Black Restaurant Week underway in Atlanta through August 14

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta Now News at 10) — It’s Black Restaurant Week in Atlanta, and the goal is to support local Black-owned businesses. Atlanta Now’s Valencia Jones took us on a mouth-watering journey.

Belle and Lily’s Caribbean Brunch House on Chamblee Tucker Road is among the more than 120 restaurants participating in Black Restaurant Week.

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“I just happened to see them in Atlanta Magazine and saw they had grouper on the menu and decided to try it today,” said Lisa Gilmore, a customer.

“Every sort of ethnicity should be supported in any way possible,” said Payton Horton, another customer.

“I always had the idea of having a very small brunch restaurant to pay homage to both my grandmothers who passed a few years ago,” said Belle and Lily’s Caribbean Brunch House Owner Tasha Belle.

Her West Indian background is sprinkled right into her Caribbean food selections, including mango toast and whole fried snapper. “We have a St. Lucian dish bakes and salt fish, which is my absolute favorite,” she said.

Forks and Flavors in Kennesaw is serving up special dishes as well. Executive Chief and Co-Owner David Wilmott said they started out as a catering business in 2014. “In 2020, we decided to make that jump and open a restaurant,” he said.

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They’re serving up a chicken and waffle BLT, short ribs and grits, and other items that have been showcased on the Food Network.

“Everything was delicious. The service was great,” said Leighann Kurth, one of several satisfied customers.

“One of the number one items that we sell here is our Korean Fried Shrimp. It is amazing,” said Co-Owner Darnell Morgan. “Ninety percent of our bar are all Black-owned brands,” he added.

Black Restaurant Week founders encourage businesses to provide dining specials to boost sales, which allows them to hire more staff, expand and handle rising food costs.

“It’s an amazing organization to be able to put those restaurants on the map,” said Wilmott, also explaining how their employees are their biggest inspiration.

“It’s not hard getting up out of the bed, making sure we do what we do to make sure that they can get paid and we can provide a great atmosphere for our customers,” he said.

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Black Restaurant Week continues through Sunday, August 14. For a list of participating restaurants and more information, click here.