'Foodie Fest' highlights OKC metro's minority-owned businesses

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - Many businesses across the Oklahoma City metro needed to revamp their strategy when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in order to survive. Festivals had to adjust as well, including a popular fest that changed its name to be more inclusive.

Foodie Fest, formally known as The Black Food Summit, decided to change its name to include more businesses of color. It intentionally became inclusive to Black, Indigenous, Latino and Asian communities, since the pandemic nearly put many of these shops out of business.

On Saturday, food trucks and small businesses lined Scissortail Park to give visitors a taste of minority-owned businesses across the metro.

Businesses like Sanctuary Gardens and Wellness, which specializes in native perennial plants and culinary herbs.

“We specifically want to promote all of our native pollinators, and especially the monarch butterfly," said Cedric Leblanc, who works at Sanctuary Gardens and Wellness.

Kendall Lewis owns Lucy Lynn Party and Snacks - a company inspired by her family.

"From my grandmothers and a couple of my aunts, they are both homemakers and Home Ec teachers and also my mom as she inspired me like baking in the kitchen,” said Lewis. “I just really learn from them."

This was Lewis’ first time showcasing her work at Foodie Fest. It was a chance for her business to further its success with new customers.

"It means a whole lot to us as a local business to get the support and to stage thriving and to continue our dreams,"

Dollars spent at the local shops and restaurants during Foodie Fest stayed in the local community.