Dine with A Purpose: Reviewing three black owned restaurants

Held in the month of February, Black History Month is a time to embrace impactful people, remember events in African-American history and celebrate Black culture. To support these achievements, I tried out three black-owned businesses — after all, Kansas City is full of plenty of unique restaurants that cultivate the taste and experiences of the African-American culture.

KC Mac N’ Co.

I may be a self-diagnosed lactose intolerant, but mac n’ cheese will always hold a special place in my heart, no matter the stomach pains. I tend to gravitate toward ordering bland Kraft mac n’ cheese instead of trying something new, so when I found KC Mac N’ Co. — a gourmet mac n’ cheese restaurant owned by Steven Austin and chef Dwight Tiller — I took some lactaid and headed on my way.

Tucked in the back corner of the first floor of the Parlor KC, a collective restaurant space, boasting a menu full of more mac n’ cheese variations than I knew existed, this restaurant is a must hit. With menu options like mac n’ cheese with chicken or brisket, fried mac n’ cheese fritters and even mac n’ cheese pressed into a waffle iron, I was in heaven.

Although I was tempted by the six-cheese waffled macaroni, I stuck to my non-adventurous roots and ordered the classic “Just Mac”. Featuring a unique, delicious recipe that Tiller took four years perfecting, this mac n’ cheese makes Kraft seem like child’s play. 

I’m used to eating mac n’ cheese with the “cheese” coming from a bag in artificial powdered form, so when I tried the six-cheese sauce, I was blown away. The gooey and stringy cheese was worth the 35-minute drive downtown.

Ruby Jean’s Juicery

Açaí bowls are now part of my weekly routine. While Nekter — just a five-minute drive from my house — is the easiest option, Ruby Jean’s Juicery, an upscale spot located at 3000 Troost Ave. is my new favorite. It’s fun environment makes it well worth the 30-minute drive.

Ruby Jean’s Juicery was created by Chris Goode, who founded the juicery to honor his late grandmother Ruby Jean. She grew up eating primarily unhealthy creole and soul food which eventually led to her diabetes diagnosis, then an early death. Goode loved his grandma and when she passed, he dedicated his life to eating healthy and was eventually inspired to open a restaurant to promote healthy eating in his community.

He opened up the store in 2015 to bring a fresh, hip and retro environment to the area. The restaurant is filled with bright colors of orange and green and the smell of fresh fruit makes your stomach growl as you walk in. A mural filled with colorful fruits, veggies and a bold cursive with “Health is Freedom” covers the entire back wall. Continuing the color scheme with orange and green couches and booths, and a drawing of Grandma Ruby Jean herself welcomes you into the store with a smile.

I ordered a peanut butter protein ball and the açaí bowl. Although nothing will ever compare to the peanut butter balls I used to get every week at Crow’s Coffee, these came pretty close. The creamy peanut butter and the sweet honey all melted together in my mouth — they were heavenly. 

As for the açaí bowl, it’s freshness made it the best I’ve ever had. I’m a huge fan of the fresh strawberries, bananas and blueberries, but the coconut shavings on the top were my favorite part. If you’re looking for a healthy juice shop, Ruby Jean’s is a welcoming vibrant option, as well as a great way to support the Black community.

KC Daiquiri Shop

Daiquiris — when you think of them, your mind might instantly go to New Orleans or the beach. Owner Calvin Vick brought them straight to downtown KCMO in the form of KC Daiquiri shop.

The walls of the shop are painted purple, green and yellow — the signature colors of New Orleans. Decorated by Mardi Gras masks and beads, what caught my eye first was the wall of slushie machines labeled with all sorts of daiquiri flavors. They have everything from strawberry daiquiris to piña coladas to even fun flavors like “Hulk” and “Hurricane.” 

I overlooked the bar options and went straight for the food menu where I spotted traditional New Orleans cuisines like gumbo and shrimp étouffee, I opted for the spicy chicken wrap to see the shop’s take on classic health food. I walked past tables of customers enjoying their gallon-sized jugs filled with daiquiris and sat at a table in the back right next to the DJ booth blasting throwback hits like “Wild Ones” by Flo Rida and “Chasing Pavements” by Adele to keep the customers entertained.

The atmosphere was unlike anything I’m used to. A DJ blasting music at full volume, drunk college-aged kids stumbling up to the bar to order their third drink — all at 3 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon. It all seemed odd to me until I realized that this little restaurant was designed to replicate all of the fun chaos of New Orleans.

While the wait for my food was on the longer side of 30 minutes, the party-like atmosphere distracted me from my grumbling stomach. The first bite of my chicken wrap made it worth it — the lettuce crunched in my teeth and the cajun spices in the chicken were delicious.

The super fun atmosphere is what totally sets this restaurant apart from others in the Kansas City area. It’s also the perfect time of year to go out and support this Black-owned business.