Grab a bite at Friday’s Juneteenth Foodways Festival

INDIANAPOLIS, (WISH)– Sixteen local restaurants, food vendors, and caterers will celebrate Black cuisine during Friday’s Juneteenth Foodways Festival.

The festival, presented by the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site, is the first of its kind in Indianapolis.

The event will give people an opportunity to come out and joy some staples of Black cuisine while giving local Black businesses a chance to showcase their menu, says Whitney Ball, special events and marketing manager for the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site.

“With Dolly being a business owner herself, we were really excited to be able to give back to the community. They receive a stipend to be here today and also sell their food,” Ball said. “We’re really excited, and just empowering the community is what we want.”

Many of the dishes will be inspired by Dolly Johnson, the first Black chef at the White House, to honor her contributions to American history. President Harrison hired Johnson to cook at the White House after firing his French chef.

Guests also have an opportunity to tour the Benjamin Harrison House, enjoy a Black history exhibit, hear from author David Williams, and enjoy a reenactment of Johnson presented by Freetown Village before taking home one of her signature recipes. 

The festival is also one of many celebrations across the city marking Juneteenth, the date when enslaved people in Texas learned they were free, two years after slavery was ended.

Juneteenth falls on Sunday, but some Black communities have celebrated the date for generations. Its significance runs deep and commemorates a seldom-told story about the end of slavery in the United States.

It became more prominent after becoming a federal holiday following the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Juneteenth not only marks the end of slavery, but also highlights the ongoing struggle for equity and justice.

The Juneteenth Foodways Festival runs from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Admission is free, but guests will need to pay for their food.

Vendors participating in the festival include:

• Big Taste
• Black Leaf Vegan
• Black Lemon
• Blue Avocado
• Drip Small Batch Ice Cream
• Freetown Village
• Gip Got Tips
• Glass Galore
• Grub House
• Guys Cooking Creation
• Market Square Popcorn
• Marlo’s Kitchen
• Amy’s Restaurant
• Sub Zero Nitrogen Ice Cream
• Sweet Creations
• Taste Buddies
• Taste Of Luv by Dee
• Tea’s Me
• The Coney Lady
• Turkey Galore

For more information, check out the Benjamin Harrison Presidential site website.