Chef The Block Bistro and Grill

By Terry L. Watson

Terry Anthony is the owner of The Block Bistro and Grill, based in Indianapolis, IN. Terry is a native of Louisville, KY. He attended Murray State University, the school where he received a college education and played basketball. He later moved to Indianapolis after being awarded a football scholarship and would soon settle for a corporate-America career.

In 2015, Terry exited corporate America and purchased his first Subway franchise in Indianapolis. He would eventually purchase several other Subway franchises, and everything was going great, and then the Covid 19 pandemic happened. Terry lost all but one store. From that ordeal, Terry endured the social unrest that occurred in Indianapolis due to the deaths of Brianna Taylor and George Floyd, among others. The unrest resulted in much of the downtown area of Indianapolis being destroyed. During that time, a downtown area property owner reached out to Terry and asked him if he would be interested in opening his business there. He was onboard and opened The Block Bistro in 2021 and hasn’t looked back since.

The Block Bistro is the first African-American-owned business in the heart of downtown Indianapolis. “In the fall of 2020, I started a business while no one was outside. I applied for my license online, rolled up my sleeves, tore down some walls, and now we have what the world experiences today,” he says.

Football was Terry’s first passion, not food. “I thought that football would be my ticket,” he says. He also says his mother instilled hard work into him at an early age, and those values helped to prepare him for what he is doing today.

His advice to those who may follow a path similar to his is to believe in yourself. You might not make it if you don’t believe in yourself enough to fight for what you want. There will be some hard days and some tough days, and you must want it more than you want to breathe. If you don’t have those values, you may not make it,” he says.

While there have been some good times along his journey, Terry says there have been some tough ones also. He shares how his marriage has been compromised, and he wishes that he would have invested more time spent with his family while building his business. “There have been some sacrifices I had to make to make this happen for everyone else. I wish I could have done some things differently.” www.theblickbistro.com h

Moving forward, Terry plans to open additional locations of the Block Bistro around the country. “I just want to do what God has called me to do, which is to serve everyone, regardless of who you are or where you come from,” he says.

Please visit their website to learn more about Terry Anthony and the Block Bistro.

By Dr. Marrissa Dick Photos Provided by Alphonso Abbott

Your wedding day is one of the most memorable moments of your life. It can also be one of your life’s most expensive and nerve-racking experiences. From deciding upon the perfect wedding gown, to the venue, to the caterer, to the wedding colors and the decorations, and the number of guests takes a person with nerves of steel to pull it all together and make the wedding day a successful and seamless event. A Certified and Detailed Oriented Wedding Planner manages, coordinates, and designs your memorable day. The wedding planner meets with the couple to discuss the type of wedding they envision and ascertain if their budget meets that vision. Successful wedding planners should be methodical and proficient at handling difficult or stressful situations; they should be professional when dealing with people with unique personalities; they should be abreast of the latest wedding trends; and they should demonstrate exceptional interpersonal communication and organization skills.

In 2023 the average wedding can cost the couple around $30K due to inflation. Let it be known that the fee doesn’t necessarily include the transportation for the wedding party, the rehearsal dinner, the florists, the photographers, the caterers, the entertainment, the cake designer, or even the invitations. Yes, that’s right. So where can you go when you desire a classy wedding but operate on a smaller budget? You can call Father of The Bride, an event planning company based in Greensboro, NC, and owned and operated by Michael Boston and his daughter, Aisha Boston.

Michael A. “Mike” Boston, Sr. is no stranger to the spotlight. Most citizens in the Triad area and beyond already know him from Boston’s House of Jazz, Boston Realty Group, Mike Boston Entertainment, and as the Co-Founder of the Mike & Anita Boston Foundation. These are a meager sampling of Mr. Boston’s thriving business endeavors. For these reasons, he wants to propel his daughter, Aisha, or his “Baby Girl,” as he dubs her into the business world by gifting her with a business of her own. Read on and learn how Father of the Bride was realized.

Mr. Boston shares, “My daughter called and told me she was getting married and asked how much she could count on me contributing to her budget. She said she already had a commitment from her mother and needed to know how much I could contribute because she needed to let the wedding planner know her budget. I thought about it briefly because she’s a school teacher, and we all know they don’t make much money. So, between me and her mom, we gave her $10K. No matter who you are or how much money you have, that’s a lot of money, and I thought that would be enough for her to have a nice wedding. Well, Aisha took that to her wedding planner and was told that wasn’t enough money, and she didn’t do weddings under $18K! When my daughter shared that with me, I thought that woman had bumped her head, but I know my baby girl, so I already knew she wanted something nice and classy, and at that moment, I started thinking about my mother. I’m 70 years old, and I remember her telling me that my grandmother gave her a hope chest with china plates and cups, some silverware, a sterling silver tea set, and some bloomers. I started calling around to inquire about the cost of a wedding planner and everything my baby girl would need, and I discovered that the young lady was right. Shoot, I told my daughter we were in the wrong business, and that’s when the idea came to me. This could be something I could give to my daughter as a legacy. Aisha has always been a supportive daughter and has never given me a bit of trouble. She’s a hard worker, has served this country in the military, is an exceptional teacher, and loves what she does. Even Winston-Salem has recognized her as one of its outstanding teachers, and she’s also an extraordinary mother. I thought she deserved a memorable wedding, and gifting her this business would be a good way to introduce her to being a business owner, so I did this for her. She’s the owner of Father of The Bride. That’s my gift to my baby girl. Her brothers have been in business with me for a while and are accomplished businessmen in their own right. ‘It’s Her Time.’ Now she has her legacy.” Being blessed with a legacy is far from a back-inthe-day hope chest. This is a prime example of generational love and wealth.

