Funding a dream...from seed to fruition.

Hi, I'm Bean! I was born and raised in Providence's West End/South Side areas. I attended Head Start, Gilbert Stuart Elementary School (now Middle School), Mary E. Fogarty Elementary School, Roger Williams Middle School, Classical High School, URI, and CCRI. I came home from the hospital to Congress Ave where I lived until I was 9 years old and then onto Gladstone Street until I was 19. As an adult, for 13 years I worked as an adolescent inpatient substance abuse counselor, homeless advocate, translator, and housing case manager. To escape some of the stress that came along with that career I'd come home and bake/cook and develop/test recipes. Regularly combining the flavors I'd grown up with and some of the techniques I learned from watching tv and researching online. For ten years I was the family baker, baby shower cook, funeral repast menu developer, and holiday buffet extraordinaire! Serving menus complete with appetizers, multi-course meals, and from scratch pastries. I fell in love with how the kitchen gave me a way of both expressing myself creatively and nourishing the ones I loved. It became my love letter to the world!

 

I studied and cooked and studied and baked. And found myself eating out and breaking down foods from all over the world and connecting the dots. Chicken and rice soup becomes Chinese chicken congee, Cape Verdean canja de galinha, and Dominican asopao de pollo. Pierogi, dumpling, empanada, calzone, pastel, and samosa...all tasty needed ways to carry along food. Making foods to sustain folks on long travels in most cultures connects us all. I had fallen in love! With so much that keeps us apart, food brings us together. I wanted for others to know that. I wanted to gather people from everywhere to sit at long tables to eat and share conversations and ideas. Some part of me wanted to recreate my experience as a student at Classical High School during lunch time. Friends from the US, Portugal, Russia, Cape Verde, Cambodia and Liberia all together eating and sharing stories. Catholic, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and atheist we all sat together. I always found beauty in my lunch periods at Classical and part of that has shaped this dream.

 

Born in 1980 " Cheers" was part of my youth. To this day I can sing almost the whole theme song lol I grew up and wanted exactly that. I saw most of the places from my youth close. Not too many places left that knew my Nanny. I still remember my now almost 19 year old getting his 1st lollipop from what was Tony's Market from Mr. Frank and me not being able to say "no!" cause it's Mr.Frank and he's basically grandpa around here. I miss those days and as we rush towards a less connected world, it's my desire to bring that back. A place that grows with the community.

 

Three years ago I opened "Black Beans PVD" in December 2019. It was my attempt at starting a supper club that got all of the dishes I had in my head out. To test recipes on a wider audience with strangers eating together at long tables getting to know each other. By February I was on a roll serving 5 courses for up to 45 people at a time two services a weekend by myself. Dancing and talking and singing and creating that Classical lunch room experience. Then covid hit! I closed down and restructured. I saw that more than fancy 5 courses folks needed low cost culturally relevant food. I volunteered helping to cook over 200 culturally relevant meals a week for Providence school kids and their families.Good fresh foods that can sustain you without forcing you to decide between paying a utility bill and grabbing a meal at the end of a 12hr shift for your family. Folks like me who were just simply working in the community in spaces that are needed while also trying to survive a shift that was causing many to decide between food or shelter. The cooks, dishwashers, shelter workers, CNAs, daycare workers, delivery drivers, and everyone playing the needed positions that are often forgotten. Covid was burning us out and food costs were killing our pockets. I wanted to help alleviate that some.

 

So now as I come into my third year I have finally made it to where I have been trying to make it for almost 6 years. But I need help! Like many I have been personally impacted by the housing crisis and due to no fault of my own am unhoused. This happened at the same time while I was on the path towards opening my very 1st brick and mortar restaurant. During a time where I should be happy and celebrating I was forced to use my all to secure a path towards housing or put my all into securing a path towards economic stability and freedom by pursuing my dreams. Knowing that both are needed for either to exist I decided to ask the community for help with getting my business to open while I use all of my personal resources to secure housing stability.

 

It hasn't been easy trying to put this together. To come to folks and ask for help, BUT I know that what I am trying to do is both wanted and needed in the community. Black Beans PVD has over 2,000 followers on Instagram and so if even half give $20 each (less than the cost of most of my meal options plus tax and tip) I'll be at my goal. My brick and mortar is set to open for summer and so I'm looking for funds for the following:

 

Here are the donation scales:

 

I know that there are some who can’t donate and so to those…share this! Sharing helps by spreading the word and it costs nothing to do so. I’m almost there and with the help of the community at large I can stay in the community that helped me become who I am! I love my community and it is long overdue for having a soul food/regional comfort food place that is owned by a lifelong community member. To show the children here that you don’t always have to leave home to find your dreams. To show them that sometimes seeds can be planted and grow right here in the West End/ South Side. To be the proof that seeds planted from 1994-1998 in those Classical High School lunch periods have now grown and with your help can continue to spread love through food and community right here. Thank you!

 

-Bean, Chef Owner

Black Beans PVD