Business

Black Business Spotlight: South Minneapolis Black history inspires Funky Grits

MINNESOTA SPOKESMAN-RECORDER — The Twin Cities is enjoying a restaurant boom with unique eateries offering niche foods and dining experiences.

Published

5 years ago

February 28, 2019

Jonika Stowes

By Jonika Stowes

The Twin Cities is enjoying a restaurant boom with unique eateries offering niche foods and dining experiences. Among them is South Minneapolis’ Funky Grits.

The Black-owned restaurant boasts a menu like none other in the area, with soul food recipes based off of cheesy grits with a twist towards vegan ingredients. But don’t be mistaken — a visit offers something for all palettes, with burgers, sausage and shrimp also on the menu. There are also beer and wine offerings for those inclined.

Entrepreneurship runs in owner Jared Brewington’s blood. His great grandfather was self-employed, and his father, Mark Brewington, owned Rib Cage in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s in South Minneapolis.

He credits that legacy, along with his commitment to the community, for opening his storefront on the corner of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue. He and his five siblings grew up blocks away on 42^nd Street, where his father also worked in real estate at Bailey Realty Company on 45^th Street and 4^th Avenue.

“This history means a lot to me,” said Brewington. “I’m from here, exist here, and I want to have my business here. That’s all I remember growing up is historical Black businesses up and down 38^th street,” said Brewington. “My biggest fight is showing people there’s a resource and a consistency on this corner that’s full of beaming love, and this community is wide open in diversity, love and acceptance.”

First starting out as a pop-up, the business took four years to open its doors. Brewington gained notoriety and a hungry consumer base with showings at venues like the 2018 Super Bowl. He also tried opening at a location on Lyndale Avenue, which led to delays. He experienced more delays dealing with plumbing and funding issues when he finally found the current location, but he never gave up.

[media-credit name=”Photo by Chris Juhn” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]

He and his former business partner and chef Jordan Carlson pushed through, opening August of last year. With a ‘70s Tupperware vision, he hired Jim Smart of Smart Associates to design the restaurant’s bright interior, and he did the construction himself.

Carlson assisted with the restaurant’s build-out and pop up locations. “I’ve always been the majority owner,” said Brewington. According to him, the partnership separation cleared the way for his new African American chef Portia, who brings cultural sensitivities to cooking that supports the direction in which he wants Funky Grits to head.

For Brewington, the major areas where he had to bring in expertise were in high-level finances and labor modeling. He admitted, however, that one of the challenges was labor management when the eatery opened.

“Accountability is not the same across the board. A 17-year-old’s version of accountability is different than a 36-year-old’s, and they both could be not the ones you’d think,” said Brewington through laughter, speaking of employee call-outs and not showing up for shifts. He now successfully employs between 14 and 20 people.

Jordan Brewington, Jared’s younger brother, has also come on to help in the kitchen. “He’s the rock — us Brewingtons have a work ethic,” said Jared.

He also counts on support from his mentors: Brent Frederick of Minneapolis’ Jester Concepts as his restaurant mentor, and the retired CTO of Cargill and Ron Christenson, former board chair of Compatible Technology International (CTI), is his nonprofit mentor.

The restaurant business represents a major shift for Brewington, who has worked a wide range of jobs, including telecommunications as one of the first few hundred employees of Quest Communications. He then fell in love with start-up companies and the service side of high-end technology, and then found himself in real estate finances. It was then that he opened his own construction business building homes, which led him into renewable energy as a consultant and adviser to businesses.

Brewington also sits on the board of CTI. The nonprofit provides African women farmers with access to innovative post-harvest tools for sustainable food production.

“In the entrepreneurial world, you pick up many skills and often take that new skill and move on, not sit on the line all day, and maybe be more on the macro side,” said Brewington. “The things I’ve learned along the way have combined for something else.”

It’s also a stark departure from the 20-acre outskirt farm community from which he commutes daily into the heart of the Minneapolis Kingfield neighborhood. Brewington said he has longed for rural life since he was a kid with wide-open spaces, pastures and woods. This is his quiet space with his pets and family.

Right now, he’s shaking hands with a first-time customer who’s raving over a Funky Grits dish he just enjoyed.

Funky Grits is located at 805 E. 38^th Street in Minneapolis. For more info, visit funkygrits.com.

This article originally appeared in the Minnesota Spokesman – Recorder.

Jonika Stowes

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State Controller Malia Cohen Keynote Speaker at S.F. Wealth Conference

California State Controller Malia Cohen delivered the keynote speech to over 50 business women at the Black Wealth Brunch held on March 28 at the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center at 301 Van Ness Ave. in San Francisco. The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.

Published

4 days ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

American Business Women’s Association Vice President Velma Landers, left, with California State Controller Malia Cohen (center), and ABWA President LaRonda Smith at the Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the ABWA at the Black Wealth Brunch.

By Carla Thomas

The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.

“Our goal is to educate Black and Brown families in the masses about financial wellness, wealth building, and how to protect and preserve wealth,” said ABWA San Francisco Chapter President LaRonda Smith.

ABWA’s mission is to bring together businesswomen of diverse occupations and provide opportunities for them to help themselves and others grow personally and professionally through leadership, education, networking support, and national recognition.

“This day is about recognizing influential women, hearing from an accomplished woman as our keynote speaker and allowing women to come together as powerful people,” said ABWA SF Chapter Vice President Velma Landers.

