We wanted to take the time this week to highlight some ways we can all support Black-owned restaurants in the GTA, and bring some Black food culture into our kitchens; through take out, home-cooked recipes and recent articles from the front lines of the American fight for equality that has touched all of us this week.
Lalibela Ethiopian
Blog TO put together a list of restaurants to pick up from, to show support during this time. It includes 100 restaurants, with a link to each, making searching a breeze. From Irie Veggie on Eglington West to Lalibela Ethiopian on Bloor to TDOT Jerk on Roncesvalles, and 97 others, the hardest part will be narrowing it down to choose what to order for dinner tonight.
Smitten Kitchen recently compiled a list of Black cookbooks and memoirs. It includes a book by Toni Tipton-Martin, who spent years putting together the largest private collection of African American cookbooks. Tipton-Martin pulled the best of these to create The Jemima Code. This book not only includes a wealth of recipes but gives a view of Black cooking beyond the Aunt Jemima stereotype.
Also included in the round-up is Kwame Onwuachi’s Notes From A Young Black Chef. The memoir, published last spring, is currently being made into a feature film starring Lakeith Stanfield. The Washington Post said, “Onwuachi’s memoir should be required reading, not just for future chefs, but for anyone who wants a glimpse into one man’s tale of what it’s like to be young, black and ambitious in America.”
See the full list here.
“We can rebuild a building, but we cannot rebuild a human,” said Mr. Islam.” – New York Times
The New Yorker’s Helen Rosner interviewed Tunde Wey about his work as a food activist, filmmaker and writer. He said of the interview itself, “My work is no more or less worthy because it’s written about, but I’m so glad it is because otherwise, I would be more disposable than I am.” It’s a compelling conversation with a Nigerian man who is keen to change the North American systems we are so used to living with. Another story, in the New York Times, profiles a Bangladeshi restaurant family who lost their business in the riots, but still support the demonstrators.
And if you have a recommendation for a cookbook or restaurant that isn’t included in these lists, but should be, please share it in the comments.