LITTLE ROCK, Ark — 'Black Restaurant Week' seeks to highlight Black culinary business nationwide to bring awareness to black owned food businesses.
There are 70 known Black owned food places in Central Arkansas.
The long tradition of food, family, and culture is being discussed with every meal at the Little Rock restaurant, 'So Full'.
You can find Curlethia Swanigan opening up the doors to her soul food café, 'So Full', which she mentioned is play on the word "soulful."
"People call it soul food. I call it home cooking because I grew up with it at home," she said.
Swanigan feels that at times, the community hasn't been connected to their roots. She believes that soul food is a way for them to bridge the generational gap.
"You know you always hear about your ancestors. Our ancestors are looking down on us, and soul food is what you grew up eating," Swanigan said.
"It's what your grandmother cooked when you went to visit her. These are the things that reconnect you to your roots," she said.
'Black Restaurant Week' began in 2016 as a way to help stimulate local economies by highlighting the black culinary industry.
Even with diverse dishes in 'Rock City Kitchen' in Little Rock, Executive Chef, Harold Lowery said that it was his grandmother who had him in the kitchen as his early start to cooking.
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"My grandmother, and also my mother. I can't leave my mother out. She also was definitely one of the people that kind of pushed me to do the food thing," Lowery said.
Before working at Rock City, Lowery expanded his skillset expertise across Central Arkansas, but he said that it'll always be those core roots that got him started.
Rock City Kitchen, owner, Joe Vincent said that he's glad to have Lowery on his team.
"It's great to be a part of the Black restaurant week, showing a lot of support to local black-owned businesses like ourselves and others getting the attention and notoriety and recognition," Vincent said.
Swanigan is hoping that the support doesn't stop after this week and that it continues into the year.
"Please support black," Swanigan said.
"We are small businesses and supporting black businesses doesn't mean come one time and don't come again," she continued.
'Black Restaurant Week' runs until Sunday, May 23rd.
You can view a list of all participating food businesses here.