Southern restaurants band together for social justice

ATLANTA - Restaurants across the Southeast are working together to raise money to promote social justice. According to organizers, over 200 restaurants in 16 cities are participating in the Southern Restaurants for Racial Justice Initiative, raising money on Sunday for the organization Color of Change.

"We're all struggling, but I think that we all are also struggling with what to do," said chef and restaurateur Anne Quatrano. "How to show how we feel. This is how we show things, right? We show things through food and hospitality."

The initiative is primarily based in Atlanta, Savannah and Nashville. Some restaurants are committing to donate a portion of their sales on Sunday to Color of Change, a group that advocates for a variety of causes that affect the Black community.

Others are thinking outside the box, by thinking inside of a box. Quatrano, a James Beard Award-winning chef who owns several restaurants in Atlanta including Star Provisions, is organizing a bake sale to raise money. She enlisted dozens of restaurants -- some of which are not fully open for regular business because of COVID-19 -- to make items for the bake sale, which will be sold Sunday at Ponce City Market for $5 each. 

Many chose baked goods, while other restaurants are making snacks or small portions of regular dishes they make. They are hoping to sell 5,000 of the boxes, raising up to $25,000 for charity.

"A lot of people said 'thank you for putting this together,'" said Quatrano. "They wanted to do something but none of us knew what. What's the gesture that shows that you do care?"

The initiative hopes to give back in more ways with future events.