HEINZ announces Open Kitchen, a new event series from the brand’s Black Kitchen Initiative. Kicking off in partnership with world-renowned chef, Marcus Samuelsson, past and current Black Kitchen Initiative grantees will take over restaurant kitchens for exclusive pop-up experiences.
Open Kitchen gives up-and-coming Black chefs new opportunities, experiences, resources, and exposure for their culinary businesses – currently one of the largest barriers to success in the American restaurant industry. The first takeovers will happen in New York and Atlanta.
Marcus Samuelsson – the creative and culinary force behind more than a dozen restaurants worldwide – will open two of his most iconic locations to past Black Kitchen Initiative grant recipients to kick off the program. Samuelsson will also collaborate with the chefs on exclusive dishes for each event.
On Dec. 6, 2023, Joy Crump and Beth Black will bring their signature Virginia flare to New York’s Red Rooster Harlem. Crump and Black own Foode + Mercantile in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The chefs celebrate Black culture through food, music, community and storytelling.
On Feb. 21, 2024, Samuelsson will open Marcus Bar & Grille in Atlanta, Georgia to Lorraine “Mama” Smalls and Antwan “Cake Daddy” Smalls. The Smalls own My Three Sons in North Charleston, South Carolina, where they offer classic soul food with a regional Gullah flair that patrons regularly say is reminiscent of eating grandma’s homecooked meals.
The Open Kitchen series is the latest program coming out of the HEINZ Black Kitchen Initiative. Launched in 2020 in partnership with The LEE Initiative and Southern Restaurants for Racial Justice (SRRJ), the HEINZ Black Kitchen Initiative aims to celebrate and preserve the legacy of Black food culture by helping to break down barriers that keep Black voices and cooking out of America’s culinary space.
In addition to Open Kitchen, over the last three years, the Black Kitchen Initiative has committed a total of $3 million dollars in grants and released two seasons of the award-winning Black Kitchen Podcast Series. After announcing the latest $1 million commitment in Black Kitchen Initiative grants in July 2023, the newest grant recipients have been selected. The full list can be found at heinz.com/blackkitchen/2023.
Foodies and fans can purchase tickets to the Black Kitchen Initiative Open Kitchen event in New York on December 6, 2023 by visiting https://bit.ly/OpenKitchenHarlem. For more information about the Open Kitchen series and the Black Kitchen Initiative visit @heinzbki, @leeinitiative and @srrj_coalition on Instagram.