Say Grace, Wipe Your Hands...

Actually, the taste can be had in the bustling Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport at the legendary Paschal's restaurants locations.  This writer was struck that the distinctive flavor could be replicated not only in their original restaurant, but at several takeout sites in the airport.

And just across the street from Emory University Hospital, Gladys Knight and Ron Winans make culinary music at their chicken and waffles eatery.    Peaches are pretty ubiquitous in Georgia, but having Georgia peach butter along with cinnamon raisin toast was a distinctive touch among many delectible items.

But many of the 15,000 African-American food establishments around the nation are not as visible.    BlackRestaurant.Net unveils the first national guide--Say Grace, Wipe Your Hands: An Eaters Guide to America's Black Restaurants--June 1 as a handy guide book and mobile application.   During the first Black Restaurant Month in March, we searched the country for as many of these taste emporiums as possible.

For more than 60 cities, Say Grace, Wipe Your Hands has detailed lists of restaurants that are particularly useful for travelers and event planners.

As co-founder of National Black Business Month, I've observed a tradition of eating at least one meal per day at a black restaurant each day of August, and many of you have followed along the blog.

Whether it's Mama Nems in Orlando, Interstate Barbecue in Memphis, Darker Than Blue in Baltimore, Ms. Tootsies in Philadelphia, Justins, 4040 Club and Red Rooster in New York City or Gussie's Chicken and Waffles in San Francisco, these are memorable locations that give a lot of pleasure while supporting employment in our communities.

We created a list of 60 black restaurants in San Francisco during the first National Black Business Month and people still talk about it.     It isn't chicken feed.  Black food businesses gross $6 billion per year, and could do a lot more if more people knew about them.