Taste of Black Cleveland: Culinary event showcases Black-owned chefs, owners (Cleveland Cooks)

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - This month, 20 of Cleveland’s top restaurants will be featured and represent the city’s Black-owned culinary scene at Taste of Black Cleveland: The Food Showcase 4.0.

Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse will host the event, in partnership with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland NAACP, the Real Black Friday and Aramark.

The event takes place on Aug. 18th from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

Ticketholders will enjoy food from top Black chefs and owners of local Cleveland restaurants, food trucks and catering businesses.

Tickets can be purchased at cavs.com/tasteofblackcle.

Guests will sample food and vote for their favorites based on quality, variety and presentation.

This year’s lineup of participants include:

• Bite Creole Kitchen
• Next Level Caterers
• Blasian Fusion
• Pittmasters BBQ
• Chef Erok’s Kitchen
• Smoky Sweet Soul
• DVTOGO MOBILE CATERING
• Squash the Beef
• Filter Experience
• The Haunted House Restaurant
• Furahi: A Taste of Home
• UJerk Caribbean Eatery
• Goodfellas BBQ
• Vegan Vybez LLC
• Gourmet Gent Culinary Services & Supply Co.
• Vitiman Kandie LLC
• Grille 55
• YumVillage Cleveland
• Kafela
• Zanzibar Soul Fusion - Downtown

Chef Erika Horton, of Chef Erok’s Kitchen shared with us her recipe for mojo marinated tostone with pancetta guacamole and a citrus herb shrimp, which she thinks could win her the competition.

Mojo marinade:

• 1/3 cup olive oil (smoked) regular is fine
• 3 tablespoons fresh minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon citrus herb seasoning
• Juice of 1/2 lime

Heat olive oil on medium heat until it warms through add garlic and turn heat down to low add seasoning and lime juice and cook for three mins.

Turn heat off and brush the cooked plantains with it or use as a drizzle

Guacamole:

• 2 avocados
• 1/4 red onion diced small
• 1 tablespoon garlic
• 1/4 cup pancetta cooked until crisp
• 1/2 jalapeño deseeded and small dice
• 1 tablespoon cilantro
• 1/2 tablespoon citrus herb seasoning or salt & pepper

Cook pancetta and mix all ingredients together. Consistency should be somewhat chunky.

Tostones:

• 1 cup oil for frying
• 1-2 plantains

Cut plantains into 1 inch pieces.

Heat oil on medium high heat.

Add plantains and cook for 1-2 mins.

Remove from oil.

Put in between parchment paper and take a coffee mug and smash them gently then add back to heated oil and fry until golden.

Lightly brush with mojo add guacamole on top.

Cook shrimp in the pancetta grease with citrus herb seasoning once cooked thru put on top of the guacamole and garnish with micro cilantro.

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