Despite supply chain and service issues, in the spirit of ‘Ujamaa,’ here’s how we can help Black-owned restaurants thrive. — The celebration of Kwanzaa occurs every year, from December 26 to January 1, as a special holiday for the Black community to gather and recognize our achievements, commemorate our past and celebrate our legacy. …

How to know if your ‘cheap’ dinner or over-the-top extravaganza bodes well for a budding relationship — Throughout the years, I have heard some wild first-date stories. I’ve also heard some of the most romantic tales ever. And, of course, I’ve had my share of dates where the guy was so embarrassingly cheap that he shouldn’t have been allowed to ever enter a restaurant again. Now, before…

The sista-with-an-attitude storyline is tired and old. Welcome to the new school of centering Black women in TV food competitions. — I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that I almost high-fived the television set during Dominique Leach’s introduction on a recent episode of Food Network’s Chopped. The Chicago-based chef and owner of Lexington Betty Smokehouse appeared on the “Playing With Fire: Hog Heaven” barbecue-focused episode in mid-August, and she had…

Dressed to the nines or not, some restaurants just don’t want Black folk to show up. Let’s discuss. — Whenever I go over to my mom’s house, one of my favorite activities is to look through all the family photos. The most exciting album dates back to the 1960s, when she and my father used to throw glamorous dinner and cocktail parties at their Nashville apartment. I always thought…

It was only a matter of time before someone messed with Juneteenth once President Joe Biden made it a federal holiday in 2021. First, there was this guy who tried to gentrify the commemoration. Then, Dollar Store made a play with Juneteenth-themed party supplies. …

I honestly thought it was a joke when a good friend texted me a photo of this flyer for an upcoming Juneteenth celebration in Little Rock, Arkansas. “What in thee hell?!” I texted back to him after staring at it several times. “Figured you would appreciate this shit,” he replied…

Dark-skinned Black folks — particularly Black women — are getting hired in restaurant roles traditionally held by everyone except them. I’m not sure if it’s because of the ever-present labor issues or the sudden woke-ness in the hospitality industry, but colorism is finally becoming less problematic. Pre-pandemic, you’d be hard…

Hidden messages abound. We’d waited almost four long years to get new episodes of Donald Glover’s thought-provoking Atlanta on FX, and I’ve got to tell you that it was totally worth it. …

I was recently getting my hair done when my stylist suddenly asked, “Hey, have you seen Young, Famous & African yet?” Curious, I told him to turn it on, and for the next few hours I was gleefully glued to Netflix. The popular streaming network assembled one of the most…