Kansas City Black Restaurant Week publicizing several local restaurants

By Taylor Johnson

Click here for updates on this story

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) — It’s been a busy Saturday in the District Fish and Pasta House kitchen, in part because of Black Restaurant Week.

It’s a time when many black-owned restaurants are getting extra exposure.

“Last year was good, but this year it’s a little better. This year I am getting more people,” said Kiraameen Khalifah.

District Fish and Pasta opened its doors amid the Covid-19 closures in 2020. It has become an extension of a family business.

“Before, it was a fried fish from Lutfi. They closed and I reopened as District Fish and Pasta,” Khalifah said.

Since then, Khalifah has cooked up some unique dishes you won’t find anywhere else in the city and he won’t be stopping anytime soon.

“It is paying off. The struggles, the long days and the long nights. Seeing this now is like, ‘Okay, it works. It works,’” Khalifah said.

Dozens of Kansas City restaurants participate in Black Restaurant Week.

According to the US Census Bureau, fewer than 20% of businesses are minority-owned, so Black Restaurant Week is an opportunity to give restaurants a useful boost.

Note: This content is subject to a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you cannot use it on any platform.