Posted By Wyatt Gordon on Thu, Mar 4, 2021 at 3:35 PM
Anyone who feels like there’s nothing fun and safe to do during the pandemic clearly hasn’t spoken with Shemicia Bowen, one of the three women behind the Richmond Black Restaurant Experience. For the food festival’s fifth iteration, she, Kelli Lemon, and Amy Wentz have pulled together a 10-day culinary journey featuring over 70 Black-owned businesses around town, running from March 5 to 14.
“With 27 food trucks and 43 brick-and-mortar establishments, we have a full menu of experiences for folks this year,” Bowen says. “We are trying to connect the culture of Richmond to the cuisine of Richmond, and that means going beyond soul food to include the full array of foods Black people provide this city.”
Brave New World
Even in the best of times, opening a restaurant is a risky endeavor. Opening a restaurant during a pandemic is essentially uncharted territory. While Richmond has lost a number of independent restaurants due to pandemic pressures, including gems that helped shape the dining scene, the region has also witnessed an influx of new dining establishments. We look at some of these recent additions, from a chef-driven pizzeria in Scottâs Addition to a Black-owned juice bar in the Fan and an urban oasis in Fulton Hill. Although face masks, takeout boxes and COVID protocols were not a part of the ownersâ original visions, they have embraced concepts they hope can thrive in the current climate, exhibiting the tenacity restaurateurs are known for.