Celebrating Black Food and Stories in Bed-Stuy
A new bookstore café is set to open in Brooklyn’s Bed-Stuy neighborhood this fall, but it’s not your typical shop. Sisters Gabrielle and Danielle Davenport are behind the upcoming space, BEM, which will focus solely on Black-authored books about food and culture.
The idea is to center stories from the Black Diaspora through cookbooks, memoirs, and novels tied to culinary heritage. “People have told us very explicitly, ‘We need this,’” Danielle shared. Their mission is simple yet powerful: to connect people to Black history through food stories.
From Pop-Ups to a Permanent Home
BEM first started online in 2021 and built its audience through pop-ups. Now, after years of dreaming and community support, the sisters have secured a physical location on Macon Street. It will feature a curated selection of books that include everything from The Edna Lewis Cookbook to Toni Morrison’s Beloved, which touches on food and memory.
The sisters began shaping their idea back in 2019 during the Brooklyn Public Library’s PowerUP program. They saw a major gap in spaces that fully honored Black culinary literature. Bed-Stuy, a neighborhood rich in Black history and culture, became the perfect home.
A Community-Funded Dream
Community support helped make their dream possible. A Kickstarter campaign launched in 2024 raised $75,000 to move the project forward. Although the space is leased, not owned, the Davenports remain hopeful about BEM’s long-term presence in the neighborhood.
“There’s just so much energy around stories,” Danielle said. “We talk a lot about it being a place for discovery.” For the sisters, this bookstore is about more than selling books. It’s about creating a place for dialogue, reflection, and celebration.
Building a Legacy of Literary and Cultural Power
BEM aims to be more than a bookstore café. The sisters hope it becomes a gathering space for scholars, chefs, readers, and authors alike. They plan to host events, book launches, and community talks that keep Black food traditions alive.
Their upcoming Juneteenth collaboration with Nicole Taylor, author of Watermelon & Red Birds, is one such event. The celebration will honor Black cuisine and heritage, showing how books and food together can nourish the spirit.
BEM is on track to become a cultural anchor in Bed-Stuy, spotlighting Black voices in both literature and the kitchen. It’s a space where food is memory, story, and power—served with purpose on every page.
