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6                                                                                                                      THE METRO RECORD - APRIL 2021
       For(bes) The Culture                                     IONA’S CAFE AND GRILL

       Launches The State Of

       Black Entrepreneurship                                   Now Serving Breakfast, Lunch, and Soul Food in Indian
                                                                Orchard… Again
       NEW YORK – Forbes announces  For(bes)TheCultureisanetworkfor
       the launch of The State of Black  elite leaders of color who are                                                   mixing meats with vegetables (i.e.
       Entrepreneurship,  an  ongoing  breaking  down  barriers  and                                                      putting  pork   in   collard
       project that aims to accurately  impacting  culture  globally  to                                                  greens).Eventually, this plantation-
       define, rectify and create Black  connect, collaborate and change. To                                              invented style of cooking started to
       history.                    furtheritsmissionofamplifyingand                                                       get adopted into larger Southern
                                   accelerating Black entrepreneurs                                                       culture, as slave owners gave
       Driven by For(bes) The Culture, the  and  businesses,  and  creating                                               special privileges to slaves with
       world’s preeminent community for  equitable pathways, in February the                                              cookingskills.
       Black and Brown professionals, The  platform held its inaugural For(bes)
       State of Black Entrepreneurship  The Culture Culturally Accountable                                                Asked what the most populardishis
       incorporates historical research that  Summit, in which an incredible                                              at Iona’s an always smiline Kelly
       will unveil decades of forgotten and  roster of speakers discussed best                                            responds, Fish and Grits are what
       omitted Black business successes.  strategies to foster a productive year                                          the people seem to love most. The
       The platform will also draw from  ahead  for  Black  and  Brown                                                    smothered chicken on Wednesdays
       quantitative  data  and  original  professionals,  from  lessons  in                                               cominginsecond.
       multimedia storytelling to illustrate  wellness,  best  practices  and
       how Black entrepreneurship stands  workplace negotiations to vision                                                Kelly, forever involved in the
       across industries today, and where  boardmasterclasses.                                                            community he services also opens
       it’sheaded.                                                                                                        his doors to area politicians for meet
       KeycomponentsoftheStateofBlack                                                                                     and greets. He says political and
       Entrepreneurshipinclude:    “The   contribution  of  Black                                                         community involvement is very
                                   Americans  to  business  and                                                           importanttohim,thusworkshardto
       ·  CultureX:TheForgotten,aseries  entrepreneurship has often been                                                  ensure that neighborhood residents
       spotlightingdecadesofforgottenand  forgotten from history, but so many                                             know that his doors are open for
       omitted Black business successes  of the products we use every day  Soul food is a variety of cuisine  So what I decided as I worked to  more than just food.  Kelly says
       throughviain-depthprofilesofBlack  weredreamedupandbroughttolife  originating in the Southeastern  develop my business that I would  involvement  personal  to  him
       business titans from history. The  by entrepreneurs of color,” said  UnitedStates.Itiscommoninareas  name my restaurant after her as a  because growing up they didn’t have
       inaugural Culture X: The Forgotten  Brianne Garrett, Editorial Lead for  with a history of slave-based  way of paying homage to her. So I  much, so he is trying to give back to
       profile spotlights Joseph Lee, one of  For(bes) The Culture. “The State of  plantations and has maintained  can always you know that she will  the community and making things
       Boston’s most successful hospitality  BlackEntrepreneurshipisavitalpart  popularity  among  the  Black  continuetobeapartofpeople’slives.  betterforthosecomingbehindhim.
