Minority-Owned Businesses Omaha
Omaha’s minority-owned businesses introduce rich cultures, viewpoints and cuisines – and offer unique, compelling stories that visitors will remember long after their trip concludes.
Lee Franklin opened A Taste of New Orleans, where he serves Creole and Cajun fare like seafood jambalaya and velvety cheesy grits, after seeking refuge in Omaha after Hurricane Katrina. In the heart of North Omaha, Gladys Harrison carries on her mother’s legacy at Big Mama’s Kitchen and Catering, whipping up generational family recipes for hungry guests.
Family plays a central role in many of these businesses – as does honoring one’s roots. Twin brothers Vershan and Antoine Jackson run Jackson’s Fair Deal Cafe and preserve the building’s history as a lively gathering place for the North Omaha community. In Central Omaha, Blue & Fly Asian Kitchen invites diners to experience authentic Chinese cuisine, with husband-and-wife team Cong Yue and Sun Yi serving up handmade dumplings and whole fish. Another wife-and-husband duo Karime Rios and Paolo Almeida named their shop Kasa du Bonbon to represent their French and Mexican cultures. Try a Mexican sweet bread or a crepe – or one of each.
Visitors can feed their minds at 2Dads and a Bookstore, run by Fearless Cummings and Andile Mahlangeni-Byndon. Luxury goods shoppers discover treasures at Status, where owner Christi Ballard sells gently loved certified designer handbags and accessories.
During your time in Omaha, savor flavors that tell stories and connect with passionate owners who share their heritage and histories at the city’s wealth of minority-owned businesses.