NEPTUNE - These four former Black-owned restaurants fed people across Neptune and Asbury Park, but the people behind them did so much more.
These owners fed families who couldn t afford to pay the bill, employed members of their community and encouraged others to open their own businesses.
Those four Black restaurateurs Clara Bowens, who owned Clara’s Place; Geneva Foreman of Geneva’s Soul Food Restaurant; Moses Keel of Moe s Greenhouse Luncheonette; and Frank and Mary Baity of Frank & Mary’s Luncheonette are being honored in Neptune s virtual Black History Month celebration. To say they helped others, yes, that’s a common thread, said Dianna Harris, chairwoman of Neptune s Black History Month Planning Committee. They were always willing to help the community whether they fed them or encouraged or employed them.