Twenty of Cleveland’s top eateries have been selected to represent the city’s Black-owned culinary scene when the Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland NAACP, The Real Black Friday and Aramark, in partnership with the NBA and Hennessy, present the Taste of Black Cleveland: The Food Showcase 4.0. The special event takes place on August 18th from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
The public is invited to enjoy a night of good eats and cultural celebration that features the top Black chefs/owners of local Cleveland restaurants, food trucks and catering businesses.
This year’s just-announced lineup of participants includes:
Bite Creole Kitchen
Next Level Caterers
Blasian Fusion
Pittmasters BBQ
Chef Erok's Kitchen
Smoky Sweet Soul
DVTOGO MOBILE CATERING
Squash the Beef
Filter Experience
The Haunted House Restaurant
Furahi: A Taste of Home
UJerk Caribbean Eatery
Goodfellas BBQ
Vegan Vybez LLC
Gourmet Gent Culinary Services & Supply Co.
Vitiman Kandie LLC
Grille 55
YumVillage Cleveland
Kafela
Zanzibar Soul Fusion - Downtown
Chefs will prepare their signature dishes for guests to sample then vote based on quality, variety and presentation. Prizes will be awarded to the winning participants, as well as consideration for additional opportunities at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse and more. Winning participants will also be recognized on-court during a Cavaliers game this upcoming 2022-23 season.
Local Black mixologists will provide drinks for night and will compete for the People’s Choice Drink of the Night presented by Hennessey. Participants include:
Aaliyah Morgan - Fin and Feathers
Da'rrell Goodson - Swerve
Jessica Strother - Double Nickel
Olivia Doughty - Grille 55
Rachel Davidson - Rumor Bar & Lounge
Sundae Wynn - INC Bistro
New this year, the event will also incorporate past winners of Taste of Black Cleveland by featuring their food in a buffet-style dining format. These include:
Black Box Fix
Cleveland Mofongo Latin Grill
Floods Urban Seafood
Koncious Kuisine
Pearl’s Kitchen
Sauce The City
B. Landrum Entertainment LLC and Lo-Key Entertainment will provide entertainment throughout the night and several local dessert caterers will also be on hand to serve after-dinner sweet treats.
Tickets for A Taste of Black Cleveland: The Food Showcase 4.0 are on-sale now. The full experience costs $85 and general admission costs $45. All proceeds from the event will go back to the restaurateurs to cover participation costs, as well as benefit the Cleveland NAACP and the Cavaliers Community Foundation.