“Small businesses are still in recovery mode because of a two-year long pandemic. It is our responsibility to ensure they are not facing these hardships alone,” says Falayn Ferrell, Chairwoman of Feed the Soul Foundation and co-founder of Black Restaurant Week. “Last year's program was extremely successful in the revitalization of Black-owned culinary businesses, and we are more than excited to expand our services to support additional marginalized communities. We are deeply committed to providing solutions to issues faced by restaurateurs such as human resources, marketing, and operations.”
"The Restaurant Business Development cohort provides restaurant owners six months of consulting, a financial stipend and continuous training. In the East Bay, Oakland’s popular Trinidadian spot CocoBreeze Restaurant has joined the development program, along with 28 other culinary businesses across the country."
" Through the support of the Grubhub Community Fund‚ the presenting program partner, Feed the Soul Foundation’s grant program will award 30 small businesses with $10,000.00 financial stipends and six months of business development services as they prepare to navigate the post-Covid world and the ever-changing consumer dining trends."
" Though there are a few strong Caribbean spots around the Bay Area (looking at you, Back A Yard), Trinidadian restaurants are a rarity. Thankfully, Oakland’s CocoBreeze is excellent — and a pandemic newcomer, opening in July 2020. From the sunny, palm leaf sidewalk tables to a vibrant mural on the sidewall, the order-at-the-counter spot is a colorful, cheery meal (even if you can wait a good while for the food to come out). The food is “real deal” Caribbean fare from chef Annabelle Goodridge, who hails from Trinidad and Tobago. I can hardly resist the doughy comfort of her accra saltfish fritters or accompanying tropical dip. Popular jerk chicken with Creole rice is as irresistible as jerk chicken fans would hope. But it’s curry goat...
