History Repeats Itself

In 1915, Black historian Carter J. Woodson proposed a week to recognize the accomplishments of Black Americans, aligning it with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. Flash forward to 1976, when President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month, calling on Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans … throughout our history.” Black History month has been commemorated by every president since then.

At Cup O’Vibes (800 E Sublett Rd, Ste 170, Arlington, 817-706-1451, @CupOVibes, CupOVibes.com), owner Charletra Sharp holds a competition for Black History Month. She takes nominees from the community for local heroes, then creates drinks in their honor. This year’s winners include former councilmember Marvin Sutton (a patriotic red-and-blue raspberry and white chocolate mocha for the Air Force veteran) and Nita Halliburton (a blackberry mocha for the Arlington Black Chamber maven). The Brittney Newton is a chai latte with rose and pistachio. Last weekend I met Newton, a CEO and blogger, at Cup O’Vibes and asked about the drink. She said it’s a nod to her love of the color pink. It’s also super-tasty and slightly sweet but not overwhelmingly so.

In other coffee news, Black Coffee (1417 Vaughn Blvd, Fort Worth, 817-782-9867, @BlackCoffeeFW, BlackCoffeeFW.com) celebrates the month with a blackberry matcha latte. Matcha, milk, blackberry puree, and a blackberry cold foam “symbolize the deep roots and vibrant spirit of Black history,” Black Coffee says. Meanwhile, HustleBlendz (120 St. Louis Av, Ste 101, Fort Worth, 817-875-6663, @HustleBlendz, HustleBlendz.com) started 2025 off by adding Hustle Fuel smoothies to the extravagant coffee menu. There’s the warming, mildly antiviral Health Is Wealth with turmeric, pineapple, and ginger, and the Focus Is Fuel, a cold brew plus banana and almond butter.

Six years ago, the murders of Atatiana Jefferson in Fort Worth and George Floyd in Minneapolis by police, and the subsequent protests around equity, seemed to create a massive change in the way that consumers who care about such things spent their dollars. As I wrote back then (“Black Restaurants Matter,” June 2020), “Supporting restaurants owned by Black families seems like a no-brainer. Buying Black is a choice, and if you don’t want to, you don’t have to.”

Commenters apparently felt the need to share views like “I only dine at white restaurants.” “Bryan” accused the Weekly and me of promoting hate. Against whom, he did not specify. Again, gentle readers, if you don’t want to eat at anyone’s restaurant for any reason, there’s no need to announce your feels.

Since that story, I’m not sure how much has changed, and neither is Chef Katrina Carpenter, who opened Carpenter’s Cafe and Catering (1116 Pennsylvania Av, Fort Worth, 682-499-8630, @CarpsCafeNCatering, CarpsCafe.net) with husband Travis Carpenter in 2020. Because she is a Black female restaurant owner, Carpenter found herself very popular among the do-gooders and the politicians post-2020, from the Near Southside to the mayor’s office. In a recent 817 Podcast, Carpenter called some of the buying Black trends “performative help” and said the trend “was easily undone.” The ramifications of the anti-DEI movement –– which, judging by the comments in June 2020, are nothing new in the Fort –– must be exhausting for a small business owner. However, Carpenter is not giving up, and her February Savory Sunday recipes include her Big Mama pinto beans, beef tips and rice, hot water cornbread, and collard greens.

Collards have significant cultural connotation –– they show up in almost every Southern restaurant and most of our barbecue joints. The bitter greens flourished in the moist Southeast when they were brought over from Africa by slaves, but collards may have originated in the Mediterranean region and arrived in Africa later.

Smoke ’N Ash BBQ Tex-Ethiopian Smokehouse (5904 S Cooper St, Ste 110, Arlington, 817-385-9975, @SmokeNAshBBQ, SmokeNAshBBQ.net) has made all sorts of history since the husband-and-wife team of Fasicka and Patrick Hicks opened their family restaurant. She’s Ethiopian, and he’s a pitmaster from Central Texas, and the combination of Ethiopian cuisine and barbecue garnered numerous raves, including a nod as a Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant last year. “Where collards came from, I don’t know,” Fasicka said.

Her traditional gomen –– collard greens made with the warming spices she gets from Ethiopia –– is served both vegan-style and with meat.

“Texans cook collards with smoked pit meat or turkey neck or wings,” she said. “Ethiopians don’t do pork, but we use lamb or cow’s bones to season.”

The greens are served with injera bread rather than cornbread at Smoke ’N Ash.

Then there’s catfish. The inexpensive protein was a mainstay of the diets of the enslaved Africans in the American South, and it’s also featured in West African cuisine, not so much fried but dried, salted, or smoked. Catfish is king at Belzoni’s Catfish Cafe (110 N Jim Wright Fwy, Ste C, White Settlement, 817-386-0714, @BelzonisCatfishCafe, BelzonisCatfishCafe.com). Catfish balls, sandwiches, and platters with either fried or lemon pepper-grilled catfish rule here.

If you’re wanting to dabble in traditional African cuisine, Smoke ’N Ash isn’t the only restaurant in town. February specials at Chef Point Cafe (5220 Hwy 121, Colleyville, 817-826-9664, @ChefPointFans, ChefPointCafe.org) include Nigerian specialties: a black-eyed pea salad; farmers’ grits with an African beef stew; egusi soup with both fresh and dried fish, turkey, goat, and pounded yams; and a spicy goat stew served with equally spicy jollof rice and plantains.

At Tam-Tam Zings Bar & Grill (7224 Glenview Dr, Richland Hills, 817-537-2059, @TamTamZing, ZingsCafe.com), enjoy cuisine from East Africa every month. Sambusa (a kind of triangle-shaped spring roll), goat kabobs, mutima (beef heart), lulimi (beef tongue), chikwangue (steamed cassava root wrapped in banana leaves), and less classically African cocktails like gin and juice or a mojito await.

One final bit of late-breaking good news for Black-owned restaurants: This month, the James Beard Foundation announced Smoke ’N Ash’s Fasicka and Patrick Hicks were among 20 nominees for the prestigious food foundation’s best chef award. They’re the only nominees in any category from Tarrant County. Semifinalists will be selected in April, with the awards occurring in June.

Food critic Laurie James just covered a lot of ground in the article above. For the scoop on the eight Black-owned businesses she highlights, check out Ate Day8 of What She Said.