These nine Black chefs and entrepreneurs are relative newcomers to the Memphis restaurant and food community, each having launched their small businesses in the past five years. But they're already making their mark.
They are following in the footsteps of generations of Black Memphis chefs and restaurateurs who have shaped the city's culinary scene — people who took a passion for good food and created one-of-a-kind small businesses. Renowned Memphis restaurants like Cozy Corner, The Bar-B-Q Shop, Payne's and The Four Way may now be decades-old institutions, but they all started with a dream just like the seven businesses featured in this story.
The Black restaurant community is a key part of what makes Memphis one of the most innovative food scenes in the South, if not the country.
These nine chefs and entrepreneurs represent the hope and promise of the future of food in Memphis.
Billy Richmond of The Wing Guru
The story of how former Memphis Tigers basketball player Billy Richmond became a hot wing “guru” starts in his childhood.
"My dad owned Don Don’s Hot Wings,” said Richmond, who started working in his father’s restaurant at age 9. By 14, he was running the kitchen.
Determination was part of his recipe for success. “I was always told Memphis doesn't need another hot wing restaurant; it will never work. After hearing this continuously, it was then a goal to not only make it work but become the best hot wing restaurant in Memphis, hence the name The Wing Guru.”
In early 2017, the first The Wing Guru opened. Today, the Memphis-based wings chain has six locations, with five of the six being franchises of Richmond's concept. More are in the works.
His restaurants are known for one-of-a-kind flavors like The Triple J (a flavor he created with Grizzlies' star Jaren Jackson Jr.) and @peopleofmemphis BBQ. There are more than 20 different options.
Richmond said opening a business is rewarding, but tough. “I would advise not to open a business unless you are willing to make the proper necessary sacrifices needed to operate that business. It must be viewed as a passion, not a job.”
Cristina McCarter of City Tasting Box
In 2016, Cristina McCarter launched City Tasting Tours, a Memphis-based food tasting tour company. In the wake of COVID-19, the travel and restaurant industries were challenged to redefine hospitality and innovate new experiences.
Enter her latest venture: City Tasting Box.
“After a long conversation in June of 2020 with friend and now business partner, Lisa Brown, we decided to pivot together and go from local to nationwide,” she said. City Tasting Box ships Memphis-made foods to customers nationwide.
City Tasting Box is always adding new options to its main product line. For Black History Month, it launched the “Majority Box,” which features products made by Black Memphis food artisans. New in March will be a "Sanity Box" that only includes products from female Memphis food artisans.
McCarter said she has always loved to eat locally, even as a kid. “The more I got into it, the more I fell in love with every aspect of it — from the chefs, the menu, the ambience and the staff. Having a business like City Tasting Box allows me to raise up the micro-business owner, female chefs, up-and-coming artisans and locally famous restaurant staples.”
McCarter said owning your own business isn’t for the weak.
“You have to be able to laugh at defeat and eat no for breakfast. If you can’t do that, it’s gonna take a toll on you mentally,” she said. “Find your village and don’t break ties on a bad note with anyone. You may need them one day. So basically — be humble and grind.”
Tamra Patterson of Chef Tam’s Underground Café
Since opening Chef Tam’s Underground Café in March 2017, Tamra Patterson has made a name for herself for her creative Southern soul food dishes.
In January 2020, she more than doubled the size of her restaurant, moving from a small bungalow in Cooper-Young to an expansive location on Union Avenue in the Edge District.
Patterson, whose cheery personality is reflected in her food, is known for over-the-top fare that has landed her the attention of national shows like Food Network’s "Guy’s Grocery Games." She's even a restaurant of choice for the NBA.
Dishes like the "Bayou Fries" are often over the top, but absolutely delicious. This loaded fries dish is a whopper of an appetizer made with a seafood cream sauce, loads of shrimp, pico de gallo and bacon.
Family was her inspiration to open a restaurant. “It’s history and our love shown on a fork,” said Patterson. “I’d dream recipes and then get up and cook my dreams. There’s nothing more beautiful than carrying the torch on your leg of a journey that your grandmother and grandfather started.”
Patterson said it is key to be tenacious, a trait she shows daily as she struggles to adapt to keep her restaurant going during a pandemic.
“Never quit, rest when you’re tired and remember why you started when it gets scary,” she said.
Kelvin Kolheim of Beale Street Brewing Co.
Kelvin Kolheim made history in 2020 as the founder of Memphis’ first Black-owned brewery. Beale Street Brewing Co. beers first hit store shelves last March. His beer is now available canned in stores across the Mid-South, as well as on tap in many Memphis bars.
Kolheim said culinary curiosity is how he got started in homebrewing. “I realized you could manipulate flavors like cooking and draw from a very wide range of ingredients. And, the idea of celebrating Memphis while brewing beer was too awesome to resist.”
