CLEVELAND — Nineteen competitors will participate in the Taste of Black Cleveland: Restaurant Week 2019. The event features black-owned entrepreneurs who will dish up a sample platter of culture to Cleveland.
"Being able to highlight some of the black restaurants in Cleveland, Ohio is remarkable," said Chef Victor Searcy Jr.
Some restaurants that may not have the money to compete in a city of culinary titans.
Larese Purnell put the week-long event together. The idea: get folks to try the 19 participating spots, spend locally, and keep them coming back.
"They support education, they employ people, they're building legacies for their families."
Searcy runs the kitchen at Sauce the City, in Ohio City. His specialty already has quite the following.
"We were known for the best chicken sandwich in the city,” said Searcy.
Just like the customers, Searcy is making sure to support the community. Everything on the sandwich is grown within a 12-mile radius.
“A ton of great chefs that can outlook so many people, and of course I’m one of them,” said Darrell Richardson.
Richardson is executive chef at Swerve Grill, in Shaker Heights.
"We are a whole at the end of the day, there's no competition at this point and time. Let everyone show where their growth is,” said Richardson.
“This is the biggest thing that can happen this year,” said Searcy.
Customers can vote for their favorite restaurants. The top five will earn spots inside Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. Here is a list of all the participating restaurants:
