Happy Black History Month – Celebrate by Shopping at These Black-Owned Businesses in Durham, NC

February is Black History Month – a month to honor and celebrate the great achievements and strides that Black Americans have made throughout generations of adversity. Though we should all be intentional about shopping at local, Black-owned businesses throughout the entire year, it’s especially important to support them and spread the wealth throughout our communities this month.

Many local Black-owned businesses are struggling to keep up with the increasing costs of food products and property leases, while others are still dealing with how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted their annual revenue. The good news is that Durham, North Carolina is full of amazing Black-owned businesses that would benefit from the community shopping at their storefronts, food trucks, pop-up shops, and events.

Black-Owned Food Finds in Durham

As a food blogger, some of the best meals that I’ve had in Durham have come from Black-owned food spots and food trucks, most being hidden gems that many residents have overlooked, including:

True Flavors Diner – This restaurant really holds true to the typical diner style, but with much better food options. It’s a cozy restaurant with friendly servers and delicious, southern style breakfast, brunch, and lunch foods. They are known for their decadent “Debbie Lou” biscuits that come in various flavors. True Flavors might actually be my favorite place to get brunch in North Carolina.

Boricua Soul – Boricua Soul combines southern and latin style food to make amazing fusion dishes that will definitely have you coming back for more. They are located in the scenic American Tobacco Campus, so enjoying their food while hanging out under the covered patio is truly a vibe.

Favor Desserts – Favor Desserts is home to some of the best cakes and cupcakes that you will ever have. You can buy slices and cupcakes at their storefront or order custom cakes for events. They also have a food trailer that they take out to big events like the NC State Fair and other notable rodeos.

Beyu Caffe – I love Beyu Caffe because not only do they serve up delicious breakfast and brunch items, but you can also get a delicious latte from their dope coffee menu. They have a location in Boxyard RTP that has a walk-up coffee window where you can get a good cup of coffee and some of their breakfast pastries.

Let’s Eat Soul Food – This soul food restaurant next to NCCU’s campus is known for their amazing soul food and southern classics. They have different items as a special each day of the week and even do Carribean dishes on Sundays. You have to grab a slice of cake or one of their infamous puddings when you go there.

Backyard BBQ Pit – You can get a great BBQ, fried seafood, or soul food from this well-known shack off NC-55. This business recently overcame some extraordinary financial challenges thanks to the support from the community, which goes to show how badly Durham residents wanted them to stay open.

Saltbox Seafood – Saltbox Seafood is absolutely legendary! There is a reason why Chef Ricky Moore won a James Beard award for being the best chef in the southeast last year. Everything I’ve ever had from here has been cooked to perfection and delicious.

Soul Forking Good (Food Truck) – The name Soul Forking Good is so fitting for this food truck because that’s exactly how I would describe their amazing southern dishes. They have\ everything from hamburger steaks and fried fish to oxtail and turkey wings.

Island Coconut Kitchen (Food Truck) – This is my favorite Caribbean food truck in the area – and that’s saying a lot because my Trinidadian roots have made me very particular about Caribbean food. They make amazing curry chicken, oxtail, and beef patties.

Shop Black in Bull City

There are a bunch of notable Black-owned shops where you can buy products made by Black businesses in-house or created by other Black makers and creators from different areas. These are my favorite places to shop from Black-owned products:

Meat and Graze – Meat and Graze is a charcuterie and cheese board company that provides boards of all sizes, grazing tables, and hosts public or private charcuterie board classes. This Black-owned and woman-owned business has a storefront at Boxyard RTP that sells lunch and snack boards during regular hours.

Rofhiwa Book Cafe – This Black-owned, queer-owned book cafe is such a peaceful place to browse books written by Black and Brown authors, while enjoying a nice cup of coffee or tea. I love that you can also order books online using their website, if you’re not local to the Durham area.

Melanated Wine – Melanated Wine is another Black, woman-owned hidden gem in Durham. Here you can do wine tastings and buy bottles of their 5 unique wines, enjoy their incredible wine slushies, or attend one of their sip and paint events (or other events) that they host throughout the year.

Perkins Orchard – Perkins Orchard is an outdoor produce market where you can buy locally- sourced fruits, vegetables, meats, ciders and jams.They have a $25 dollar bag deal where you can fill the bag up with whatever you can fit inside of it and you also get a free item (varies by week).

Bull City Sweet Shoppe – This new Black, woman-owned dessert haven is filled with scrumptious treats from other Black bakers in the area. You can find a variety of baked good including: cheesecake, cookies, pies, candied apples, cakepops, and much more.

Black-owned Events in Durham

Durham is home to many Black-owned events that celebrate blackness and allow organizations to share Black culture with the community. These events provide opportunities for Black-owned businesses to sell their products and authentically make a name for themselves. Here are a few of my favorite:

Black Farmers Market NC – The BFMNC is a weekly pop-up farmers market (alternating from a Raleigh and Durham location each Sunday) with the mission to inspire a self-sufficient community that supports and protects Black farmers and entrepreneurs. During the warmer months, they have an array of Black farmers, vendors and food trucks that sell their goods to the community.

The Coco Drip – The Coco Drip is another pop-up market that provides a space specifically for Black women to sell products and services from their businesses. They have events in Durham, Charlotte, and Atlanta Georgia throughout the year.

BlackToberFest – This annual event is a beer fest that pays homage to every important, interconnected sector of Black culture with a focus on the common love of all things craft beer. Their goal is to engage the brewing industry to bond opportunity, accessibility and creativity in ways that empower the Black community and make the craft beer industry even more progressive for everyone.

Black August in the Park – BAP is a celebration of blackness and the diaspora of black cultures through a parade to kick off the event, music, food and activities all provided by Black business owners. Their mission is to creatively inspire and connect people of African descent to assert their value and engage in social and cultural change.

This list is not at all comprehensive of all the amazing Black-owned businesses that are out there in Durham, NC. There are still so many on my “must-try” list that I plan to visit this year. To keep up with me as I discover more Black-owned and minority-owned businesses and food spots in Durham, follow my food blog on Instagram, @joyeatsworld22 , or TikTok, @joyeatsworld .