From left, Onyx chef Vaughn Larry and supporters Aaron Stephenson, Nicole Pacini, George Elbert, Tene Wells, Akin Agunbiade and Geoffrey Wilson worked at last month's pop-up, a tribute to Prince.
It's family reunion time and the Onyx Culinary Collective wants you to join them as they offer their second pop-up of the summer on Friday in a dining series focused on the evolution of African American cuisine. This month's theme is tied to the family reunion, a celebration of the extended family, past and present, along with culture, all of which traditionally comes together over platters of food and, of course, music.
This pop-up dinner is no different. Guests have a choice of selecting meals under the "hungry," "mo' hungry" and "most hungry" options, that range from $15-$25, with meat or vegetarian selections.The menu includes choices of meat (smoked chicken, salmon croquettes, spareribs) with sides (collards, spaghetti with sauce, salads, corn on the cob), cornbread (there must be cornbread!), dessert (peach cobbler, 7-Up cake, watermelon) and beverages. All are invited to this family reunion.
The dinner takes place at the Breaking Bread Cafe (1210 W. Broadway, Mpls., 612-529-9346), from 5:30-9:30 p.m., with seatings every 45 minutes. Tickets are available through onyxculinarycollective.com or evitebrite.com/d/mn-minneapolis/events (search under Breaking Bread Cafe). For more information, see its Facebook page at Onyx Culinary Collective.
Plan ahead for the remaining two pop-ups of the series. On Aug. 10, the collective will work with American Indian chefs and create a menu they call a "Harvest of Nations" that sources food from local tribes. On Sept. 14., the collective will prepare "The Meals of the Green Book," which references the volume used as a guide by African American travelers leaving the South. The book listed the hotels, gas stations and restaurants where they could find accommodations.
The collective is a collaboration of chefs and food enthusiasts who believe food defines cultural identity. Its purpose is to raise funds to help member chefs with their culinary goals. These chefs include Bershawn Medlock, Jason Leibel, Vaughn Larry and Kenneth Jordan. Their supportive enthusiasts include Tene Wells, Nicole Pacini and Geoffrey Wilson.
