Inside EatOkra: How a Stove-Less Apartment Became the Guide to Black-Owned Food

One of the most useful apps in Black business exists because two people couldn't cook dinner at home.

In 2016, Anthony and Janique Edwards moved to Brooklyn into an apartment with no stove and no refrigerator. Their appliances were on back order, so they ate out a lot, and they wanted that money going to Black-owned restaurants. Finding those places was harder than it should have been.

Anthony, a software developer, decided to build the fix. He put 20 to 30 hours a week into it on top of his full-time job, and neither of them had ever run a business. EatOkra launched on iPhone and Android in 2017.

The name is the story. Okra traveled from West Africa to the Americas and is still the binder in so many Black comfort foods. The brand also counts five values like seeds in a pod: reverence, fellowship, support, celebration, and convenience.

Here's where it stands today:

• 18,000+ Black-owned restaurants, eateries, and food trucks listed
• 600,000+ foodies in the community
• 35+ active cities, including London and Toronto
• An Apple Developer Award (2021) and a James Beard Foundation Impact Honoree nod (2025)

The big surge came in summer 2020, when downloads jumped from roughly 40,000 to more than 300,000. What I respect most is what Anthony and Janique did after the spike. They did not stay a directory.

They built The Roux, an editorial home for Black culinary storytelling. They hosted their first in-person Culinary Creatives Conference in October 2024. They launched Okra Offers, which rewards diners for redeeming deals at Black-owned spots. And in late 2025 they teamed up with Green Book Global to add 2,500+ restaurants to its Driving While Black Road Trip Planner.

Here's why this belongs on the IndeedBlack blog: every restaurant on that map is an employer. When customers can find Black-owned businesses easily, those businesses grow, and growth means hiring. It's the same loop we're building from the jobs side, connecting Black candidates with Black-owned companies.

Hungry yet? Start at eatokra.com. Anthony Edwards leads as CEO and CTO, with his wife, Janique Edwards, as COO.