Pigford meetings through May 11 deadline

MONTGOMERY -- The $1.25 billion settlement for African-American farmers in the Pigford II case has a filing deadline of May 11 for potential claimants to file applications.

Glory collard greens grown by Georgia coop

D.C.'s mobile dining pioneer

WASHINGTON -- As early as 1977, Mr. P realized there was an unmet need for black cuisine in northeast Washington.

Daily Delicacies March 31

Healthy Soul Choice.  Soul food is not static.  During Black Food Month, we've learned that some of the most revered dishes are actually the result of the agricultural extension work of historically black colleges and universities like Tuskegee Institute at the beginning of the 20th century.  Today's chefs are continuing the pattern of innovation.

Daily Delicacies March 30

Healthy Soul Choices. Spices are becoming more important to cooking as nutritionists advise reducing sodium.  An especially rich source of spices is Ethiopian cuisine, which has become ubiquitous throughout the United States.  Netsanset Alimayehu, owner of Sheba Piano Lounge, 1419 Fillmore St. in San Francisco, regularly travels to Ethiopia to pick up spices directly from her home area.

Daily Delicacies March 29

Healthy Soul Choice.  Even if not blessed with great marketing budgets, black restaurants always are a good story.  Many benefit from the kind of attention money can't buy.  

Daily Delicacies March 25

Healthy Soul Choice. There is something about a brick oven which brings the nutritional value and flavor out of baked goods.  John Akins of AYS Foods left a 20-year career at Marriott to create an artisan bakery 15 years ago, supplying farmers markets in San Francisco and opening Cafe Golo, 1602 Lombard St., on the approach to the Golden Gate Bridge.  His designer breads include sweet potatoes, onions, olives, Italian herbs, cheese, cinnamon, raisins or apples.  Don't just grab the first loaf off the shelf.

50 Top Names in Black Food

As we recognize the importance of the black food industry to American life during Black Food Month in March, we bring forward those who have had the perseverance, dignity, courage and talent to maintain the vigor of this important aspect of our shared heritage while demonstrating the business acumen to open multiple locations, expand products beyond their original base and affect the nutritional options available to underserved communities.

BlackRestaurant.NET's 50 Top Names in Black Food combine soul, sophistication and savvy and we are happy to show them long overdue appreciation.  Some of these businesses have endured for almost a century.  More details in Say Grace and Wipe Yo' Hands: BlackRestaurant.NET's Top 500 Places to Eat.  We will honor them in New York City to mark the 31 Ways 31 Days of National Black Business Month.

Daily Delicacies March 28

Healthy Soul Choice. Cabbage doesn't have the sex appeal of other vegetables, but serving for serving is a culinary supermodel jam-packed with more vitamin C than an orange, fiber for regularity and even iodine.  African-American chefs feel compelled to give this standby all the accoutrements to bring out the flavor and the nutrition.  Cabbage is one of the markers that sets apart the best soul food. When it is lightly cooked, seasoned with flair but not too much salt and one can have confidence in the entire menu.  When cabbage has crunch, it keeps everything moving.

Daily Delicacies March 27

Healthy Soul Choice.  As studies indicate health benefits from modest wine consumption, the rise of African-American vintners has sparked a new movement of connoisseurs.  The Atlanta chapter of the African-American Wine Tasting Society meets tonight at Seed Kitchen and Bar in Marietta.  West Palm Beach collector Greg Daniel finds nothing more relaxing than sampling his collection after a long day.

50 Top Names in Black Food

As we recognize the importance of the black food industry to American life during Black Food Month in March, we bring forward those who have had the perseverance, dignity, courage and talent to maintain the vigor of this important aspect of our shared heritage while demonstrating the business acumen to open multiple locations, expand products beyond their original base and affect the nutritional options available to underserved communities.

BlackRestaurant.NET's 50 Top Names in Black Food combine soul, sophistication and savvy and we are happy to show them long overdue appreciation.  Some of these businesses have endured for almost a century.  More details in Say Grace and Wipe Yo' Hands: BlackRestaurant.NET's Top 500 Places to Eat.  We will honor them in New York City to mark the 31 Ways 31 Days of National Black Business Month.

50 Top Names in Black Food

As we recognize the importance of the black food industry to American life during Black Food Month in March, we bring forward those who have had the perseverance, dignity, courage and talent to maintain the vigor of this important aspect of our shared heritage while demonstrating the business acumen to open multiple locations, expand products beyond their original base and affect the nutritional options available to underserved communities.

BlackRestaurant.NET's 50 Top Names in Black Food combine soul, sophistication and savvy and we are happy to show them long overdue appreciation.  Some of these businesses have endured for almost a century.  More details in Say Grace and Wipe Yo' Hands: BlackRestaurant.NET's Top 500 Places to Eat.  We will honor them in New York City to mark the 31 Ways 31 Days of National Black Business Month.

Daily Delicacies March 26

Healthy Soul Choice.  When you see "State" or "A&M" as part of a university name, you are seeing the legacy of Abraham Lincoln, who had the foresight to fund "land-grant" universities through the Homestead Act in the midst of the Civil War.  But it took until 1890, 35 years after the end of the war to bring African-Americans into the benefit.  The second Morrill Act authorized grants to historically-black colleges such as Tuskegee Institute, bringing agricultural extension agents into black farm communities and greatly increasing yields.  Today, those 1890 institutions are reviving agricultural studies for black youth. An $18 million grant program for capacity building for the 1890 institutions has an application due date of March 27.  A powerful role model is Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young, acting director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, which emcompasses entire university agricultural research effort federally for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  She is a graduate of N.C. State University.

Daily Delicacies March 24

Healthy Soul Choice. How one cooks can be as important as the actual item, when determining nutritional value.   Baking or roasting, with different spices and herbs, is advocated in many of the more recent soul food cookbooks as a way to minimize fat and unhealthy cholesterol.  During periods of heavy consumption like the NCAA basketball tournament, cooks can use alternatives to add flavor without frying.

50 Top Names in Black Food

As we recognize the importance of the black food industry to American life during Black Food Month in March, we bring forward those who have had the perseverance, dignity, courage and talent to maintain the vigor of this important aspect of our shared heritage while demonstrating the business acumen to open multiple locations, expand products beyond their original base and affect the nutritional options available to underserved communities.

BlackRestaurant.NET's 50 Top Names in Black Food combine soul, sophistication and savvy and we are happy to show them long overdue appreciation.  Some of these businesses have endured for almost a century.  More details in Say Grace and Wipe Yo' Hands: BlackRestaurant.NET's Top 500 Places to Eat.  We will honor them in New York City to mark the 31 Ways 31 Days of National Black Business Month.