Apollo Woods Of OKC Black Eats That Will Be Hosting “Black Foodie Summit” In OKC.
The Greek god Apollo, students of classical mythology are told, was the god of music and dancing and was the son of Zeus. Apollo Woods of Oklahoma City has a somewhat more limited area of responsibility as the Chief Networking Architect at OKC Black Eats, a firm that works with African American restaurants and stores to increase their sales by acquainting others with them and their flavorful offerings. And that goal is accomplished in part by detailing on the Black Eats website the names and backgrounds of the Oklahoma City region’s black chefs, their surprisingly diverse culinary influences, and their philosophy of cooking. And Woods’ commitment to their cause is worthy of his Greek counterparts dedication to his mythical areas of responsibility.
Woods, who has previously been awarded an Masters of Business Administration, hosted with his colleagues an event last year that was described as a “Black Foodie Summit,” that entailed presentations on subjects such as boosting sales through social media and dealing with hostile reviews in various mediums. It also featured tasty foods and pastries from local eateries and caterers, and Woods recently reported that the success of that undertaking has resulted in another such summit being held on Saturday, July13th of this year from 12:00 Noon until 6:00 PM at the trendy and upscale Bistro46 on 23rd Street in Oklahoma City. It is anticipated that more than 15 local chefs will be offering samples of their work at that event, and that while some of them were in attendance at the previous event several others will be making their first appearance. In addition, local musical talent will be performing during the gathering and will be overseen by disc jockeys from Houston, Texas. Chef Jannel Witt, who was a winner on the Hells Kitchen telecast will be in attendance as well, and Second several food bloggers from both Dallas and Houston will also be present and will be posting on social media and other publications regarding the food that they will be sampling there.
The vendor applications that will have to be submitted by all of those who wish to offer their fare at the event are available on the OKC Black Eats site and will have to be submitted on or before June 12th, Woods reports, and OKC Black Eats will be willing to list companies and individuals as sponsors if they donate a gift or cooking demonstration of a value in excess of $150.00.
A recent weekend edition of the Wall Street Journal that included an article that detailed how much of what is known today as Southern cooking in America, including barbeque, is in actuality African American cooking, and the Second Annual Black Foodie Summit will, just as its predecessor did last year, show how African American culinary preparations are evolving and effecting the food of Oklahoma and possibly in time to American food as a whole.
Against the Grain 