On the heels of a rocky 2023, Long Beach Black Restaurant Week returns Jan. 21-28 with Qiana Williams-Mafnas of Axiom Kitchen at the helm, intent on recentering the focus toward community building, good food, and positivity.
“40% of the restaurants that participated last year have had to close since then,” Williams-Mafnas said. “[Black Restaurant Week] has to happen in order to serve a community that remains marginalized and underserved.”
According to a 2022 data brief by the National Restaurant Association, only 4% of restaurants in California are Black-owned.
This week of recognition aims to increase the visibility of black-owned restaurants in Long Beach by giving them a platform to promote their businesses. Participating restaurants will offer special pricing and menu items throughout the event, encouraging the community to explore and support these establishments.
This year’s Black Restaurant Week features 18 businesses, including 2 beverage companies, Waters Edge Winery and Smak’d, who specialize in frosted beverages and teas.
For local businesses, Devi’s Donuts, who offer 100% vegan treats like their creme brulee donut (a crowd favorite), participating in Black Restaurant Week is something they look forward to every year.
“We’ve been participating since the very beginning,” the owner of Devi’s, Tulasi Ognibene said. “It’s always a pleasure. Being a Black-owned business, we don’t typically get that much recognition on the day-to-day. So, to have all these businesses working together is a great thing.”
For Williams-Mafnas, the opportunity to organize Black Restaurant Week was a responsibility she was initially hesitant to take on but now she is grateful for the platform to spread awareness and uplift other businesses.
“It warms my heart,” Williams-Mafnas said.
In addition to organizing Black Restaurant Week, Williams-Mafnas will be working alongside her husband, Ian, sharing the food Axiom Kitchen has to offer.
“The word ‘Axiom’ relates to the idea of something being tried and true. That’s how we see our recipes,” William-Mafnas said. “Our menu is primarily smoked meats which are staples in each of our cultures.”
Both she and her husband are of mixed race, her parents from Jewish and Islander descent, and his of Greek and Guamanian descent. The amalgamation of these cultures, mixed with their Black heritage adds to the richness of flavors Axiom is able to provide.
Across the board, Black cuisine is diverse and rich in history and flavor.
During Black Restaurant Week, an event for the culture by the culture, diners will be treated to culinary experiences they aren’t soon to forget.
For more information and to view a list of participating restaurants, visit blackrestaurantweeklb.com
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