For the American restaurant industry, there is no American fare without the contributions and influences of Black chefs and Black culture. To honor their impact on the industry, this month we’re highlighting chefs making big moves in the culinary scene!
To wrap up this month and this series, we’re taking a look at owner and chef of MIDA restaurant Douglass Williams.
On Feb 27th, 2022, Chef Douglass came together with founder and co-owner of The Urban Grape TJ Douglas and Boston’s Chief of Economic Opportunity Segun Idowu to host a virtual Black History benefit brunch. Those who purchased tickets picked up their take-out brunch and watched over Zoom while Chef Douglass, TJ, and Segun sat down to their own brunch and wine and discussed Black leadership in the hospitality industry.
One hundred perfect of the proceeds went to the Steppingstone Foundation, a local Boston organization that develops and implements programs that prepare under-served schoolchildren for educational opportunities.
Growing up in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Chef Douglass Williams’ curiosity and passion for learning lead him to dreaming of becoming a history teacher. After being diagnosed with Chrone’s disease, he decided instead to learn how to help heal himself through food.
Now with more than 15 years of experience in places from Paris to Thailand to New York, Chef Douglass is the owner and chef of MIDA restaurant in Boston. As the owner of the only Black, chef-owned restaurant in Boston, Chef Douglass loves finding ways to teach, tell stories, and build community through food and conversation.
