This year’s Family Food Fest Atlanta will roll three celebrations into one: Father’s Day, Juneteenth and the 50th anniversary of hip-hop.
The ninth annual food sampling festival will take place Sunday, June 18, at the Georgia Railroad Freight Depot. The all-you-can-eat tickets let you taste dishes from 45 chefs and caterers. City officials, entertainers and fathers who specialize in or experiment with multicultural cuisines, especially vegetarian and vegan options, will also join the epicurean fun.
The dishes will include African, Caribbean, Southern, Creole and Latin cuisine. “We cover it all and want everyone to have something to enjoy that’s more than full of meat,” said Kevin Ashford, the food fest’s spokesperson and a dessert caterer.
Ashford plans to whip up tropical fruit-based cookies and savory items like North African lentils, walnut burgers and a Brazilian lemonade with coconut milk.
Credit: Courtesy of Family Food Fest Atlanta
Credit: Courtesy of Family Food Fest Atlanta
But the festival is about more than just food, particularly for the Black community.
“We try to let people know through our work, food and the things we do that there’s an ancestral connection within our culture,” Ashford said. “There’s a pride in who we are.”
The afternoon event will start off with an African drumming performance from Griot Arts Ensemble led by Barake Mulefu. It’s part of the effort to draw a cross-generational connection between Father’s Day, Juneteenth and the five decades of hip-hop.
“Celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip-hop is what’s actually going to set us apart this year,” Ashford said.
Performers include Chubb Rock, the veteran hip-hop artist and radio host who will take it back to the old school as a performer and debut as an honorary festival co-chair. Rock, who is known for “Treat ‘Em Right” and “Just the Two of Us,” hosts his syndicated “Chubb Rock Show” on Atlanta’s OG 97.9
Credit: Courtesy of Chubb Rock
Credit: Courtesy of Chubb Rock
He will hit the stage 32 years after the release of “Treat ‘Em Right,” a song with an infectious beat that remains in heavy rotation on the dance floor. Rock, who takes pride in releasing music without vulgar or misogynistic lyrics, recalls a conversation he had with the late singer-songwriter Barry White about the longevity of music.
“You can have great records on your album that people love, but a timeless record isn’t easy,” Rock said. “A classic record can only be given to you by the people, so it’s not something you can do on your own.”
His fans include the former first lady.
“When you turn around and see Michelle Obama dancing to one of those records, and she’s talking about that’s the record that she exercises to every day, it adds a certain feeling that lets me know that I did music correctly,” Rock said. “If you can do things that put a smile on people’s faces, that’s the key to it.”
Besides food and music, there will be face painting, dancing, snow cone stations and balloon art for kids.
The festival also seeks to serve as a community beacon. A health-focused area at the event will offer screenings for issues like hypertension, diabetes and cholesterol. Attendees can also learn about local resources to help combat health disparities that affect Black families in particular. “Everybody’s not insured, but we do show them what kind of things are available,” Ashford said.
Credit: Courtesy of Family Food Fest Atlanta
Credit: Courtesy of Family Food Fest Atlanta
Family Food Fest Atlanta, which was known as Real Men Cook Atlanta until 2014, is also a fundraising event for its nonprofit arm, Atlanta Culinary Charities. The organization teaches children life skills through culinary arts and after-school programs. It also offers Saturday programs for youth featuring arts, crafts, tutoring and entrepreneurial workshops at the Old Adamsville Recreation Center.
Ashford returns to the symbolism of the Father’s Day event that also celebrates hip-hop and Juneteenth, which marks the anniversary of June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, and told the last enslaved people in the U.S. that they were free.
“We have to show the community that we are role models in so many ways,” Ashford said. “We have come from so much and sometimes so little, but we still continue to do the best we can and make the most out of what we have, and we excel at what we do. We can tie all of that in in terms of our history, culture and acknowledge those people who made a difference in our lives, especially men and fathers.”
EVENT PREVIEW
Family Food Fest Atlanta
3-6 p.m. Sunday, June 18. In advance, $35 or $15, 12 and under. At door, $40 or $20, 12 and under. Georgia Railroad Freight Depot, 65 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Atlanta. 404-273-3227, familyfoodfest.org.
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