SEMINOLE HEIGHTS, Fla. — Chef Ninkia Green is the heart and soul of Mr. B's Southern Cuisine in Seminole Heights.
Her mac & cheese is a secret-ingredient smash, and her over-the-top honey hot chicken and waffles is an Instagram-gaudy dream.
"We want to give our customers the best experience," says Ninkia, who was featured on the Food Network's Restaurant: Impossible. "When they eat here, they're getting the best."
But keeping her beloved restaurant open and her customers happy is getting harder these days. The pandemic caused myriad problems, including staffing and supply shortages.
So Ninkia is hopeful that her restaurant's participation in Black Restaurant Week will give her a much-needed boost.
Black Restaurant Week is a national movement, and this week it's celebrating black-owned eateries in the Tampa Bay area and throughout Florida.
Ninkia says a lot of local chefs share the same dilemma.
"I know a lot of people with love and passion for what they do, but we are fighting to stay open," she says.
For more on Black Restaurant Week in the Tampa Bay area, click here.
