Uhuru Bakery & Café will celebrate its grand opening on Saturday, Aug. 15, bringing African comfort food, fresh baked goods and community programming to north St. Louis. The new café is located at 3719 W. Florissant Ave. and will host a grand opening celebration from noon to 5 p.m.
Led by Black Power Blueprint architect Ona Zené Yeshitela, the café serves breakfast bowls, deli sandwiches, wraps, burgers, soups and house specialties inspired by African, Caribbean and Southern cuisines. The menu also includes vegan options, hand pies, fresh pastries and Uhuru’s signature sweet potato pies alongside seasonal fruit pies and chocolate bourbon pecan pie.
The bakery’s offerings extend to house-brewed ginger beer, hibiscus drinks and Uhuru Blend air-roasted coffee. According to the organization, many menu items are prepared with ingredients grown through its own farming initiatives.
Although the St. Louis location is new, Uhuru Bakery has operated for more than 40 years at markets and festivals in California and Florida and previously operated a café in Oakland. More recently, the bakery has built a local following through its pie stand at Soulard Farmers Market.
“Food has always brought people together,” Yeshitela said in a statement. “Uhuru Bakery & Café is a place where families, neighbors and visitors can enjoy delicious food while participating in the revitalization of our community. We are building healthy food access, jobs, training and economic opportunity right here in North St. Louis.”
The café is part of the organization’s growing Uhuru District, which also includes Shamba La Uhuru Freedom Farm and the One Africa! One Nation! Farmers Market. Together, the projects are intended to create a farm-to-table network while supporting local food access, workforce development and neighborhood investment.
The grand opening coincides with the weekend of Marcus Garvey’s 139th birthday and will feature live music, spoken word performances, drumming, community presentations and a history exhibit highlighting the West Florissant corridor’s legacy of Black entrepreneurship and culture.
Guests will also be able to purchase jerk chicken and vegan jerk sandwiches, pizza, sweet pies and beverages, while complimentary samples of pizza, baked goods and drinks will be available throughout the event. Keynote speakers include African People’s Socialist Party Chairman Omali Yeshitela, Black Power Blueprint architect Ona Zené Yeshitela and artist and poet Makeda Baraka.
