All Set Restaurant & Bar, Believe N Bread, and Matchbox are participating in the fourth annual DMV Black Restaurant Week, which runs through Sunday, November 14.
The annual promotion aims to highlight black-owned restaurants in the DC Metropolitan Area:
Local restaurants are the custodian of our community’s culture. When these restaurants thrive, the neighborhoods and cities prosper and the community’s overall culture flourishes. Leading to 2018, a series of events put this idea to the test. From the black tax story at a hotel to the profiling of two young entrepreneurs at a national coffee chain, it became necessary to recreate what was once a haven for communal growth.
While the events fueled an already heated discourse, one question was on the mind of Dr. Erinn Tucker, “Where are our black-owned food businesses that cater to the needs of their community?” Black Restaurant Week has proved to be a model that many cities across the country utilized to promote and support black-owned businesses and to keep the black food culture alive. Upon further research, Dr. Erinn realized that such a platform is also needed in Washington DC. Once the idea came to her, she reached out to Furard Tate and later Andra Johnson and the DMV Black Restaurant Week (DMVbrw) was born.
In addition to Restaurant Week dining specials, organizers say they have a week of activities planned around the D.C. Metropolitan Area, including Signature Events, “while we celebrate black-owned food and beverage makers in the DMV.”
Along with offering a $40 3-course menu, All Set Restaurant & Bar announced on Instagram that bartenders Luis Barerra, Darius Williams, and Abake Dedo, who entered DMV Black Restaurant Week’s cocktail contest, were selected to participate in the final competition on November 8th at Serenata.
Matchbox yesterday announced on Twitter that their popular Fire & Smoke Pizza will be available in pasta form on its Restaurant Week and November feature menus.
Believe N Bread, which has bread and baked items for sale at the Takoma Park-Silver Spring Food Co-op, is offering pick-up specials for DMV Black Restaurant Week.
A full list of participating restaurants can be found on the 2021 DMV Black Restaurant Week website.
Graphic: DMV Black Restaurant Week/Instagram