St. Petersburg, Fla. — Chef Creole’s Cafe has been on the corner of Ninth Ave. and 22nd Street for seven years.
“We’re a dine in destination restaurant serving casein and creole food,” said Elihu Brayboy.
Brayboy and his wife own the cafe. He said business was going great, until COVID-19 hit.
They nearly lost 100% of their business. He said, “the pandemic was a set back.”
Just when things started to turn around, George Floyd’s name made national news. Floyd is the latest unarmed black man who died in the custody of a Minneapolis police officer.
For Brayboy, a man who lived through the assignation of Martin Luther King Jr., “the news was very painful.”
Floyd’s murder sparked violent protests across the country, including the Tampa Bay area. Some of the protesters vandalized and robbed businesses and burned buildings down. Most of those businesses are in the university area, which is predominately black. They’re also mostly black owned with black employees.
“We understand the rage and the outcry,” Brayboy said. “ This kind of incident can be a major setback.”
Dex Fabian, the publisher for “I Love the Burg” blog site, is now using his voice to help black business owners stay open by promoting their business.
"At a time like this, we thought it was most important to show our love and support for our black brothers and sisters,” he said.
To find out what other black owned businesses “I love the Burg “ is promoting click on this link: https://ilovetheburg.com/
