For the past 44 years, Bayview Senior Services has held the annual Black Cuisine event to celebrate the cultural roots of African American seniors and share them with the community, especially young people. It started as a soul food cooking contest among the seniors and has blossomed into a cultural street fair featuring food, entertainment, and a marketplace. It is the longest-running cultural event in Bayview Hunters Point and has become a place for young and old to meet and connect with African American Cultural heritage.
From its humble beginnings at the senior center at 1706 Yosemite, Black Cuisine has become a community-wide celebration, embracing organizations and individuals contributing to its cultural flavor. This year’s event will be held on April 27, 2024, from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. At 1753 Carroll Avenue.
Young people and entertainers from the community participate in performances, growing Black businesses have brought their wares to the market, and non-profits from throughout the City come to share information and services.
The agency’s nutrition program uses this event to prepare and highlight cultural foods and engage the seniors in bringing their soul food to the cooking contest. This year’s event will include a raffle with the proceeds sales going towards the agency’s goal of raising money to purchase a passenger van to transport seniors so that they can participate in cultural and social events throughout the City and Bay Area.
Founded in 1971, Bayview Senior Services (BSS) is a community-based organization that responds to the needs of African American seniors and disabled people by helping them age in place with dignity, honor, and respect. The organization’s mission is to ensure the continued good quality of life for our aging population. Their programs, open to all seniors and persons with disabilities include three senior centers, nutritious meals, information/ referral, case management, adult day health care, money management, a senior ex-offender program, and housing advocacy.
Bayview Senior Services is located at 1753 Carroll Avenue, the location ofthe Dr. George W. Davis Senior Center. Other locations include the Western Addition Senior Center at 1390 ½ Turk Street, the Rosa Parks Senior Center at 1111 Buchannan Street, and the Adult Day Health Center at 1250 La Salle Avenue.