       entrepreneurs in the 1890s-1900s  of For(bes) the Culture’s mission to  American and American Deep-  Kelly reminisces on the many times
       and the inventor of two machines  create equitable pathways for Black  South “cotton state” communities  that she would tell him, Mr. Kelly,  Becauseitwasillegalinmanystates
       that revolutionized breadmaking.  and  Brown  professionals  and  forcenturies.       Don’t let nobody never tell you can’t  for slaves to learn to read or write,
       Eachprofilewillbeprintedalongside  entrepreneurs  today,  and                         do nothing. You know what? She  soul food recipes and cooking
       retro Forbes cover designs as if they  exemplifies how we’re using our  Iona’s Cafe & Grill is one of  wasright! Sohereweare.  techniques tended to be passed
       hadbeencelebratedbackinthetime  platform to compel change as the  Springfield’s most popular eateries.             along   orally,  until  after
       comparedtotheircontemporaries.  worldbuildsbackin2021.”  Located at 439 Main St., Indian  Kelly says he still uses a few of her  emancipation. The first soul food
                                                                Orchard. Iona’s is owned and  recipes, like when he does his  cookbook is attributed to Abby
       A Barometer Check on Black  “Black History is American History,  operated by Kelly Dobbins. Known  catering jobs. An example being his  Fisher, entitled What Mrs. Fisher
       Entrepreneurship,  which  will  andtogetherwithourcommunityof  for  delicious  southern  style  breadpudding.That’sherrecipe.He  KnowsAboutOldSouthernCooking
       highlightanecdotaltestimoniesfrom  trailblazers, we will change the  breakfasts  typically  found  wisheshecouldhavegottenaholdof  and published in 1881. Good Things
       business leaders across industries,  narrative of Black business and  somewhere below the Mason Dixon  more of her recipes though. Says he  to Eat was published in 1911; the
       getting their personal takes on the  entrepreneurshipinthepast,present  line,DobbinsisfromSpringfieldMA.  seriously tried searching for them,  author, Rufus Estes, was a former
       state of Black entrepreneurship. The  and future, said Rashaad Lambert,               but, he doesn’t think that she wrote  slave who worked for the Pullman
       first Barometer check will be  FounderofFor(bes)TheCulture.”  A Culinary School graduate, he  her recipes down.  She was old  railway car service. Many other
       released in April. To accompany                          learned a great deal during his  school,herrecipeswereinherhead.  cookbooks were written by Black
       these checks, For(bes) The Culture  To learn more about For(bes) The  studies, yet, he operates in the  The actual origins of soul food trace  Americans during that time, but as
       will also power a State of Black  Culture and The State of Black  shadowofhisbelovedgrandmother.  all the way back to slavery. A large  they were not widely distributed,
       Entrepreneurship Survey and will  Entrepreneurship, visit: The State of  Each recipe served, a reminder of  amount of the foods integral to the  mostarenowlost.
       reveal the results at the end of the  BlackEntrepreneurship.  days spent in hot kitchens with  cuisine originate from the limited
       year.                                                    grandma.                     rations given to slaves by their  Time and distance may have caused
                                                                The expression “soul food” may  planters and masters. Slaves were  African Americans to lose many of
                                                                have originated in the mid-1960s,  typically given a peck of cornmeal  the recipes from the old way, but at
                                                                when “soul” was a common word  and 3-4 pounds of pork per week,  places like Iona’s... the vibrant scent
                                                                used to describe Black American  and from those rations come soul  ofyesteryearstilllingerson.
                                                                culture.                     food staples such as cornbread, fried
                                                                                             catfish, BBQ ribs, chitterlings, and  If I could have one more day to
                                                                Iona was my late grandmother,  neckbones.                 enjoy  gramma’s  biscuits  and
                                                                Dobbinsshares.“Shepassedawayin                            syrup...  fried corn and fried
                                                                1997.” Dobbins explains that Ms.  Enslaved Africans needed to eat  chicken... with a simple glass of
                                                                Iona had a huge impact on his life.  foods with high amounts of calories  sugarwater. I’dchangemylife,and
                                                                He says, I would go spend every  to balance out spending long days  write books and stories of how God
                                                                weekend her and my grandfather,  working in the fields. This led to  himself or herself came to dinner to
                                                                and when she transitioned on, he r  time-honored soul food traditions  dineongramma’sfood.Somescents
                                                                deathtookapartmylifefromme.  like frying foods, breading meats  and tastes were created to be
                                                                                             and fishes with cornmeal, and  remembered.
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