Dylan Brogan
Buraka proprietor Markos Regassa is eager to help raise awareness of minority-owned businesses in town.
Maureen White, co-owner of That BBQ Joint, says people don’t often think about who owns a restaurant when deciding where to eat. So she is excited about the potential of Madison’s first Black Restaurant Week, which starts this Sunday.
“I’m a woman, and I’m a minority too. It’s nice to let people know we exist,” says White of the event. Black Restaurant Week is being sponsored by the Madison Black Chamber of Commerce, which has also put out a directory of black-owned local businesses. More than a dozen eateries are participating; similar efforts have been launched in Chicago, Memphis, Houston and Washington, D.C.
That BBQ Joint is offering a 10% discount to patrons who stop by and mention Black Restaurant Week. White is confident once customers get a taste, they’ll be back for more.
“We smoke meat every day, and the consistency is what really sets us apart,” says White. “Our goal is to do real Southern barbecue, smoked low and slow.”
Milele Chikasa Anana, a member of the chamber’s executive board and publisher of UMOJA magazine, says the goal of the event is to bring more visibility to black-owned restaurants and food businesses.
“Keep the names of these restaurants in front of you, and go eat there during this week,” says Anana. “We’re very excited because these restaurants have some really delicious food that you can’t find anywhere else in Madison.”
Madison Black Restaurant Week is highlighting a number of restaurants, food carts and catering companies, as well the South Madison Farmers’ Market. Restaurants include McGee’s Chicken on Park Street, the Wing King on Gammon Road, David’s Jamaican Cuisine on Monona Drive and three restaurants on Willy Street: That BBQ Joint, Buraka and Jamerica Restaurant. Participating food carts are JD’s Soul Food, Rib Masters and Papa’s BBQ. Catering companies include Kipp’s Cuisine Catering, Melly Mel’s, HML Catering, BP Smokehouse and Valice’s Sweet Potato Pies & Cakes.
“Madison is a foodie town, and we know that these restaurants can benefit from that. You will want to find out for yourself just how good the food is,” writes Aaron Perry, president of the Madison Black Chamber of Commerce, in a press release.
White says the biggest hurdle for minority-owned businesses is access to capital.
“It’s hard to get the money to start a business, to be honest with you.”
Markos Regassa, owner of the Ethiopian restaurant Buraka, agrees. He says it took him seven years, while operating a food cart on Library Mall, to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant on State Street. After losing his space in 2013 to make way for The Hub, a new campus high-rise, it took him another two and a half years to secure financing for the new Buraka at 1210 Williamson St.
“Your last success can’t guarantee future success,” says Regassa. “I had to put everything on the line to open up the new restaurant. My house. My retirement.”
Regassa says he was eager to participate in Black Restaurant Week to help bring awareness to minority-owned businesses in town. He says he focuses on offering a menu of authentic African food that no one else in town is serving. His most popular dish for more than a decade has been dorowot, chicken and carrots in a thick red sauce spiced with berbere. Regassa has words of advice for anyone hoping to enter the restaurant business.
“Don’t give up.”
