LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Lexington is celebrating its first "Black Restaurant Week" as part of SoulFeast from June 20 to June 26.
Twenty Black-owned restaurants and food trucks across the city are participating. The restaurants have partnered with Black Soil KY to incorporate ingredients from local Black farmers in off-menu $10 dishes.
"It's good to be recognized. That's mostly important, just to be recognized as a Black business here. It's been great," said Dee Hayes of Mama Dee's Coney Island.
Mama Dee's is serving seafood gumbo seasoned with basil from GreeneLanding Farm all week.
"To have a connection, a relationship with the farmers, that's a very good feeling. She came by and brought our basil, put it in our gumbo. It's just been great," Hayes said.
Frankfort Mayor Pro-Tem Katrisha Waldridge was in town to celebrate Black Restaurant Week at Mama Dee's.
"I think it's a great week. It not only highlights the restaurants, but it also highlights Black farmers, which are now to almost four percent of farmers in Kentucky," Waldridge said.
Waldridge said she hoped the week would also highlight agricultural opportunities for kids.
"I would love for some of those African-American children in our schools to join the FFA and learn more and know that farmers are not just Caucasian. There's Black farmers and farmers help you, they help me, they help Kentucky. They help our food sources to be sustainable," Waldridge said.
Hayes said she hoped the weeklong event would help strengthen the community.
"Support whoever you can. It's good to be able to reach out and support other businesses. That's the way we keep a community going. We have to look out for one another," she said.
Visit www.SoulFeastWeek.com to learn more about the restaurants and events.