Father of The Bride is designed to be an affordable fullservice wedding production and planning establishment. Here couples will receive wedding planning, designing, and coordination under the same roof. At Father of The Bride, couples can create an affordable budget and make their wedding dreams come true. No matter who you are, everyone deserves a memorable wedding day that they can be proud of without worrying if everything will run according to plans. Here the couple shouldn’t be concerned with the logistics and the event’s overall aesthetic. Together Mr. Boston and his daughter, Aisha, will remove the worry and guesswork from the equation. They will maintain your budget, help you brainstorm your theme, assist you with locating a vending site, design and provide the aesthetics and connect you with professional vendors that will work with your budget. They will manage the rehearsal and professionally execute everything on the wedding day. You can come to Father of The Bride when you don’t know where to start when it comes to planning your special day.

The Boston’s have decades of experience when it comes to creating ambiance and hosting sophisticated events. If you are in a quandary about where to hold your special occasion, you can rent their designer venue, fully furnished with tables, chairs, fine linen, furniture, and name-brand flooring. You can also rent king and queen plush chairs that can be delivered to your vending space. Father of The Bride can take your concept and transform your special day into one that will be remembered for years. Finally, as your day approaches, Father of The Bride will leave no stone unturned as they take the reins in making sure that last-minute details have been addressed. They will be the point-person on your wedding day, follow up with your vendors, perform a walkthrough of your wedding and reception spaces and execute all timelines, ensuring everyone is on one accord.

You can trust that these owners understand the importance of detail, organization, and timelines, a skill necessary in the wedding industry. Aisha has been planning her wedding for over a year and is off and running.

She shares, “I’m getting married in June, and I’ve been planning my wedding for a while. I secured my vending space over a year ago, so I know how this is supposed to work, from the planning to the designing to the coordination of it all. I’m fortunate to have parents who can afford to help me have the wedding I desire. My dad has always been one of my biggest supporters, so when I asked if he would contribute to my budget, I already knew he would; I just didn’t know how much. He’s more excited about this wedding than I am. It’s almost like it’s his wedding. I recognize that everyone doesn’t have that level of financial security, but everyone deserves a classy wedding. After my father and I started researching the wedding industry, we reached out to several people and realized that the cost was just too expensive, so now I’m the wedding planner, the designer, and the coordinator of my wedding. My father and I started thinking about the people who can’t afford to put out thousands of dollars for a wedding and reception. Who’s there to assist them? Initially, we were going to be a vending business and just rent the tables and chairs. Still, with more research, we realized we could offer a full wedding production, and since we already own the venue, we could also host special events like anniversary and sweet 16 birthday parties. My father and I decided we would be the ones to provide couples with a full wedding production that they could be proud of on a lesser budget.”

When you see the logo for Father of The Bride, you may be reminded of Rich Uncle Penny Bags from the board game Monopoly. He is depicted as a portly old man with a mustache who wears a morning suit with a bowtie and a top hat. In large parts of the world, he is exclusively known as the Monopoly Man or, simply, Mr. Monopoly. As a daddy’s girl, Aisha has been spoiled by her father, as every daughter should be.

Aisha lovingly shares, “I’m the only girl, so my dad has spoiled me all my life and pretty much gives me whatever I want. He’s always throwing money at me, so that’s where the logo concept comes from. I’m the bride running after my dad while he’s throwing the money out of the bag. At this moment, he is the Father of The Bride. I believe many fathers want to support their daughters by helping them with a classy and affordable wedding production. My dad and I can offer an exclusive experience for an affordable price. I want this business to help those families operating on a fixed budget to have a phenomenal wedding experience by bundling our services. It means the world to me that my father is gifting me with a business that has the potential to become a franchise. Even though I’m a teacher, I do not have the words to describe how I feel working alongside my dad and learning from him. He has so much wisdom and business experience to offer me. He’s a successful self-made businessman and entrepreneur, and on top of that, he’s my dad. Doing this venture with him is priceless. I have the best daddy in the world.”

Though Mr. Boston’s accolades run deep, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention Aisha’s accomplishments. She served in the military from 2008 – 2012; earned a bachelor’s degree in education from birth–kindergarten with a minor in special education from Winston Salem State University; and earned a master’s degree and teaching license from the University of North Carolina – Greensboro. Father of The Bride will open in Greensboro, NC, within a few weeks. Within the next few months, the establishment will also have establishments in Winston Salem, NC, and Atlanta, GA.