Tia Downer, owner and founder of the catering firm Just Pastas, began “experimenting” with pasta recipes she had learned from her grandmother in 2017.
“I started cooking and making my own mixing flavors. Family members were my first customers.”
In 2021, she participated in her first Taste of Black St. Louis event, and her business continues to add pasta varieties and business patrons.
“This was my coming out evet,” she said last Friday during the 2024 Taste of Black St. Louis at Soldiers Memorial Plaza downtown, which ran through the weekend.
“That first event, I sold out all three days.”
Among the pastas that Downer offers are veggie teriyaki, Cajun salmon and chicken and noodles.
She is also planning a “Pop Up Pasta” event from noon to 7 p.m. October 27, 2024 at 320 Vandeventer.
Just Pastas was among more than 20 restaurants and caters who displayed their culinary skills at Taste of Black St. Louis.
Included was The Wild Rose Soul Food Café, which has a restaurant and market at 2158 Chambers Road in north St. Louis County.
“We are just soul food, and we have things for everybody including turkey and other healthier dishes,” said Ashley Steed.
Steed said the restaurant is named for her grandmother, whose first name is Rose. Many of its recipes were from grandma’s kitchen, and Steed has added her own touch for the past two years.
Among her offerings at Taste of Black St. Louis were ox tails and rice, one of the restaurants most popular dishes. Its menu has breakfast choices including waffles, and lunch and dinner selections include catfish, chicken, short ribs and more.
Charles Culton enjoyed the art of barbecue and five years ago as he mastered the grill and smoke to prepare a large dinner, he decided to go from hobby to entrepreneurship.
No Sauce BBQ, a food truck that offers pull-up catering and participates in events including Taste of Black St. Louis, was his creation and it was his inaugural appearance at the Taste.
“I decided to do a business,” Culton said as he left the grill to help a line of customers who were buying lunch time meals.
Aisha James, Taste of Black St. Louis founder, says on the event website it has drawn over 250 vendors with a mission “to curate a vibrant African American Food Festival, offering a communal space for cultural exchange, education, and the joyous exploration of food.”
Mayor Tishaura Jones presented Taste of Black St. Louis a proclamation in 2021 designating the 2nd week of September as “Taste of Black St Louis weekend.”
The annual event has also received resolutions and acknowledgments from the Missouri House of Representatives, state Rep. Marlon Anderson, and, in 2023, the Board of Aldermen and Alderman Rasheen Aldridge.
“These recognitions underline Taste of Black St Louis as a cherished community staple and the perfect portal for small businesses into the hearts and tummies of our city year after year,” said James.
In addition to the various food choices, Taste of Black St. Louis also hosts the Soko Marketplace which features art and crafts from cultural artisans which include hand-crafted jewelry and clothing.
According to the National Restaurant Association, there were approximately 375,000 Black-owned restaurants in the United States in 2020, representing 8% of all restaurants in the country
In 2020, Black-owned restaurants in the United States generated approximately $25 billion in sales.
The largest increase in Black owned restaurants came between 2007 and 2012, when the number rose by nearly 60%, outpacing the growth of all restaurants in the country during the same period.
In Missouri, 23% of restaurants are owned by minorities, with 7% being Black owned, 13% being owned by Asians and 4% owned by Latinos.
In every state of America, the number of minority-owned restaurants, by percentage, was higher than any other type of business in the private sector.
A growing number of Black-owed restaurants and catering firms play a critical role in the economies of many Black communities.
The businesses create jobs, generate tax revenue, and provide opportunities for entrepreneurs and small business owners who provide the restaurants with goods and services.
Black owed restaurants are often social hubs, where community, church, and school meetings or fundraisers are held.
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