By Megan SaylesAFRO Workers Writermsayles@afro.com
Husband and spouse staff Shareef Faulcon and Sydne Shaw have introduced their latest idea, The Madison 801, to East Baltimore. The elevated cafe, which had its grand opening on Feb. 18, is serving dishes, like banana pudding creme brulee french toast, hen garlic honeycomb sliders and braised jerk oxtails on the 800 block of North Chester St.
Credit score: Photograph courtesy of the Harbor Financial institution of Maryland Neighborhood Growth Company.
The pair usually are not new to the restaurant enterprise. They’ve been operating a halal chain often called Shareef’s Grill for years, with areas in East and West Baltimore and in Randallstown, Md.
“The Madison 801 is an informal high quality eating cafe. We do a number of very nice plating, craft coffees and pressed juices. Individuals can are available, they usually can hook up with wi-fi free of charge to get their work accomplished, hear some good music and calm down,” mentioned Shaw. “The meals is a lot totally different from Shareef’s as a result of at its core we started with a breakfast and brunch menu. We run that each one day, however we’ve not too long ago ramped up our dinner gadgets as nicely.”
The menu additionally has a deal with offering wholesome choices for patrons, one thing Shaw and Faulcon designed deliberately. The couple are health fans and perceive the well being impacts of restricted entry to contemporary meals within the Black group.
“There are such a lot of well being challenges that are likely to encompass our specific demographic. We attempt to be proactive and supply that to different individuals,” mentioned Shaw. “Right here, you will get a complete meals meal— your grains, veggies and protein. Every thing doesn’t must be deep fried.”
The Madison 801 is not only a brand new eating possibility for Baltimoreans. It’s additionally a product of Black collaboration, from growth to financing and building. The constructing is a undertaking of the Harbor Financial institution of Maryland’s Neighborhood Growth Corp. (CDC) and Okoro Growth.
Germano Gomez, managing director of the Harbor Financial institution of Maryland’s CDC, defined that Madison 801’s area was initially set to be constructed via the group’s Rising Builders Program. The free course trains budding Baltimore builders within the fundamentals of buying, renovating and renting actual property.
Its first cohort purchased 9 row houses on the 800 block of North Chester St. Seven of the houses have been slated to be renovated and offered to workers at Johns Hopkins Hospital. The 2 nook houses, the place The Madison 801 operates in the present day, have been supposed for a brand new restaurant.
Although the seven row houses have been accomplished and offered by the cohort in 2018, the area for the restaurant was not zoned correctly. Thus, the Harbor Financial institution of Maryland CDC teamed up with Okoro Growth, led by Chukes Okoro, to rezone the property and end the event.
Gomez mentioned the purpose of the undertaking was to offer restaurateurs an opportunity at possession and, in flip, generational wealth.
“We now have these rising Black-owned eating places, and we have gotten recognized for that in Baltimore. Individuals come to the town for them,” mentioned Gomez. “However, many of the operators don’t personal the actual property the place they’re creating these companies. You’ll be able to’t create any fairness in your online business for those who don’t personal the property.”
Simply above The Madison 801 is a 1,700 square-foot house with three bedrooms and two-and-a-half loos.
“We did this so a Black-owned enterprise might dwell on the website in a property that’s price over $2 million and go on to have generational wealth from it,” mentioned Gomez.
Although Shaw and Faulcon have but to maneuver into the house above the restaurant, Shaw mentioned it’s a risk sooner or later, and she or he applauded the Harbor Financial institution of Maryland CDC’s intention.
Okoro additionally praised the group for granting possession to the restaurateurs.
“It’s good to be part of a undertaking the place we’re serving to a enterprise turn out to be property house owners and work in their very own constructing,” mentioned Okoro. “It additionally permits them to vary it. They might determine to redo the constructing and create one thing else as a result of the market dictates that. The longer term is unwritten, however when you personal your constructing, it places you in a stronger place.”
