Black-Owned Businesses to support now and later

Explore some of Miami’s Black-owned small buisnesses, each providing a unique experience to its many customers

BY CAMILA AITKEN AND DANIELA CALDERON, STAFF WRITERS

Social distancing measures and the fear of testing positive for COVID-19 has placed a major halt on small businesses’ ability to stay open. With many businesses at risk of permanent closure, it is imperative to support those struggling in the community. Small businesses are what give a city their personality and for some people, they are necessary in their day-to-day lives.

More importantly though, Blackowned businesses and brands need support now more than ever. In recent months, the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement has highlighted the serious racial wealth gap within the United States and supporting small Black-owned establishments strengthens local economies and is a small step forward in closing the gap.

In choosing to spend money at smaller mom-and-pop type Black-owned shops, people are not only strengthening their local economy, but supporting Black communities. Businesses like the World Famous House of Mac, which has locations in Overtown and North Miami Beach, Tree Hugger Soaps located in Hialeah and Chef Brian’s Comfort Kitchen which is located at Sunset Place in South Miami are all unique in their own way and truly worth visiting.

World Famous House of Mac

Mac and cheese, chicken wings, pizza and burgers — dishes that make America’s mouth water. The name “World Famous” is not an understatement for Derrick Turton’s restaurant. Covered by media companies such as Forbes and Fox Business and invited onto ABC and the Rachel Ray show it is no wonder that this mac and cheese is world famous.

With their business hours varying from 12 p.m.-11 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 12 p.m.-2 a.m. on the weekends except for Sundays, it is the perfect place to go for late night snacks. They are located in Wynwood at 2055 NW 2nd Ave and North Miami Beach on 13521 Biscayne Blvd.

Prior to be becoming a chef Turton, also known as “Chef Teach,” attended culinary school in Miami but felt that the food and restuarant industry was not for him. So instead he began managing some big names in the music industry. He began working for people like Pitbull, A$AP Rocky, A$AP Ferg, Young Joc and Bun B. Turton recalls cooking in the studio during his downtime as a way to calm down, even though he did not actually enjoy working in a restuarant.

Then his client and close friend, Bun B, spoke up and pushed Turton to finally pursue his passion and talent. By 2014 Turton had opened his first business in Miami, a food truck called World Famous House of Mac.

Despite the name, World Famous House of Mac serves more than just mac and cheese. The menu includes sandwiches, burgers, chicken and waffles, pizza and desserts.

“Their food is always consistent and delicious! It is definitely my go-to place,” customer Alex Reyes said.

Dishes like the Lobster Mac and Cheese, a lobster tops a five cheese mac and cheese and baked in the oven until it comes out a golden brown, for $29 or the Jerk Mac and Cheese, five cheese mac and cheese is topped with jerk chicken, jerk Alfredo sauce and bread crumbs for a spicy and filling dish, for $14 is what sets Turtons diner apart from a run of the mill Kraft Mac and Cheese box.

If customers are in the mood for something else, the Buttermilk Fried Chicken and Waffles for $19 is a crowd favorite, as the dish is served with both caramel drizzle and maple syrup for a sweet and salty experience. Vegans can also enjoy a meal here. Aisha’s Vegan Mac and Cheese for $18 is made entirely with vegan cheeses and topped with panko bread crumbs.

With any entree order customers have the option of picking lemon garlic broccoli, french fries or sweet potato tots. Turton has also created custom drinks for patrons to try, like the Wild Berry Lemondae, Homemade Fruit Punch and Flop a combination of sweet tea and lemonade. To finish a meal pick from the array of desserts, like the lemon cake or New York Cheesecake, both for $6.

In the midst of the pandemic, they are open for carry out and delivery through both GrubHub and UberEats only and require a mask to be able to enter their locations. With 4.5 stars on yelp and hundreds of reviews, it is evident that not only their food is fantastic but their customer service as well.

Chef Brian’s Comfort Kitchen

Located inside Yumbrella’s collective eatery, Chef Brian’s comfort kitchen is one of the most popular and loved vendors for customers. With Perfectly crispy, Golden fried wingettes, chicken and waffles and Chef Brian’s World Famous chicken sliders, this brand new eatery is sure to impress and satisfy.

