By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
After a brief hiatus, the Soul of Seattle is back. Created in 2020 to support and bring awareness to Black-owned food and beverage businesses in Seattle, the event continues to evolve as it strives to connect people with local culinary talent.
Soul of Seattle Committee Member Marcia Jones is ecstatic and grateful for the opportunity to bring the community together and draw attention to numerous Black-owned businesses in Seattle and the surrounding area.
The third annual Soul of Seattle event will be held on February 10th at Bloc 41 in Belltown. The event will feature 20 different Black-owned food and beverage vendors, and attendees will be able to sample, eat, and interact with business owners while enjoying their creations. According to Jones, the goal of the event is to bring the community together, empower them through food, and raise funds while also shedding light on the diverse food scene that we have in Seattle.
For the vendors, it’s not only an opportunity to showcase their business but also a chance for them to support local non-profits. In addition to showcasing and raising money for Black-owned businesses, proceeds from the event will benefit local non-profit organizations.
“We have two nonprofit organizations that work with the youth of color. Both gave us a presentation, and we are going to either select one or both [to donate money to], but that will be decided closer to the day of the event,” says Jones. “It was very specific for us that you had to work with the youth of color.”
Utilizing social media platforms, Jones took her inspiring talents to Instagram in search of finding Black-owned businesses to participate in this year’s Soul of Seattle event. After receiving an overwhelming number of submissions, Jones and her committee settled on 20 vendors to participate in this year’s event.
Despite not everyone being on social media, the word about the Soul of Seattle got around. Whether it was from being tagged in the comments under the post or already being a follower of the Instagram page, the number of Black-owned businesses that wanted to be a vendor for the event was enormous.
The sheer number of applicants made it possible for Jones and her committee to upgrade the overall experience of the event. Out of the 20 participants, more than five were Black-owned beverage companies. In addition, people who choose the VIP experience will receive a five-course dinner with food and beverages prepared by a celebrity chef and local Black winemaker.
“For the VIP dinner, we will be bringing guest celebrity chef Jerome Brown, who is partnering with the first Black-owned woman winemaker Shae Fritchette,” said Jones. “The dinner will consist of a five-course meal, where the VIP guests will have an opportunity to experience that but also have the opportunity to come in early and peruse the vendors.”
“The VIP admission allows them to get a taste of both worlds,” added Jones.
Focusing on rebuilding the Soul of Seattle this year, the annual event that started in 2020 went virtual following the pandemic.
“As you know, 2020 came and soon after so did COVID. The following year the Soul of Seattle went virtual, consisting of a series of virtual events during the entire month of February for Black History Month,” says Jones.
The virtual series featured two restaurants each week that allowed people to order a prepared meal online and go pick it up. The series also included panel discussions with food and beverage experts from all over.
While the virtual series was successful, Jones says that people were still yearning to be able to interact with the owners and sample food from some of their favorite restaurants and some that might be new to them.
“The event highlights some of the Black-owned businesses that people would not know about by just reading through the black business directory,” says Jones. “It is a whole other thing to get to see them face to face, taste their food, and hopefully plan to go into the restaurant after the event.”
While things have been moving at a rapid pace to plan the event, getting the word out there about the Soul of Seattle event has been challenging for committee members, but they have remained very hopeful in doing so. Jones says that the word is spreading, and she is happy that the event is starting to get the recognition that it deserves.
“I am very grateful for the Seattle Medium to help us bring attention to the event,” says Jones. “[They have] been very helpful with getting the word out, showing people that we are back, and how important it is that we come together and celebrate these individuals and their Black-owned businesses.”
For more information about the event or for tickets, visit theseattlesoul.com.