More than 60 attendees dined on the culinary delights of Chef Sharon Lee of The Spot catering, which included a full soul food brunch of skewered shrimp, chicken, blackened salmon, and mac and cheese.

Cohen discussed the many economic disparities women and people of color face. From pay equity to financial literacy, Cohen shared not only statistics, but was excited about a new solution in motion which entailed partnering with Californians for Financial Education.

“I want everyone to reach their full potential,” she said. “Just a few weeks ago in Sacramento, I partnered with an organization, Californians for Financial Education.

“We gathered 990 signatures and submitted it to the [California] Secretary of State to get an initiative on the ballot that guarantees personal finance courses for every public school kid in the state of California.

“Every California student deserves an equal opportunity to learn about filing taxes, interest rates, budgets, and understanding the impact of credit scores. The way we begin to do that is to teach it,” Cohen said.

By equipping students with information, Cohen hopes to close the financial wealth gap, and give everyone an opportunity to reach their full financial potential. “They have to first be equipped with the information and education is the key. Then all we need are opportunities to step into spaces and places of power.”

Cohen went on to share that in her own upbringing, she was not guided on financial principles that could jump start her finances. “Communities of color don’t have the same information and I don’t know about you, but I did not grow up listening to my parents discussing their assets, their investments, and diversifying their portfolio. This is the kind of nomenclature and language we are trying to introduce to our future generations so we can pivot from a life of poverty so we can pivot away and never return to poverty.”

Cohen urged audience members to pass the initiative on the November 2024 ballot.

“When we come together as women, uplift women, and support women, we all win. By networking and learning together, we can continue to build generational wealth,” said Landers. “Passing a powerful initiative will ensure the next generation of California students will be empowered to make more informed financial decisions, decisions that will last them a lifetime.”

Oakland Post

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Black Business Summit Focuses on Equity, Access and Data

The California African American Chamber of Commerce hosted its second annual “State of the California African American Economy Summit,” with the aim of bolstering Black economic influence through education and fellowship. Held Jan. 24 to Jan. 25 at the Westin Los Angeles Airport Hotel, the convention brought together some of the most influential Black business leaders, policy makers and economic thinkers in the state. The discussions focused on a wide range of economic topics pertinent to California’s African American business community, including policy, government contracts, and equity, and more.

Published

4 days ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

Toks Omishakin, Secretary of the California State Transportation Agency (CALSTA), answers questions from concerned entrepreneurs frustrated with a lack of follow-up from the state. January 24, 2024 at the Westin Los Angeles Airport Hotel, Lost Angeles, Calif. Photo by Solomon O. Smith

By Solomon O. Smith, California Black Media

The California African American Chamber of Commerce hosted its second annual “State of the California African American Economy Summit,” with the aim of bolstering Black economic influence through education and fellowship.

Held Jan. 24 to Jan. 25 at the Westin Los Angeles Airport Hotel, the convention brought together some of the most influential Black business leaders, policy makers and economic thinkers in the state. The discussions focused on a wide range of economic topics pertinent to California’s African American business community, including policy, government contracts, and equity, and more.

Toks Omishakin, Secretary of the California State Transportation Agency (CALSTA) was a guest at the event. He told attendees about his department’s efforts to increase access for Black business owners.

“One thing I’m taking away from this for sure is we’re going to have to do a better job of connecting through your chambers of all these opportunities of billions of dollars that are coming down the pike. I’m honestly disappointed that people don’t know, so we’ll do better,” said Omishakin.

Lueathel Seawood, the president of the African American Chamber of Commerce of San Joaquin County, expressed frustration with obtaining federal contracts for small businesses, and completing the process. She observed that once a small business was certified as DBE, a Disadvantaged Business Enterprises, there was little help getting to the next step.

Omishakin admitted there is more work to be done to help them complete the process and include them in upcoming projects. However, the high-speed rail system expansion by the California High-Speed Rail Authority has set a goal of 30% participation from small businesses — only 10 percent is set aside for DBE.

The importance of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in economics was reinforced during the “State of the California Economy” talk led by author and economist Julianne Malveaux, and Anthony Asadullah Samad, Executive Director of the Mervyn Dymally African American Political and Economic Institute (MDAAPEI) at California State University, Dominguez Hills.

Assaults on DEI disproportionately affect women of color and Black women, according to Malveaux. When asked what role the loss of DEI might serve in economics, she suggested a more sinister purpose.

“The genesis of all this is anti-blackness. So, your question about how this fits into the economy is economic exclusion, that essentially has been promoted as public policy,” said Malveaux.

The most anticipated speaker at the event was Janice Bryant Howroyd known affectionately to her peers as “JBH.” She is one of the first Black women to run and own a multi-billion-dollar company. Her company ActOne Group, is one of the largest, and most recognized, hiring, staffing and human resources firms in the world. She is the author of “Acting Up” and has a profile on Forbes.

Chairman of the board of directors of the California African American Chamber of Commerce, Timothy Alan Simon, a lawyer and the first Black Appointments Secretary in the Office of the Governor of California, moderated. They discussed the state of Black entrepreneurship in the country and Howroyd gave advice to other business owners.

“We look to inspire and educate,” said Howroyd. “Inspiration is great but when I’ve got people’s attention, I want to teach them something.”