Runta News – (Seattle, WA) — What Brings a Community Together Better than a Meal? From March 22 to April 7, food lovers are invited to stretch their legs and their palates by taking a trip down Martin Luther King Jr. Way and experience an inclusive array of cultures and flavors at local, independently owned restaurants as part of the 9th Annual Plate of Nations.
This year’s Plate of Nations will feature 20 eateries in Southeast Seattle, offering a taste of Seattle’s global food scene from the East Coast to Eritrea and Guatemala to Somalia. Each restaurant will offer a specially designed shareable plate to visitors for $20 and $30.
Diners can sample barbacoa tacos at Taco Street, queso fundido at Corte Fino, and catfish and oxtail at Willie’s Taste of Soul, among dozens of other dishes.
Plate of Nations is more than a restaurant event — it’s about bringing together community over shared plates, supporting locally owned businesses in one of the city’s most diverse neighborhoods, and bringing epicures from all across Puget Sound to get a taste of what Othello, Beacon Hill, Mt. Baker, Hillman City, and Columbia City have to offer.
In a time of unprecedented growth — and growing pains — for Seattle, many locals are looking for meaningful ways to push back against displacement and support small businesses. Plate of Nations gives Seattleites the chance to support immigrant- and POC-owned restaurants that are the backbone of the South Seattle community, bolstering the neighborhood’s position as a local business district and building unity among new and old city dwellers.
This year’s Plate of Nations is set to be the best yet, with participation from Bananas Grill, Cafe Ibex, Foo Lam, Huong Duong, Momona, Rainier Restaurant, The Original Philly’s, Taco Street, Cafe Red, Big Chickie, Little Chengdu, Tacos Chukis, Othello Wok Teriyaki, Amazing Thai, Comfort Zone, Corte Fino, Willie’s Taste of Soul, Amy’s Mercato, Buddha Bruddah, and El Quetzal.
On top of feasting at participating restaurants, Plate of Nations-goers can participate in the popular Passport Contest, collecting stamps at each participating restaurant for a chance to win this year’s Grand Prize of a soul food cooking class with Talia Miller of the Comfort Zone.
The MLK Business Association held its first Plate of Nations in 2011, when MLKBA Director Asari Mohamath, a Vietnamese refugee and former owner of Salima restaurant, devised plans for an event to highlight the unique restaurants in his vibrant, culturally rich neighborhood.
Plate of Nations 2019 is sponsored by HomeSight, the MLK Business Association, Beacon Business Alliance, Mt Baker Hub, Vulcan, and Seattle’s Office of Economic Development.
The MLK Business Association was formed in 2008 to organize and promote businesses along Martin Luther King Jr. Way South in Seattle with the vision of fostering a strong, vibrant, and culturally diverse community that is a destination, second to none, in the Pacific Northwest.
