Uhuru Bakery & Café will open its doors on August 15 at 3719 West Florissant Avenue, adding a new food-based business to a corridor where several community-driven development projects are already underway.
The bakery and café is part of the broader Uhuru District, a collection of initiatives led by the Black Power Blueprint. It’s architect, Ona Zené Yeshitela, said the goal is to build a network of neighborhood-based institutions focused on food access, job creation and economic activity in North St. Louis.
“Food has always brought people together,” said Ona Zené Yeshitela. “Uhuru Bakery & Café is a place where families, neighbors and visitors can enjoy delicious food while participating in the revitalization of our community.”
In recent years, the blocks surrounding the new bakery have seen a steady increase in activity tied to neighborhood-based development. The One Africa! One Nation! Farmers Market operates just up the street during the warmer months, and Shamba La Uhuru Freedom Farm continues to expand its growing capacity. Several renovation projects connected to the Black Power Blueprint — including housing rehabs, small-business spaces and cultural sites — are in progress along West Florissant. Together, these efforts have created a cluster of institutions aimed at stabilizing the corridor and increasing access to food, services and locally owned businesses.
The café will serve a menu that includes pies, pastries, breakfast items, sandwiches, wraps, soups and drinks. Many of the offerings reflect African, Caribbean and Southern influences, along with vegan options and baked goods that have been sold at markets in California, Florida—and most recently at Soulard Farmers Market.
“In the spirit of Garvey, the opening marks a major achievement of the Black Power Blueprint,” said Uhuru Movement Chairman, Omali Yeshitela. “A community-driven initiative transforming North St. Louis through economic development, housing, food sovereignty and African self-determination.”
For longtime supporters, the opening marks the return of a brand that operated a bakery café in Oakland in the late 1980s. In St. Louis, the new location will operate alongside Shamba La Uhuru Freedom Farm and the One Africa! One Nation! Farmers Market, creating what organizers describe as a farm-to-table system that grows and distributes fresh food within the community.
Uhuru’s Grand opening programming coincides with the weekend marking Marcus Garvey’s 139th birthday. Organizers plan to raise the red, black and green flag in recognition of Garvey’s legacy of Black economic self-reliance. The event will include food, presentations, music, spoken word, drumming and a community history exhibit highlighting the West Florissant corridor’s long history of Black business and cultural activity.
“We are building healthy food access, jobs, training and economic opportunity right here in North St. Louis,” said Ona Zené Yeshitela.
The initiative is also expanding through the Reparations Investment Company, which acquires and renovates housing to stabilize neighborhoods and address displacement.
The grand opening will feature remarks from Omali Yeshitela, Ona Zené Yeshitela, artist and poet Makeda Baraka and other cultural workers. Volunteers, donors, contractors and supporters who contributed to the project will be recognized as part of the festivities.
Uhuru Bakery & Café grand opening will take place from 12 noon – 5 p.m. on Saturday, August 15 at 3917 West Florissant Avenue. Food will be available for purchase and select free samples will also be available. For more information, visit uhurupies.org
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