In 2008, Washington D.C. saw a big shift in the culinary scene around the city.  It also saw a big shift in homegrown residents.  Chocolate City was evolving, and there was no stopping the full on gentrification that was occurring.  But with the construction of high rises, new restaurants, and $3000 apartment buildings, the very people who gave the city its moniker are seemingly nowhere to be found in this culinary economic boom, nor it seems in the city, for that matter.

 

In penning White Plates, Black Faces I want to take a deeper look into how and why this is happening and what can be done to fix it.  We can complain about not being represented, but if we just keep our heads down instead of putting them together then the future will ever remain futile.

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It was extremely important to document the Black restaurant industry experience as a whole.  Using just my voice would seem biased and opinionated. Our concerns are real. Our misrepresentation is real. So as I put the finishing touches on my literary project, I want to put a face to these voices through a series of roundtables featuring people from all aspects of the restaurant industry. I want to portray real and honest experiences that have shaped our standing in this city that we have come to love.  

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"We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak."

-Epictetus
Epictetus

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