This February, after months of loss and struggle that have disproportionately impacted Black businesses and communities, we entered Black History Month considering the many different meanings this annual observance carries. In 2021, there is so much organizing, achievement, and strength to uplift and reflect on this month. Black History Month, like Black history in the US, has many meanings. So we asked our community and our staff: What does Black History Month mean to Hot Bread Kitchen? What do you want it to mean? Here are some reflections.
“Black History month at Hot Bread Kitchen means a little bit more soul in the kitchen, highlighting the chefs that may not have had the opportunities before. Hot Bread Kitchen allows us to have those opportunities and helps us bridge the gap between just making food in an incubator and coming up with ideas, to actually reaching customers that we might not have ever met before.”
Chef Lexis Gonzalez, Founder, Lady Lexis
“Historically, enslaved Black people were happy when they could cook and come together to have food. They didn’t have much, it was always just scraps, but the celebration of being together and eating together, the love of the food and the company of each other, is something that I look at now and I try to incorporate with my food.”
Chef Sandra Mathis, Founder & Owner, Grace Kelly Cupcakes
