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My name is KJ which isn’t short for Kevin James or Keith Junior.

I am a native of North Charleston, an uncle to 13 nieces and nephews, (un)retired sneakerhead, and unapologetic lover of Black people and the cuisine we create!

With that as the background, I initially started the Black Food Fridays Instagram account as a way for people to find and support Black owned restaurants during the COVID-19 *panorama. It has since evolved into an aggregation account where I curate the best in Black owned food and beverages by highlighting dishes, desserts, drinks, and the people who make them.

Instead of writing a 1000 word essay about myself, allow me to let you know who I am via a list of stream-of-conscious bullet points:

• I read about 20 articles a day. To accomplish this, I subscribe to blogs that cover the following topics (but not limited to):

  • Packaging design,

  • Sneakers,

  • Black culture,

  • Contemporary art,

  • Food.

• I played organized football from elementary school through college and have collected the following injuries (non-exhaustive list):

  • Temporary amnesia,

  • Temporary paralysis,

  • Torn ligament in my left ring finger,

  • Misaligned hips.

• My favorite colors are Black, Grey, and Olive Green. Although I have been told that both Yellow and Pink look good on me as well.

• I want to host a traveling food show.

• I have my “own” holiday! I wrote a proclamation for Red Rice (the American cousin of West African Jollof) that was adopted by the City of Charleston in 2018.

• I ran for political office once.

• I am proud graduate of THE ILLUSTRIOUS South Carolina State University, home of the Mighty Bulldogs and the Marching 101! If you graduated from a HBCU (Historically Black College or University), you are obligated to stick the phrase “The Illustrious” on the front end of your school’s name.

As of now, I run Black Food Fridays all by myself but I have been able to partner with some pretty dope people since starting in April 2020. For example:

• I’ve hosted a Soul Food tour and multiple Instagram takeovers for the Charleston Wine + Food Festival.

• I’ve done work with Red Clay Hot Sauce, Pepsi, the Charleston Visitor’s Bureau, & Amazon.

• Been a featured guest on panels for organizations like the Southeast Tourism Society and Whole30.

• I have moderated panel discussions for the City of Charleston, Columbia Museum of Art, and Dine Diaspora.

So if you want to work together, don't hesitate to hit me up via email: KJ@BlackFoodFridays.com.