Competencies for Librarians Serving Children in Public Libraries

POC-Owned Restaurant & Business Guide for the 2018 ALSC National Institute in Cincinnati, Ohio!

Lala’s Blissful Bites in Madisonville, Cincinnati - a POC-owned restaurant

Welcome to Cincinnati! We’re excited to host you for the 2018 ALSC National Institute September 27th-29th.

Cincinnati has a long history; the area was settled by colonizers in 1788 and is the homeland of the Fort Ancient, Hopewell, Shawnee, Miami, and Delaware peoples. Cincinnati has the nickname “Porkopolis” because in the 19th Century it was a meat-packing boomtown. We are an arts, entertainment and sports-loving city; in addition to many professional sports teams, we are home to Music Hall, The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, The Cincinnati Art Museum, The Taft Museum of Art, The Contemporary Arts Center, Artworks Cincinnati and The Cincinnati Museum Center. We’re also a book-loving city. Did you know that we have seven Carnegie libraries, our forty-branch library system is the second busiest in the country AND we have several indie bookstores?

We’re the People Collective is a group of library professionals and educators devoted to inclusion, social justice and critical evaluation of children’s literature. We want to share this quick guide to POC (People of Color) owned & operated businesses and restaurants in Cincinnati. Enjoy your stay in The Queen City!

Located in Downtown Cincinnati & Covington, Kentucky:

BlaCk OWned Clothing

Boba Cha (Bubble Tea)

Chako Bakery Café (Japanese Bakery/Café)

Dope! Noodles and Dumplings (Asian)

Gomez Salsa (Mexican)

Haru Korean Restaurant

Lalo Chino Latino (Asian/Mexican Fusion)

Le’s Pho and Sandwiches (Vietnamese)

OCD Cakes *cakes by appointment only

Ollie’s Trolley (Soul Food/BBQ)

Pho Lang Thang (Vietnamese)

Quan Hapa (Asian-Fusion)

Riverside Korean

Sewendipity Lounge

Smith & Hannon African-American Bookstore

Sweet Petit Desserts

Switch Lighting and Design

 

 

Located Beyond Downtown Cincinnati + Online Only:

Alabama Que

Baba India

Bridges (Nepalese)

Cakes by Sugar *Online only

Chapeau Couture Hat Boutique

Cincinnati Black Theatre Company

The Cincinnati Herald Newspaper

C&M BBQ

Conscious Kitchen (Healthy/Vegan-Vegetarian Soul Food)

Darou Salam (Senegalese)

Divine Appetite Café & Catering (Caribbean/West African)

The Dukester (Soul Food)

Elephant Walk (Ethiopian/Northern Indian)

Emma’s All in One Occasions (Soul Food)

Fortune Noodle House (Chinese)

Gomez Salsa (Mexican)

Green Papaya (Thai + Sushi)

Island Frydays (Jamaican)

Jasmine Thai

Just Q’in BBQ

Kilimanjaro African Heritage Shop

Lala’s Blissful Bites (Bakery/Café)

Lemongrass (Thai)
Mardi Gras on Madison (Cajun/Creole) *Call for availability

Midwest Best BBQ

Millie’s Place (Soul Food) *Call for availability

Ono Grindz (Hawaiian Food Truck)

Originalitees.com

The Pacific Kitchen (Asian + Pacific Islander + DimSum)

Pink Orchid Photography

Red Sesame BBQ (Korean-Mexican Fusion Restaurant + Food Truck)

Ron’s BBQ

Shaan Indian Cuisine

Stone Bowl Korean

Taqueria Y Pupuseria Mari (Mexican)

Teranga African Restaurant (Senegalese)

Are any of these restaurants & businesses catching your eye? Let us know in the comments below & feel free to share some of your favorite POC-owned restaurants and businesses in your city!

(Photo courtesy of guest blogger)


Our guest blogger today is Alia Jones. Alia is a Sr. Library Services Assistant with The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. She blogs about diverse books and children’s literature at readitrealgood.com and reviews for Kirkus.

This post addresses the following ALSC Core Competency: V. Outreach and Advocacy.

One comment

  1. Anna

    Love this! What a great resource

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