Madison Black Restaurant Week is Aug. 9-16

For my most recent cover story, I reported on the 11th annual celebration of Madison's Black restaurants for the captimes.com | you can read the full story here.

I spoke with the Black Chamber of Commerce's CEO and President, Camille Carter and a few restaurant owners and chefs. I also ate at a few spots, too: Buraka, David's Jamaican, JustVeggiez and Alice & Bernice Kitchen -- all Black-owned and operated in Madison.

I also spoke with Syovada Edari, the owner of a chocolate shoppe on the west side, but she preferred not to be mentioned in the story. She told me she celebrated 10 years in business this Aug. 5.

Markos Regassa, the owner of Buraka, talked with me last week, amid the former memorial encampment, which was a few blocks down from his restaurant at 1210 Williamson Street, until police removed it on Tuesday morning.

Regassa lit up as he described his favorite parts about becoming a neighborhood gem over the years, like seeing locals love the dishes he spent years cultivating. He'd even said "hello" to a couple who've been regulars since he opened in 1992, while pushing his granddaughter in her stroller during our interview. She and I share a favorite from Regassa's menu:

The coconut chicken curry with injera, Ethiopian flatbread.

Regassa said his favorites include the dorowot entree, which is chicken, carrots, and a blend of spices cooked in a tomatoey berbere sauce, as well as the Friday fish fry.

I also learned that the chef and owner of David's Jamaican Cuisine, David Blake, was literally born 73 years ago in the kitchen and hasn't left since. He runs the establishment at 1006 E. Broadway in Monona with his wife, Pauline, and raised his kids in the restaurant.

“When we first started cooking, we only had like a sack of silver,” Blake said. “We started with 80 dollars 25 years ago, and here we are still. I just love to cook.”

Meanwhile, James Bloodsaw Jr. transformed 30 years of catering and culinary experience into his vegan restaurant JustVeggiez, opened in downtown Madison in 2023. He talked with me about operating Alice & Bernice Kitchen, a restaurant for meat-lovers interested in familiar Black American bites, out of the same restaurant at 540 State St.

Carter with the Black Chamber said it's been hard seeing spots in Madison come and go, but Restaurant Week is about spotlighting the businesses serving soul-food year-round.

“We’ve had several businesses relocate and sometimes they open up a business in another spot, but sometimes they don’t," she said, using Milwaukee as an example.

Local restaurants that are offering diverse experiences, such as karaoke or trivia, or live music, especially to young crowds, are the ones that attract loyal customers of all demographics, Carter said.

I personally would love to see more spots catering to the young adult crowd.

Learn more about Black Restaurant Week here.