The first ever Black and Local Food Festival happens Monday March 5 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the University of Louisville Bigelow Hall-Miller IT Center, 199, 101 Eastern Pkwy, The event will feature free entry to food tastings, entertainment, and shopping and is presented by the U of L Engage Lead Serve Board (ELSB), Student Activities Board (SAB) and Black Student Union (BSU).
“My hope for this event is for students and community members who attended to have learned more about local black-owned businesses and to enjoy some good food,” said Programming Director of ELSB Wesley Turner, who planned the event with Erica Wheeler, Vice President of BSU, Joseph Holland, Diversity Chair of SAB, and Briana Williams and Elanna Carr who are also apart of ELSB. “UofL holds a lot of students, many which are not even from Louisville. Louisville offers a lot of various local shops and restaurants, but we sometimes overlook who owns these shops and miss the importance of supporting black-owned business, as historically, the black community has been discriminated against and not supported fully.”
Entertainment includes student dance group Shades of Movement , local step team Complex Collaboration and The Bourgeoisie Model and Fashion Troupe, which is a student group that does a mixture of modeling and some dance to create a one of a kind performance.
Restaurants to be sampled include Seafood Lady, Super Chefs, Daddy Rich’s, Funmi’s Cafe, Kay-Kay Cupcakes, and Black Italian.
Local shops will also be featured, including Aesha African Basket Shop, Asha’s Jewelry Box, Pretty in Pearls, Posh Doomz, Farm to Baby, SerV, and Dope Denims.
Turner went on to say he is very excited about the event. “I know all of us working on the event, Joseph, Erica, Elanna, Briana, myself, and the organizations that we represent, have been ecstatic in the planning. We have loved creating an event that uplifts melanin and supports local businesses, but most importantly we are excited to taste all the good food!”
