Black Joy Kitchen, Oak Bluffs: a new restaurant celebrates flavors of the African diaspora on Martha's Vineyard.
The vibe is welcoming; the flavors are bold. Thank you, Chef Ting.
Chef Ting creates a welcoming vibe at Black Joy Kitchen.
When Chef Ting took over a struggling restaurant site in Oak Bluffs , she knew the place required more than a menu update; it needed a total reboot. She started by clearing away the (literal) cobwebs, as well as the disappointments and the failures that came before.
She burned sage to clear out the bad juju. Not once. But four times.
“Think of sage burning as Marie Kondo for your soul. When a place has toxic energy that doesn’t spark joy, smoke it out with smoldering sage and thank it for leaving.”
She did it for you. She wants you to be in the right frame of mind – joyful and fresh – when you enter the restaurant.
When I walked into Black Joy Kitchen, I didn’t know all this. But I was immediately struck by the light-hearted spirit of the place. The white walls, the gleaming, ship-wood tables, the hint-of-Morocco light fixtures, the adorable young man welcoming people in and the joyful hugs of neighbors and friends running into one another in this intimate space. It all just made me feel good. And that was before I got to the food.
The menu is a journey through the African Diaspora with its bold and accessible flavors.
Chef Ting weaves the story of the Black Diaspora into her menu, starting with African royalty in 560 BC and traveling with enslaved Africans through South America, the Caribbean and the American South. It’s a story of resilience, artistry, bold flavors, and best loved flavors from grandmas’ kitchens around the world.
Sukuma Wiki: Tanzania’s Comfort Food
We started our journey through the diaspora in Tanzania, trying the Sukuma wiki; basically stewed greens (in this case, spinach) in a peanut sauce. The phrase Sukuma wiki means “stretch the week”, it’s one of those flexible recipes meant to transform left-over food into something new. I would describe it as a deeply comforting and warming food, like a hug for your stomach.
Gullah Red Rice: Carolina’s West African Heritage
Gullah Red Rice is a savory, smokey one pot red rice dish brought to the Carolinas by the Geechee people of West Africa. In America, they worked cotton and rice on isolated plantations along the southern coast, where they retained their traditions, social, cultural and culinary.
The Gullah red rice combines West African cooking techniques with “New World” ingredients, like tomatoes. The result is a satisfying, deeply flavored dish, with the texture of the best paella rice you’ve ever had.
Billionaire’s Bacon Bouquet: Best. Bacon. Ever.
Bacon is generally a love it or hate it item. I’m a lover. And the Billionaire’s Bacon Bouquet, for me, is reason enough to visit Black Joy. Over and over again. First of all, it served in a glass that vaguely resembles a bouquet:
The bacon is thick, deeply smoky and flavored with brown sugar mambo. Mambo is a sweet/tanging concoction, made from brown sugar and, typically ketchup and vinegar. The melted brown sugar brings a caramelly-molasses flavor to the bacon. Try it and see if you agree.
BBQ Meatballs: Unexpected Excellence
Five BBQ meatballs arrive in a molasses, bourbon sauce with just the right dab of pineapple:
I’m generally not a fan of meatballs, but this one is a winner.
Other menu items I want to try at Black Joy.
Chef Ting organizes her menu around journeys: The Greens Journey, the Rice Journey, Animal Safari. It’s a clever organizational device. And it truly reflects her approach to food: a journey to new flavors from places seen through fresh eyes.
When I return, I want to try the Jollof Rice from Ghana, to see how it compares to the red rice as well as the whole piri piri snapper from Cape Verde and the Sya Honey drumstick chandelier from Cameroon.
Black Joy Kitchen Particuliars
Location: 7 Oakland Ae., Oak Bluffs, MA 508-338-7750
Cuisine: African Diaspora, Traditional American
Our dinner for 3: $215.76 , including tax and tip for the following:
BBQ Meatballs
Gullah Red Rice
Billionaire's Bacon Bouquet
Sukuma Wiki
Awaze Scallop
Eritrea House of Brown Wine
2 Mixed Drinks
Visit Black Joy Kitchen for an authentic taste of African diaspora cuisine in the heart of Oak Bluffs' dining scene.
Want to know more about food on Martha’s Vineyard:
Read about a 5-stop Martha's Vineyard food tour that tells the history of The Vineyard, bite by bite.
Looking forward to trying Black Joy Kitchen this summer!