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Boston

2 mins read

Black Owned Foodservice Business Receives $17M Contract in Boston

City Fresh Foods is a Black owned foodservice business based in Roxbury, MA. The family-owned business was recently awarded a contract to provide meals to almost 50,000 Boston Public School students starting on July 1.

Sheldon Lloyd is the CEO of City Fresh Foods. He started the company with the goal to provide nutritious, fresh meals to seniors and minorities in the Boston area.

“This is the community feeding the community right here, many of my cooks are going to be feeding their own,” Lloyd said. “We make diverse food, so you have the flavors of the community.”

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu announced the $17 million contract is the largest non-construction contract the city has ever issued to a certified Black-owned business.

“[This is a] long time coming,” Lloyd said at the press conference. “Twenty-eight years ago, City Fresh began around the corner on Dudley Street — 1,200-square-foot kitchen with less than 10 employees delivering a couple hundred meals a day. And look at City Fresh now. We produce and deliver thousands of meals every day to residents of the city of Boston and we have a team of 160 locals.”

“City Fresh is building a state-of-the-art institutional foodservice production plant in the heart of Roxbury to provide critical nutrition and flavor to even more children and families in the Greater Boston community for years to come,” Lloyd said.

Lloyd, whose own children are in BPS, said his goal has always been to hire straight from the community and now calls the chance to feed the children of the Boston Public Schools a full-circle moment.

“The mission was to hire local and feed local, hire younger and serve the older community,” Lloyd said. “We were selected because we are from Boston, we had the best proposal, we know the city well and we have a special connection to the community because we are a reflection of the community.”

Cover photo by Morgan C. Mullings

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2 mins read

Boston Architecture Designed by Black Architects

Private developers in Boston did not hire Black architects for several decades, so much of the architecture in the city today designed by Black people are generally of the institutional or infrastructural kind, especially that tied to the state or federal government.

The Boston-based firm of Stull and Lee designed the majority. Donald Stull started what became Stull and Lee in 1966, with M. David Lee joining in 1990. It is the most prominent African-American-owned architecture and urban planning firm in Boston

Central Artery Tunnel Ventilation Building 7

Stull and Lee was responsible for the initial design of this ventilation complex for the Ted Williams Tunnel (it’s right outside of it on the South Boston end).

Deborah Fennick while at TAMS Architecture executed the final design. The building has 14 fans for dealing with exhaust and 10 for fresh air.

John D. O’Bryant African-American Institute

Stull and Lee worked with William Rawn Associates in designing this 30,000-square-foot institute within a larger mixed-use complex. It features a two-story colonnade that African architectural precedents inspired.

Ruggles Station

The Ruggles Station is one of the busier mass transit stops in the region, with three commuter-rail routes running through and the Orange Line stopping, too. Several bus lines connect as well through the station, which Stull and Lee designed.

The station, with its barrel vault, also serves as a kind of front door for Northeastern University.

Renaissance Parking Garage

The 10-floor, 950-spot garage at Northeastern is part of a so-called gateway for that university’s southern reaches. Stull and Lee designed it.

Boston Police Headquarters

Stull and Lee designed the 180,000-square-foot main hub of the Boston Police Department. It includes the department’s communications apparatus as well as a 24-hour cafeteria.

Roxbury Community College

The firm of Stull and Lee designed this community college building for 1,500 students.

Egleston Center

Stull and Lee designed this complex, which includes a branch bank and a McDonalds Express. The firm placed parking behind the building to emphasize the pedestrian scale of Egleston Square.

 

Source: Curbed Boston

3 mins read

Black Owned Businesses in The Boston Area

Boston, aka Beantown, is home to some amazing Black owned businesses. Check these out and let us know which ones we missed!

Black Owned Businesses in The Boston Area

Frugal Bookstore (Roxbury) is a community bookstore with a passion for promoting literacy within our children, teens, and adults.

black owned

Bred Gourmet (Boston) is a small burger bar that serves gourmet patties & toppings, plus kale drinks, smoothies, salads & more.

Black owned boston

The F.I.T.T. PIT (Hyde Park) is  training facility that focuses on functional interval training that helps clients transform their bodies and reach their fitness goals.

The Urban Grape (Boston) is the first wine, craft beer, and spirits store to organize wines by their body, rather than varietal or region.

Black owned boston

Simply Erin’s (Cambridge) is a unisex hair salon that caters to a clientele with all hair textures.

Liz’s Hair Care (Roxbury Crossing) is a full service hair salon located in a historic neighborhood of Boston.

Addis Red Sea (Boston) is an Ethiopian Restaurant offers authentic Ethiopian cuisine coupled in a warm and friendly environment.

Black owned boston

The Beehive (Boston) is a hip spot for creative New American fare, cocktails, daily live music, jazz brunch & patio dining.

The Coast Cafe (Cambridge) offers counter-serve fried chicken & other soul-food classics.

M&M Ribs’s (Boston) is a food truck that offers  the “Best BBQ in Town.”

Savvor Restaurant and Lounge (Boston) is a contemporary space with Caribbean & Southern cuisine & craft cocktails, plus live music on weekends.

Slades Bar & Grill (Roxbury), once owned by Celtic great Bill Russell, serves soul food to an R&B & soul soundtrack.

Shearer Cottage (Martha’s Vineyard) is a family-owned and operated with pride since 1903. Shearer Cottage is nestled in a quiet, woodsy area in the Highlands of East Chop in Oak Bluffs on the Island of Martha’s Vineyard.

Cousen Rose Gallery (Martha’s Vineyard) offers paintings, prints, photography, pottery, books, wearable art and unique jewelry.

Oak Bluffs Inn (Martha’s Vineyard) is a highly rated 9-bedroom B&B located minutes away from the beach and features scenic gardens on the grounds. This inn is located just a 2-minute drive from Martha’s Vineyard Ferry in Oak Bluffs.

Black owned boston

Darryl’s Corner Bar & Kitchen (Boston) serves up great southern comfort food and signature cocktails with a side of some of the best jazz.

Black owned boston