Tuesday night I went to a dinner party on Grant Street that was a real eye-opener. The affair was a joint venture between Sweet_ness 7 and Freddie J’s Barbecue – two West Side businesses that may have different clienteles, but both have the desire to bring a community together. The evening included a jam session, a barbecue smorgasbord and a mix of people that should come together more often. Fred Daniel designed the function to co-mingle cultures that might otherwise not have the opportunity to hang with one another, and what better way to do it than by providing good food and music?
If you ask anyone who attended the barbecue, the experiment worked. By combining the cafe crowd and the barbecue crowd, Freddie and Prish concocted a business model that many people would appreciate seeing in a more permanent form. It was almost like being at a work picnic where you might not know everyone, but there is a certain familiarity because you’re part of the company. It was also great to see such a melting pot of people on Grant Street. I spoke to Fred a few days before the event and he had expressed to me his desire to create the exact type of atmosphere that I witnessed Tuesday night. I wouldn’t be surprised to see these two join forces in more culinary adventures, whether it be at the cafe or somewhere else.
In the meantime, we’ll keep you posted on the next affair.