New Pembroke Pines restaurant hoping to educate South Florida about black cuisines
PEMBROKE PINES - A new restaurant in Pembroke Pines is hoping to educate South Florida about black cuisine.
However, since their soft opening in March, the co-owners of Brandon's Bistro say they have been met with instances of racism.
Popular food blogger Starex Smith and former NFL player Kayvon Webster are looking to expand the notion of what African American cuisine is.
Smith explains it's much more than just soul food.
Since the soft opening, examples of microaggressions and racism have happened several times.
Smith explains restaurant guests have come in exchanging comments like, "This type of cuisine doesn't work in this neighborhood and so you might want to change this."
There was also an instance caught on camera, where a man can be heard asking if someone spoke "Ebonics."
The pair says it doesn't stop there.
They say Brandon's Bistro wasn't the original name, they were initially going with Brandon's African American Bistro, but that came with pushback from the landowner.
Smith and Webster who also own a second restaurant titled Smith & Webster in Miami, say Brandon's Bistro is aimed at being more than these unpleasant moments.
"We wanted to create a chef's space where our people are comfortable and the food speaks to the soul," said Webster.
They want their guests to leave full-on food and education through a wall of African American chefs who paved the way for the genre of food.
They're planning on placing QR codes with information so guests can learn more about the chefs and Black cuisine as a whole.