The kitchen opened March 11th of this year but Yumbrella was quickly shut down ten days later due to CDC orders. Although the collective eatery had closed, Chef Brian’s comfort Kitchen was allowed to stay open since it was very close to an exit and picking up food was extremely safe. Being allowed to stay open along with the help of UberEats and its new promotion to support Black-owned businesses, Chef Brian Hill was able to stay in business during the pandemic. UberEats’ promotion includes having Black-owned restaurants’ delivery and 30% flat fees waived.

Hill first achieved notoriety by winning Top Chef’s first season in 2006. He has also been a personal chef for celebrities like Mariah Carey, for which he worked five days a week, Eddie Murphy and Mary J. Blige. Hill is completely self taught and has been perfecting his craft for 32 years.

“The fried chicken and waffles is some of the best comfort food I’ve ever had,” senior Isabella Castellanos said.

His world-renowned golden fried chicken and waffles for $18 are one of the most popular things on his menu along with his golden fried chicken sliders for $13.

“I came here for the first time today and am really happy with what I ordered. The chicken and waffles from Chef Brian’s was super good and so was the Buffalo macaroni and cheese from Killer Melts,” customer Diego Fernandez said.

Through his various social media platforms, Hill often discusses the severe discrimination Black people face and advocates for change.

“I am discriminated against seven days a week, 365 days a year. Can you imagine that? We’re not even angry. We are just tired of being tired,” Hill said.

Hill is very vocal about BLM and even has a Tik Tok account where he discusses his experience as a Black man and racism in America. Raising awareness for BLM through social media platforms has become very effective and Hill states it’s important to use your accounts to speak up for what is right.

“It is important to speak out about Black Lives Matter via your social media platforms,” Hill said.

You can find his Tik Tok account, @chefbrianscomfortkitchen and his Instagram account @chef_brian_hill_. Chef Brian’s Comfort Kitchen is available on UberEats, GrubHub and Yelp.

Yumbrella’s hours of operation are from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. from Sundays through Wednesdays, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Thursdays and 11 a.m. to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Giving Chef Brian’s comfort kitchen a visit would be an excellent way to discover delicious comfort food in Miami.

Tree-Hugging Soap

Tree-hugger, noun—an environmental campaigner. Inspired by this definition, the founder of Tree Hugging Soap company Drew Darden, uses natural processes to create cruelty-free, vegan products that nourish the mind and soul.

The company sells items ranging from bars of soap to skin and hair care products all of which can be purchased individually, as bundles or as subscriptions. Most of their skincare products are made of shea butter from Ghana, yet they also use a variety of organic essential oils and clays. These essential oils are herbed in season and sourced locally in their products. The natural ingredients hydrate the skin and provide benefits that can aid those with mental or physical illnesses.

After downloading the app “Think Dirty” which informs the user about the products they are using and its ingredients, the founder realized that mass corporations label their merchandise as “natural” and “healthy” when in fact they contain dangerous chemicals, inspiring their interest for authentic soap.

Some of the most popular items include: the soap bars sold from $7.50 to $10 complemented by ingredients such as activated charcoal, lemongrass, lavender and tumeric, their “soft, sensitive and powerful” Goddess Treasure Clay Mask is $25 and enriched with the world’s purest kaolin and bentonite clay as well as the moisturizing and vitamin rich iLuv Me Body Balm at $30 composed of essential oils and nutrients necessary for collagen production.

“We feed off of each other’s creativity and have fun making new products. We both have our strong points and compliment each other,” founder and co-owner Darden said.

Their team dynamic is what allows them to pull everything together, especially through difficult times like these. Since the beginning of the pandemic, their sales have declined significantly due to government regulations to prevent community spread.

The family-owned small business works hard to reflect their African roots in their wide

range of products. They advocate for social justice by being active on social media @treehuggingsoap with progressive posts that address inequality.

Before mass closures, Tree Hugging Soap was located in Upper Eastside Farmer’s Market at Legion Park. Their merchandise may be found in the Virtual Farmer’s Market website urbanoasisproject.org and remains active through their own website treehuggingsoap.com.