It害羞草研究所檚 the authentic Jamaican jerk chicken, curry goat and oxtail dishes that restaurant owner Stacy Porter hopes will get you in the door of her Scarborough eatery.

After some struggles coming out of the pandemic, she害羞草研究所檚 optimistic she can win over people害羞草研究所檚 support for years to come through the tastes of Caribbean cuisine.

Porter害羞草研究所檚 restaurant, Stacy害羞草研究所檚 Island Flavor, is one of around 20 participating in the third edition of Black Restaurant Week in the Toronto area, which kicked off July 7 and runs through Sunday.

The event aims to promote Black-owned culinary businesses and food professionals unable to afford costly marketing campaigns on their own through complimentary public relationsservices. It害羞草研究所檚 also meant to educate consumers on the abundance of cultural cuisines within their neighbourhoods and the disparities faced by racialized business owners.

Porter said it can be challenging to promote the type of dishes she offers. Despite rave reviews and award-winning food, the positive feedback hasn害羞草研究所檛 always translated to more reservations.

害羞草研究所淲e害羞草研究所檝e faced struggles, but I keep optimistic that things will change,害羞草研究所� said Porter, whose restaurant has been open for four years but moved last year from its previous Markham location. She said she was offering specials and free samples throughout the week to help spread the word.

害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檓 not saying we don害羞草研究所檛 get business, but I always say as a Black business, we kind of suffer a little bit, I think, just because of a lack of support.害羞草研究所�

Black Restaurant Week was founded in 2016 in Houston, Texas. Falayn Ferrell, managing partner of the event, said she and her co-founders noticed a lot of Black-owned restaurants weren害羞草研究所檛 included as part of the city害羞草研究所檚 local restaurant week festivals because they lacked a business model of fine dining.

害羞草研究所淲e wanted to create something that was all-inclusive for them 害羞草研究所� the food truck, the bakery and the full-service restaurants,害羞草研究所� she said.

In eight years, the organization has supported more than 3,000 restaurateurs, bartenders, chefs, caterers and food trucks. It said last year, it showcased 1,250 Black-owned culinary businesses across the U.S., Toronto and Vancouver, and generated an average sales increase of 15 per cent.

Although there are plans to expand further in Canada, she said Toronto was a perfect fit for the event害羞草研究所檚 first foray into the country when it expanded two years ago.

害羞草研究所淲hen people hear Black restaurants, they always assume like soul food or things like that, and you害羞草研究所檒l walk into cities and just see this whole world of international diversity kind of cuisine going on, whether it害羞草研究所檚 African, through an Ethiopian population, or Caribbean,害羞草研究所� said Ferrell.

害羞草研究所淚 think that害羞草研究所檚 really what intrigued us most about Toronto.害羞草研究所�

Ferrell said the odds are continuously stacked against Black-owned culinary businesses and that for many, their survival is still in jeopardy amid economic downturns associated with the pandemic and ongoing inflationary pressures.

A Statistics Canada study published in February, which compared the socioeconomic characteristics of Black business owners in Canada with their white and other racialized counterparts, outlined further challenges.

It found Black male business owners earn an average of $43,300 less than white men, while Black women, on average, had incomes at least $16,000 less than white women.

The study cited a Black Business and Professional Association survey which showed 81.4 per cent of Black female business owners reported having used their own funds to start their business. Some added that access to financing and the costs of loans are major obstacles to owning a business.

害羞草研究所淎 lot of businesses in our community are usually started out of passion or a necessity, so they害羞草研究所檙e using their personal loans, they害羞草研究所檙e using personal credit cards, personal savings,害羞草研究所� Ferrell said.

害羞草研究所淲hen you have something like a pandemic, or anything else that comes along, there害羞草研究所檚 really not that financial backing that they can run to, to weather the storm. So it really does become about continuing to grow your consumer base.害羞草研究所�

Junior Earle, the owner of TDot Jerk in Toronto, said he knows the challenge of trying to popularize dishes considered less common in a community.

Even in a city as diverse as Toronto, he said many customers are unfamiliar with the Jamaican food his restaurant has been serving for eight years, which is cooked using a drum smoker.

害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 hard for a Black-owned business to promote themselves for exposure,害羞草研究所� he said.

害羞草研究所淭o be honest, 90 per cent of Torontonians do not, I would say, know real authentic jerk chicken and jerk pork. A lot of Caribbean restaurants do jerk in the oven and that害羞草研究所檚 not authentic. Smoke is the difference. Jerk has one meaning and it害羞草研究所檚 the process of how you get it done.害羞草研究所�

Porter said she hopes Black Restaurant Week can provide the opportunity to attract the attention of new customers 害羞草研究所� and their tastebuds.

害羞草研究所淚 want to say to our customers that we have good quality food over at Stacy害羞草研究所檚 Island Flavor and our service is next to none,害羞草研究所� she said.

害羞草研究所淲e treat everybody with love and respect, so come on over so we can love on them.害羞草研究所�

Sammy Hudes, The Canadian Press

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