-based Peruvian dinner and fundraiser for Project Lemonade. Live music by Ch’aska Quillo. Reserve soon before it’s booked!
Get all the information you need (including recommendations and maps) here, and support the Black restaurant community this week—and every week!
