Black Feast Week 2024: A Historic Success that Galvanized Kansas City’s Black Food Scene

Kansas City just witnessed something extraordinary. The first-ever Black Feast Week has come to an electrifying close, and it was nothing short of monumental.

What started as a bold, community-driven initiative to uplift our city’s Black-owned restaurants transformed into a full-blown movement, bringing the community together and spotlighting the brilliance of the World’s Greatest Food Culture.

The Impact

As we said when we were preparing to launch this initiative, our Black restaurants are in a moment of crisis. In just the past 3 months, Soiree, The Krave, and Privee—three of our city’s most cherished Black-owned restaurants—have announced their closures, displaying that the urgency to uplift our local Black culinary scene has never been greater.

With nearly 1 million impressions across all of our platforms, Black Feast Week ignited a surge of support for 16 of KC’s finest Black-owned restaurants.

More than simply being an event for “Black Businesses” —we reclaimed visibility for businesses that are often overlooked and created spaces where Black joy and community could thrive.

• We also partnered with every major food influencer in Kansas City, and even reached as far as Wichita, with influencers showcasing these restaurants to hundreds of thousands of potential eager new patrons.

The People’s Buyout:

One of the most powerful moments came during our launch event on October 1st with The People’s Buyout at District Fish & Pasta.

The Kansas City Defender fully funded meals for 100 Black single mothers and families, offering them a night where they didn’t have to be burdened with how they’d feed their family, and instead, got to enjoy the presence and love of community.

There was a line out the door for three hours straight.

“Knowing that struggle with my mother, us three, my brothers and sister… how she had to struggle just to make a meal for us… It was powerful beyond words.” – Leeko Khalifah, Owner of District Fish & Pasta

Community in Action

This was never about transactions.

Black Feast Week was built on the belief that community is at the heart of everything. We hosted events not just to support restaurants but to bring our people together in joy and community – in a city so often plagued by violence, surveillance, racism and dehumanization.

From the canned food donation event at District Biskuit, to Mattie’s Foods donating a portion of profits to support incarcerated Black people, we made sure each event did more than just feed—it nourished our collective Black community.

Monique Bowls, a single mother who attended The People’s Buyout, shared her gratitude:
“Some days I got this, and some days I don’t know what I’m gonna do. But this right here—it’s real powerful.”

Black Feast Week in the Headlines

The week made it past local news, and even captured national attention, including features from; BET, Black Enterprise, The Kansas City Star, KSHB, FOX4, KCTV5, The Pitch, Startland News, and more.

What’s next:

We’re not done. Over the next few months, we will be releasing in-depth interviews with the chefs and owners behind each restaurant, telling their stories in ways that have never been done before. Make sure to keep an eye out!

• We’ve already seen massive interest from new Black-owned restaurants eager to join next year, but we aren’t waiting for next year to keep the momentum going. We’re building lasting relationships with each restaurant, ensuring that the community support continues beyond Black Feast Week.

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