Meet Martina & Marcellus Barksdale | Twin Siblings and Founders of SoulFeast Week

We had the good fortune of connecting with Martina & Marcellus Barksdale and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Martina & Marcellus, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
I’ve always had a love for food and beverage. With almost a decade of hospitality experience, I decided to start a food blog. During the height of the pandemic and racial justice I wanted to find a way to give back. In my work at the time, I saw a huge disparity in my clients who were white business owners and my clients who were black business owners. Most of my black clients we’re not getting the proper help to sustain their business during this time. I approached my twin brother, Marcellus Barksdale, and asked if he would help me curate a Black Restaurant Week to combine my love of food and to help create more equitable opportunities for Black Owned Restaurants.
We wanted to take it a step further and have a direct impact on Black farming and agriculture as well as provide curated events for the community to thrive, and thus SoulFeast Week was born.

What should our readers know about your business?
SoulFeast Week is a ten-day celebration of black culinary culture highlighting black restaurants, farmers, and chefs in Central Kentucky. Through educational exhibits, curated experiences, and enjoying great food, SoulFeast Week is an opportunity for Kentuckians of all races and backgrounds to support black businesses by putting their money where their mouths are, literally.

EAT
BLACK RESTAURANT WEEK
Lexington’s first-ever food week exclusively for black-owned restaurants. Participating restaurants will create a unique, off-menu food entree for $10.00.

EXPERIENCE
SOULTEENTH FEST
Kentucky’s premier Juneteenth Festival celebrating black liberation and ingenuity through music, art, agriculture, and great food.

ENTERTAIN
EVENTS ALL WEEK LONG
From bottomless mimosas and hip-hop brunches to savoring the flavors of dishes, the week of events is sure to get you out of your seat.

Navigating a business from the ground up with virtually zero starting capital is very difficult but we made it work. We knew we needed to create partnerships to make this vision come to life. Without our community Soulfeast doesn’t exist.

We’ve learned that growth of business takes time and we’re constantly improving on our approach to best meet the needs of our community

We have $80,000 direct spend with black businesses, vendors, and creatives since June 2021.
With direct access to a diverse community of professionals and entrepreneurs,
SoulFeast Week is uniquely positioned to deliver high performance success in Central Kentucky and surrounding areas.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
The great thing about Lexington is that it’s a thriving city when it comes to culinary experiences. We invite everyone to partake in all of our participating restaurants and finish up with a cocktail at Creaux, Jack’s Sandbar, Social Vegan or even Fresh Bourbon’s New Tasting Room.

Full list of Restaurants here
https://www.soulfeastweek.com/blackrestaurantweek

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
SoulFeast doesn’t exist without our community. Thank you specifically to Ashley Smith (Black Soil Kentucky), Bevin Morgan, Kiah Arnold, Iyahna Wilson for their hard work and continued support.
As well as our may sponsors and partners that helped make this possible.
Kentucky Black Bourbon Guild, Food Chain, Independence Bank, State Farm, PNC Bank, The City of Lexington, Lexus of Lexington, Kentucky for Kentucky, Marriott City Center of Lexington, VisitLex, Guide Realty, Time 2 Bounce Inflatables, WKYT, 107.9 The Beat, University of Kentucky Dept, of Agriculture, Food & Environment, Cornett, Trauma Informed Counseling Center, Elain Allen, Kroger, New Riff, Woodford Reserve, Castle & Key Distillery, Old Louisville Brewery, Korbel, Rock House Brewing, Fresh Bourbon, Old North Bar

Website: https://www.soulfeastweek.com/

Instagram: @soulfeastweek

Linkedin: @soulfeastweek

Twitter: @soulfeastweek

Facebook: @soulfeastweek

Image Credits
Photography: Honeysage Photo Co. (Amani Ragland)