Chef Kurt Evans is providing jobs to those formerly incarcerated.
This was first done in 2021 with the opening of Down North Pizza in Philadelphia, PA. Evans was among the co-founders behind the restaurant, which had employed eight employees who were formerly incarcerated at the time of its opening, Food & Wine mentions. Having grown up seeing his loved ones in confinement, Evans is now focused on creating a safe place where they can restart their lives.
“The food industry has never had a problem hiring formerly incarcerated people. The problem is employers threatening to call parole officers and dehumanizing these guys,” he told Food & Wine.
Fast forward to 2024, Evans has opened a new restaurant venture, Black Dragon Takeout, which is inspired by the Chinese food he would enjoy in his West Philadelphia neighborhood as well as Black American cuisine, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. The inception of the restaurant dates back to 2020, and he began to raise money through pop-ups and also worked with friends in the real estate industry to make it a reality.
Now, Black Dragon Takeout is up and running as of Aug. 29, 2024, and is open for business Wednesday through Sunday at 5260 Rodman St.
Similarly to Down North Pizza, Evans still employs formerly incarcerated individuals. He also hires people in halfway programs.
“I pay a fair wage,” Evans explained, — “a minimum of $15 to $18 an hour,” reports the outlet.
As for what patrons can expect at the restaurant, menu items include egg rolls starting at $3 and dumplings at $7.50 along with oxtail lo mein ($22.75) and the pu-pu platter ($48.75), which contains one egg roll, four rangoons, two skewers, four dumplings, and three chicken wings spearheaded by Evans who is joined by sous chef is Pierre Sims Jr.
“We’re pricing the food to the cost of business,” Evans said.
Evans also says the business has been received well by the neighborhood.
“A lady who’s been in this community for a very long time said it almost brought tears to her eyes coming in here,” Evans explained, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. “She said she remembered the people that owned the store and how they treated her right. The funniest thing that everyone is asking is, ‘This is still going to be a Chinese store?’ So yes, it’s still going to be a Chinese store.”
