Starex Smith, creator of The Hungry Black Man blog, and his team are among the most sought-after guests Black restaurants want to bring to the table. His detailed restaurant reviews, videos and food images lead diners to under-the-radar discoveries, especially mom-and-pop restaurants and food stands in strip malls.
Now Smith has expanded his blog into a media company that has spawned unique dining experiences like the Black Foodie Tour and festivals, like the Soul Vegan Festival and the upcoming Juneteenth Food and Wine Festival. He’s opening a restaurant, Smith & Webster, in Miami. His motivation behind all of his endeavors: “Share the culinary genius of my hometown.”
Before he started Hungry Black Man Media, Smith saw “the inability of Black excellence to reach its people. You would hear about a new restaurant opening in Miami Beach or Coral Gables in the main news outlets, but you would miss the founders of a new restaurant in Miami Gardens starting their venture,” he says. “There were a lot of barriers preventing the public from experiencing these restaurants. I believe we are broadcasting them to new demographics.”
Smith started writing about food in 2016, juggling his blog with his job as director of parks and recreation for Miami Gardens where he was oversaw more than 300 employees. He would organize potlucks and hold birthday parties at restaurants. “Food was a big part of my social life,” he says. “I love to talk about food.” From that job, Smith became vice president of the Center of Black Innovation, formerly Black Tech Week, a position focused on helping Black entrepreneurs succeed with their businesses. He incorporated his business-building skills into his website, creating more refined reviews and videos of Black restaurants. Those efforts boosted business for those typically overlooked in mainstream outlets.
“We would see an absence of Black representation in conventional media like Eater and Food and Wine,” he says. “It’s reassuring that the material about Black-owned restaurants on our platform translates into consumers going to the restaurant.”
The Hungry Black Man site reflects Smith’s knowledge of food. But it also requires a team. Editor Michelle Hollinger refines his words. Photographer Korey Davis takes the food shots. Smith brings the background and also appears on videos on social media, where he talks at length about his mission to bring the rich culinary experiences to a wider audience. “I want to hear people say, ‘I’m coming to Miami to get the best Trinidadian food.’” And Haitian. And Jamaican. And any of the other restaurants he’s explored.
“Our number-one goal is to get consumers through the door. After our article drops and we love a place, we show that love through our writing. Our audience responds heavily. It’s a beautiful thing,” says Smith. “For some of these restaurants, it is life-changing.”
The Hungry Black Man team has gained enough momentum to host food events, like the upcoming Juneteenth Food and Wine Festival. “We saw a need to double down on the celebration of Black excellence. The festival exposes the general public to that excellence. It’s also a solution to the lack of diversity the South Beach Food and Wine Festival has shown in the last few years,” he says.
The event will also include a conference with experts in the food industry talking about how restaurant owners can surpass the barriers to restaurant success. “The covid pandemic was like the restaurant apocalypse,” he says. “We want to teach restaurant owners how to leverage technology to serve their customers. We want folks to know that there is light at the end of the tunnel.”
19934 NW Second Ave., Miami Gardens
awashmiami.com
AT A GLANCE: Chef Eka Wassel and her husband Fouad have created a welcoming space filled with Ethiopian decor and includes a coffee ceremony, tasting menu and Ethiopian wines and beer.
WHAT HE LIKES: Ethiopian fried fish, beef or lentil sambusa, and their honey wine.
7244 Biscayne Blvd., Miami
blvdbaes.com
AT A GLANCE: Tiny restaurant with indoor and outdoor dining with a big breakfast menu – chicken and waffles, benedict burger, corned beef hash and other favorites.
WHAT HE LIKES: Salmon Cobb salad is a favorite. So is “anything from the grill,” he says.
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AT A GLANCE: Vegan food from chefs Kris Kofi and Macka, his wife, with family-style dishes that embrace Asian, Mexican, Afro-Caribbean and soul food cuisines. Follow them for locations.
WHAT HE LIKES: Vegan Thai red curry, oxtail, tacos and hibachi dishes.
316 NE 24 St., Wynwood
dukunoowynwood.com
AT A GLANCE: Caribbean menu, full cocktail bar and an outdoor patio with lots of art and murals from husband and wife duo Rodrick Leighton and Dr. Shrusan Gray.
WHAT HE LIKES: Oxtail and the jerk corn, plus their lively brunch.
4811 S. State Rd. 7, Davie
islandfusiongrill.com
AT A GLANCE: Flavorful Caribbean dishes from Jamaican chef Deanna Allen include lots of vegan and vegetarian dishes like coconut curried jackfruit and chickpea tempeh.
WHAT HE LIKES: Vegan curry chicken, conch fritters (vegan!) and jerk chicken flatbread.
3328 S. University Dr., Miramar
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AT A GLANCE: One of his favorite Haitian restaurants, this family-run business serves up all the classics: stewed conch, legim (Haitian stew), griot, pikliz, stewed chicken, steamed snapper.
WHAT HE LIKES: Haitian Beef and Okra Stew (Viand Bef Ak Kalalou) with rice and sos pwa, a bean puree, and fried plantains.
2675 NW 207th St., Miami Gardens
AT A GLANCE: Black Miami soul food – “deep South with a hint of Afro-Caribbean and Hispanic influences” – from businesswoman Latosia Colvin and celeb Trick Daddy.
WHAT HE LIKES: Fried ribs, pork chop, collard greens, mac and cheese, pigeon peas and rice, plus the banana pudding.
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