Source: Courtesy of the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle / Urban League
James Beard Award-Winning Chef Hosts Tasting & Dinner Feature Seattle Chefs Of Color
A new event celebrating the breadth of diversity in food from black chefs and brewmasters in the Pacific Northwest raised more than $100,000 to strengthen local services for people of color.
Chef Edouardo Jordan hosted the inaugural “Soul of Seattle” event Feb. 7 at the Northwest African American Museum in the Emerald City. Guests enjoyed a walk around tasting from ten black Seattle-area chefs and alcohol brands as well as gift bags, a silent auction and after-hours access to the museum’s exhibits.
The James Beard award winner, whose restaurants, JuneBaby, Salare and Lucinda Grain Bar are critically acclaimed, said although chefs of color are an important part of the fabric of the city’s culinary landscape, some aren’t widely known and need exposure to larger audiences.
Chef Jordan said he hoped that the evening would not only raise money for worthy causes but also introduce people to chefs they may not have known about and encourage them to patronize their restaurants.
“I’m proud to be here supporting my fellow chefs and broadcasting Seattle,” Jordan said. “We have a very unique culinary scene that needs to be spotlighted. This is an opportunity for networking and to support.”
Attendees enjoyed bites like jerk riblets from Chef Trey Lamont’s Jerk Shack, johnnycakes with andouille sausage from Chef Matt Lewis’ food truck, Where Ya At Matt, banana foster macarons from Chef Aliyah Davis’ Black Magic Sweets and ice-cold beers from the black-owned Metier Brewing Co.
“There are not that many opportunities to showcase businesses that are reflective of our community,” Rodney Hines, of the Metier Brewing Co. said, adding that he was thankful to Chef Jordan for his vision. “It’s not that often that you get that spirit of community in that way.”