Beale Street Brewing Co. features craft beers that embrace Kolheim’s love of Memphis. His inaugural beer — Centsational India Pale Ale — celebrated the Memphis hoops legend Penny Hardaway. Brews such as Memphis All-Day Errrday and 528hz of Love & Hoppiness honor the music and culture of the Bluff City. Kolheim also partnered with other Memphis breweries last summer to release the “Black is Beautiful” imperial stout, part of a nationwide brewery project to “raise awareness for the injustices people of color face daily.”
Kolheim offers two pieces of advice for people starting their own business.
“Get comfortable being uncomfortable. Never stop being a student.”
Monique Williams, Jason Gardner and Markeith McCoy of Trap Fusion
Monique Williams, Jason Gardner and Markeith McCoy are the trio behind the popular restaurant Trap Fusion. Known for its from-scratch, healthier versions of soul food, Trap Fusion first opened its doors in Whitehaven in 2019. A second location in Cordova followed last fall.
Each is a native Memphian and possesses a passion not just for food, but for their hometown and the neighborhood of Whitehaven in particular. Gardner said he has always wanted to bring business back to the community that raised him; so that's what the three friends did.
Williams’ explanation of the name explains a lot about the philosophy and drive behind their concept.
“We chose the word TRAP because it is our goal to ‘trap’ taste buds with our ‘fusion’ of health conscious Southern-style dishes with other cuisines like Caribbean, Cajun, Asian and more,” Williams said. “TRAP is also an acronym for ‘Take Risk And Prosper’ and that is what we did when we opened a restaurant in Whitehaven, a local food desert.”
When Gardner looks back over the years, he can’t believe how far he has come. He would advise others to “believe in yourself, surround yourself with people who believe in you, build a great team, and work relentlessly.”
Williams added it is crucial to have a solid plan. “Know your target market, test your product beforehand, seek wise counsel and be flexible because things can change in a moment's notice (i.e. a world pandemic).”
For McCoy, organization is the single most important aspect of business. “It’s easy to wing it and it may garner some success, but starting with a solid foundation of organizational structure is key to maintaining success and truly breaking through.”
Megan Mottley of Goodness Gracious Luxe Cookies
Megan Mottley’s Goodness Gracious Luxe Cookies was born from a fundraising idea.
Four years ago, Mottley was on a mission to raise $3,000 for her teenage daughter to attend a mission trip to Japan. Her made-from-scratch cookies quickly went viral on social media, and shortly after the success of three fundraisers, Goodness Gracious Luxe Cookies was launched.
“I thought this would be a one-week fundraiser,” Mottley said. “But after we raised $5,000 in eight weeks, it became the ‘master plan.’”
Her new business gave her the opportunity to combine two things she enjoyed — baking and serving people.
In 2020, Mottley had to completely change her business structure. She pivoted from operating as a mobile bakery to shipping cookie mixes nationwide.
“It was a win-win. In a few simple steps, customers could make fresh baked cookies right at home, and my business was able to survive the pandemic,” she said.
Mottley encourages those who wish to be their own boss to, “Go for it!”
“Don't allow fear of failure to stop you and don't allow fear of success to limit you,” she advised. “Give yourself permission to go for it and don't beat yourself up if you make a mistake. You simply fail forward, learn the most important lessons, gain momentum and reap the benefits of being consistent.”
Bartholomew Jones of Cxffeeblack
When Cxffeeblack founder Bartholomew Jones found out about the Black history of coffee, he realized the experiences he was having in coffee shops didn’t really provide space for Black culture.
Jones explained that coffee was swindled from Africa in the 16th century. Cxffeeblack is built on the premise that Black communities re-engaging in coffee is the means to both reclaim a stolen destiny and build generational wealth.
“We were drinking this historical Black drink, but it was disconnected from any Black culture,” he said. “So we wanted to see if we could create a brand or concept that would match that.”
Jones reached out to Kenny Baker of Ethnos Coffee Roasters and the two collaborated to make Guji Mane coffee. Jones initially released small batches of his new coffee when it debuted in June 2019. Over the past year and a half, this whole bean coffee from the Guji region of Ethiopia spread in popularity and Jones has expanded its production.
Jones says this coffee was crafted to be enjoyed black while listening to Memphis rap.
He and his wife, Renata Henderson, started Cxffeeblack as an entrepreneurial venture to reclaim the Black history of coffee and retain its Black future. In addition to coffee, music, apparel, events and consultations are part of the concept. Funds are used to provide opportunities for Black people to create and generate inspiring work.
Jones said to be successful the key is to not repeat something you have already seen out there. “Bring something that is uniquely you and figure out how to connect that with the audience.”