Notice those new signs in the windows of the former Dragon Wok space at George Floyd Square? They tell of an incoming tenant, Chopped & Served Catering, who's teasing an intriguing fusion concept.
Chopped & Served's executive chef and CEO Imani Jackson grew up St. Louis Park, according to the company's website, and her cooking is a mix of her Black and Jewish—or "Blewish"—heritage. The catering biz, which she launched in 2017, emphasizes a "sovereign diet" and a focus on community; Chopped & Served's family meal sponsorship program was recently the subject of an MTV News segment.
"Living in the Twin Cities, traveling internationally and being connected to various multicultural communities, Imani grew to understand how food shapes all our lives," the Chopped & Served website explains. "It lets us celebrate our stories, our families, our memories, and makes us feel like we belong. It allows us to preserve our identity, and culture."
Dragon Wok, the Chinese restaurant that previously occupied 805 E. 38th St., closed in November, though at the time ownership planned to keep the lease and return in a different form.
“For the last year and a half, our small team has fought an uphill battle to bring you the best we had to offer," co-owners Rashad and Ashley West posted on social media. "When we took a step back to evaluate our mental and physical health as a family, we realized we are sacrificing too much to continue operating in these conditions.”
Chopped & Served currently lists an address at 1521 University Ave. SE, Minneapolis, and Jackson caters weddings, corporate events, and more. What do we know about the new home of Chopped & Served at 38th & Chicago, specifically? Very little! It appears as though C&S is prepping for a restaurant, but emails and calls to the catering service have gone unanswered. We'll update this post as soon as we hear something.
In other George Floyd Square news, another Black-owned business—a coffee shop-slash-real estate agency called Forreal Coffeehouse—opened in April. You can read the Spokesman-Recorder's profile of owners Disney Foote and Billy Jones here.
Chopped & Served Catering
805 E. 38th St., Minneapolis
