August 17, 2023
Black Pepper Food & Wine Fest Makes Its Return To Overtown To Celebrate Black-Owned Restaurants
South Florida’s Black Pepper Food & Wine Festival is returning to Overtown in August 2023, honoring local Black-owned restaurants.
According to Florida Insider, Alexis Brown and Joel Franklin founded the festival in 2019 to bring the community together and celebrate Black-owned restaurants and merchants around South Florida. “I think being able to provide an event where there’s such a wide range of generations, from children to millennials to older people, is really important,” the festival’s cofounder Alexis Brown told Miami New Times. “This is a true community event, and food is certainly one thing that brings people together no matter your age or race.”
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Attendees at this year’s festival will sample some of the tastiest Black cuisines in the region and enjoy eventful moments, including live entertainment, music, wine education, and tastings hosted by the Hue Society. Black mixologists have been invited to present cooking demos and mixology demonstrations.
Kids can participate in free cooking courses offered by the nonprofit Black Girls Cook.
The day before the festival begins, chefs will compete in the festival’s debut cook-off in collaboration with Florida-based nonprofit EatWell Exchange. “People often feel like they have to stop eating their cultural norm foods to eat healthy,” Brown said. “EatWell Exchange works to debunk that myth, so we decided to partner with them to offer their services during our festival weekend.” The food masters will whip up an edible creation from mystery ingredients. Participating chefs include Lo Taylor (Jamaica), Sunni (Ecuador), and Patrick Thezan (Haiti).
This year’s festival is predicated on having over 25 vendors, including Lil Greenhouse Grill, Phuse Cream, Perry Wings, and Rejoice African Restaurant and Bar. The event is sponsored by Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB), Miami-Dade County Chairman Oliver G. Gilbert, and the Miami-Dade Economic Advocacy Trust (MDEAT).
The Black Pepper Festival will take place on August 26 from 3 to 8 p.m. at the Urban, 1000 NW Second Ave., Miami. Festival entry is free to the community. The debut cook-off, held on August 25, from 8 p.m. to midnight, will require attendees to purchase $50 tickets to taste food.