Memphis On A Plate

THIS SOUTHERN CITY IS NOW KNOWN FOR MORE THAN THE BLUES THANKS TO CYNTHIA DANIELS. TAKE A CUISINE TOUR WITH THE FOUNDER OF MEMPHIS BLACK RESTAURANT WEEK .

- Mashaun D. Simon

For Cynthia Daniels, eating Memphis fare is like seeing an old friend. “A lot of love goes into Memphis food. And we have the best ingredients and seasonings,” she says.

Whether it’s barbecue, one of the things the city is famous for, or Daniels’s favorite fried chicken, love gives Memphis cuisine its own flavor. She saw it in the way food was prepared and how folks gathered to break bread. That’s why she created Memphis Black Restaurant Week (MBRW) in 2016. The annual event brings the soulful community together through delectable edibles. In 2009 the Atlantan moved to Memphis after she was laid off from her human resources position. When she began performing event planning services, she noticed the numerous area festivals celebrating the pride of Italian, Jewish and Latino communities: “I looked up and thought, Wow. I am working with a lot of Black business owners. Why don’t we have our own festival?”

Cuisine and Cash Flow