The organizers of SoulFeast Week are using food to connect the community to African American culture and farmers during Black Restaurant Week.
"I've always been a foodie," said SoulFeast co-founder, Martina Barksdale."I worked in hospitality for so many years. I wanted to find a way to give back."
Barksdale says the idea to form SoulFeast Week, a 10-day celebration of Black culinary culture highlighting Black restaurants, farmers, and chefs in Central Kentucky, was birthed out of that desire.
"It was like the height of 2020, racial injustice was at its height," said Barksdale. "I really saw the disparities between our Black and brown clients and our white clients when it came to resources ad money."
For the past few years, their team has taken Kentuckians of all races to support Black business and agriculture through educational and curated experiences that revolve around food.
"I wanted to take it a step further because agriculture is so important to this great state and that's when we partnered with Black Soil Kentucky," said Barksdale.
During Black Restaurant Week, people will be able to pay $10 for a meal sourced with at least one item grown or produced by a Black farmer.
"That allows us to go into our farm-to-table ecosystem with farmers across the entire state of Kentucky and purchase their produce, their meat, bring it into events like this and also have the chance to educate people about local farms and local food that's accessible to them," said Ashley Smith, co-founder and CEO of Black Soil.
Black Soil is an agribusiness that does farm-to-table experiences and farm tours.
"Mother nature can't see who puts the seed in the ground, so we're working really, really hard to ensure that Black farmers are heard, are visible, that they continue to be empowered, that they have a voice and are engaged in the local food system," said Smith.
On Juneteenth, they connected the Black farmers of Greene Landing Ky to guests who came to Cadentown Baptist Church's event on rural hamlets.
"Right now we're growing vegetables, fruits and flowers. We're just getting out of our strawberry season," said James Leavell- Greene.
Greene and his father brought fresh produce to give to the community during the event.
"To be able to come back to the land and show people that the land is important and what we're doing with the land is important I feel like is very meaningful," said Leavell- Greene.
They hope to show people that food is meant to be more than just eaten.
"Food is really art. It's culture. It's history," said Barksdale.
Some foods served during Juneteeth celebrations include watermelon dishes, cornbread, fried chicken, red beans and rice, and red velvet cake.
On Juneteenth, SoulFeast Week partnered with Bites of the Bluegrass for a Black history walking food tour.
Oxtail and Rice was served at Zim's Cafe and a fresh summer salad from chef Anetra Polk, owner, founder, & executive chef at Woke Junk Food Vegan.
