Boise Soul Food Community showcases black businesses in Boise

The Boise Soul Food Festival is taking place in Julia Davis Park from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Saturday and this festival has some of the best food around.

We ran into Yharman Williams, the owner of the Place that Feeds YO Face. Yharman and his team were cooking up all kinds of delicious soul food and they always have one of the longest lines.

Man, I got your catfish, mac and cheese, collared greens, cornbread, we got gumbo, we got chicken and waffles and we got our famous peach cobbler," said Williams. "That is going pretty fast already."

The Place that Feeds YO Face is one of several food and beverage vendors, but this festival also showcases other businesses that sell clothing, apparel and art.

"I specialize in resin art work, "Lee Elaine, the owner of Bruja Spa. "They can light up, they can illuminate and they are going to have some kind of blessing inside them depending on the combination of crystals I put inside."

We watched Lee interact with some potential customers as this festival gives businesses a chance to showcase their products to people who might not know about them. The Soul Food Festival also gives people in the Treasure Valley a chance to learn about the culture.

"Exactly, it is a conglomerate of everyone coming together and showcasing their work," said Elaine. "Showcasing their food, their clothing and even their talents."

The festival features live music performances including one of the best renditions of the National Anthem I have ever heard by Ryan Gage, the Idaho BCA Gospel Workshop Choir performed and the festival also features a rib eating contest.

Shari Baber and Trish Walker spearhead the organization efforts for the festival with the help of hard working volunteers giving people a chance to come together every summer and say hello to old friends.

"We want you to enjoy yourself we hope that today brings you peace, love and happiness," said Baber to kick of the festival. "You are in for a treat this year."

This marks the fourth year of the Boise Soul Food Festival at Julia Davis Park. I've covered it for several of those years and I've learned many of the food vendors use this event to try and kick start their business.

"Hopefully I’ll have a truck in the near future, maybe a few months, so hopefully we end up doing good here today," said Williams. "It’s a beautiful thing."