Heinz Black Kitchen Initiative’s Pop-Up Brings a Taste of Charleston to Atlanta
Marcus Samuelsson is no stranger to opening his kitchen to like-minded chefs. Samuelsson, who was born in Ethiopia and grew up in Sweden, is best known for his Harlem establishment, Red Rooster, as well as multiple books and television appearances. His restaurant in Old Fourth Ward, Marcus Bar & Grille, opened in March 2023, and the chef says Atlanta “had been on [his] radar for a long time as a world-class metropolis of Black culture.”
This Wednesday, February 21, Marcus Bar & Grille will welcome chefs from Charleston, South Carolina, for one of the first Heinz Black Kitchen Initiative Open Kitchen pop-ups. As Open Kitchen’s partnering chef, Samuelsson hosted chefs from a Virginia restaurant, Foode + Mercantile, at Red Rooster last December. He looks forward to this month’s collaboration with Lorraine “Moma” Smalls and Antwan “Cake Daddy” Smalls from the soul food establishment My Three Sons in North Charleston, South Carolina.
“Opening a restaurant is tough — from raising the capital to spreading the word once you’re open, every aspect presents unique challenges,” Samuelsson says. “I’m humbled to not only have the opportunity to help provide resources and exposure for the Black Kitchen Initiative grantees but to simply cook alongside these talented chefs and share their work with others.”
The Open Kitchen program is Heinz’s first series of restaurant pop-ups, and the honor includes “a strong exposure platform to take businesses to the next level.” The Smalls duo was selected for the opportunity based on a pool of grantees within the Black Kitchen Initiative, also known as “rising chefs,” according to Megan Lang, head of brand communications for Heinz North America.
Lang adds that the city of Atlanta is home to several past grant recipients, including Bomb Biscuit Atlanta, Elise Organic Ice Cream, , Mr. Everything Cafe, Portrait Coffee, Ruki’s Kitchen, The Consulate Restaurant, Local Green, and Woofs Atlanta Sports Bar.
Antwan Smalls applied for a Black Kitchen Initiative grant one evening in 2022 while stationed in Kuwait with the U.S. Army Reserves and working remotely on his family’s business. In the application, he shared a poignant story about the family’s struggles from the prior two years: losing his youngest brother, Courtenay, in early 2020, then relocating My Three Sons to a larger space that spring, only to begin dealing with a pandemic.
Antwan’s mother, Lorraine Smalls, says she had no idea her son had applied, and it was a happy surprise when their restaurant was selected. Later, Lorraine and Antwan were chosen for the Open Kitchen pop-up, and meeting and working with Samuelsson made the opportunity even better.
“It was so amazing,” Lorraine says. “I’d always seen him on TV, and then meeting him personally, it was like I knew him forever. Very open and friendly.”
Antwan and Lorraine will cook a number of Southern favorites for Marcus Bar & Grille patrons, including fried chicken, fried fish, mac and cheese, red rice, collard greens, cabbage, and My Three Sons’ famous seafood rice. For dessert, Antwon, whose baking earned him the nickname “Cake Daddy,” is preparing red velvet cake, carrot cake, and bread pudding. Lorraine’s other son, Sedale, will DJ the event.
The Smalls family is humbled by the opportunity to raise their restaurant’s profile and perpetuate the legacy of Courtenay Smalls and their late mentor, Ms. Alice Warren, Charleston’s “Queen of Soul Food.” Since news broke on social media of the Open Kitchen pop-up in Atlanta, My Three Sons has already garnered attention, and Antwan feels strongly that his family and Samuelsson are a good fit. “He loves food, and he loves people,” he says. “So those are two things we have in common.”
“I want to thank my son for applying and thank Heinz for the grant – and give a big shout-out to Marcus for being such a great person and so welcoming,” Lorraine says.
