Cause for celebration

This Juneteenth, communities come together to celebrate Black culinary entrepreneurs with food, music and fun.

In February of 2021, Claude and Crystal Booker knew it was time to make a change. Before covid-19, the Ohio-based husband and wife duo ran a food service business called Simply Southern Sides, supplying dishes to buffets and hot bars. But during the pandemic, their entire business came to a standstill. “Everyone was working from home and it was unsafe to eat at buffets,” Claude Booker remembers. So the Bookers decided to look to the past in order to build themselves a new future.

Together, the pair launched a new business, the eponymously named Bookers, selling soul food seasoning mixes based on classic recipes like collard greens, peach cobbler and candied yams. “One of the most unique things about soul food is how its recipes have been passed down orally for generations,” Booker says. “Even today, some of our aunties and grandmothers are the best cooks, but if you asked them for the recipe, they would struggle!”

Over the past few years, Bookers has grown into a successful brand, offering mixes that help make traditional soul food recipes more accessible to cooks both new and old. This June, Safeway grocery stores will showcase Bookers as part of their annual Juneteenth celebration: an in-store event for local communities featuring live music, community outreach and, of course, more than a little good food.

Juneteenth is just one of many events that Safeway commemorates with in-store celebrations throughout the year, creating space for local communities to come together and share their cultures. “From Celebrations of Black History, to a Taste of Hispanic Heritage, to Festa Italiana, to Lunar New Year and beyond, our passion is helping shoppers celebrate through culture and cuisine,” says Tracy Galindo, who plans and executes Safeway’s in-store themed events. “All while supporting local, minority-owned small businesses as they thrive and get discovered by new audiences.”

Galindo has organized in-store Black History celebrations for 20 years, and helped organize Safeway’s first Juneteenth event back in 2021; however, Juneteenth has been an important day to millions of Americans for nearly 160 years. The holiday was first celebrated on June 19, 1866, a year after enslaved men and women in Galveston, Texas, received news that they were free following Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s surrender in the Civil War.

“One of the most unique things about soul food is how its recipes have been passed down orally for generations.”

— Claude Booker, Booker’s Soul Food Starters

The holiday tradition was continued by Texans in the years that followed, and eventually became a tradition for Black Americans in states across the country. “My parents were very big on African American history, so my family has celebrated Juneteenth since my early childhood,” says Duane Myko, owner of plant-based burger company Everything Legendary. “I think it is very important to recognize the end of something so terrible.” In 2021, Congress finally passed legislation officially recognizing Juneteenth as a federal holiday.

“It is, for Black folks, a second day of independence in America,” Claude Booker says.

As part of their Juneteenth events, Safeway strives to support local communities by offering grants to nonprofit organizations. In the D.C. area, the grants have supported groups like Black Women Build, a community development nonprofit dedicated to home renovation and financial education, and the Greater Washington D.C. Urban League, one of D.C.’s oldest civil rights organizations. The goal of these in-store events isn’t just to celebrate local communities on one day—it’s to support them throughout the year. “One powerful way to honor Juneteenth is by encouraging shoppers to purchase from local Black-owned businesses,” says Galindo. “By doing so, we can help these businesses gain the visibility they need, and enrich our communities with diverse products, services and cultural experiences.”

Bookers is just one of many businesses that will be featured in Safeway’s event in Baltimore, Maryland, on June 15. Duane Myko will also have his Maryland brand’s plant-based burgers front and center. Myko has been a part of the company’s festivities for multiple years running. “My favorite Juneteenth celebration was two years ago at the Alabama Avenue location [in Washington, D.C.],” Myko says. “Safeway invited [local go-go musicians] BackYard Band to perform in the store—it was an amazing experience.”

According to Myko, Everything Legendary’s relationship with Safeway has had a “tremendous” impact on his brand. The grocery store “provides us with distribution and a loyal location for our customers to purchase our products,” Myko continues. “Safeway was our first retail partner… and they’ve been our strongest.”

Claude Booker is eager to join in Safeway’s Juneteenth celebrations. “It makes me proud and humble at the same time,” he says of his inclusion. “I believe this Juneteenth event that Safeway is putting on will inspire other African American food entrepreneurs to find a bigger platform to share their culture and celebrate their heritage.”

What’s Booker most excited about for Juneteenth this year? “Good food, laughs and fun as we celebrate,” he says.

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