“I think the true meaning of leadership is recognizing your weakness, so you can make them your strong points.”

On October 30, we had the pleasure of hosting Chef José Andrés at our 450K location. The conversation moderated by founder Andy Shallal with Chef Andrés, discussed the humbling story of why he went into cooking, the importance of food sourcing, the efforts Chef Andrés and other chefs made in Puerto Rico, his new book We Fed an Island: The True Story of Rebuilding Puerto Rico, One Meal at a Time and so much more.

In case you missed the event, you can check out our Facebook Live to watch the discussion between Chef Andrés and Andy and view photos from the night.

You can also purchase his book at Busboys and Poets Books.

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Palestine Week 2024

January 18, 2024 – January 25, 2024 In keeping with our ongoing mission of uplifting racial and cultural connections, Busboys and Poets is hosting Palestine Week (January 18 through January 25, 2024). This week-long series of events will offer a diverse range of programming featuring Palestinian food, music, dance, poetry, discussions, and other enriching events. … Continued

The Making of Busboys and Poets

A Seat at the Table: The Making of Busboys and Poets

We’re proud to announce A Seat at the Table: The Making of Busboys and Poets, the new memoir from our CEO and Founder, which reveals the vision, challenges, and triumphs behind opening Busboys and Poets. Packed with misadventures, unexpected triumphs, and insights on race, business and politics, Andy Shallal’s memoir takes us on a “How I Built … Continued

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For Langston Hughes on His 123 Birthday

Speech given on February 1, 2024 in Havana, Cuba In 1927 Langston Hughes walked into a Cuba amid an emerging community of artists, intellectuals, and radicals.  He saw a “sunrise in a new land [– a day – in his words]sic – full of brownskin surprises, and hitherto unknown contacts in a world of color.”  … Continued

Changing the Marijuana Laws

Changing the Marijuana Laws

Changing the Marijuana Laws With Colorado and Washington state legalizing marijuana, 2014 has been an important year for the reform of marijuana laws in the United States.

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Busboys and Poets Book Review: Set the World on Fire

In this substantial entry into the history of Black radical politics, Keisha N. Blain uncovers the legion of Black women that made waves in the growing Black nationalist and Garveyite movements of the early Twentieth Century. Black nationalism, which promotes the establishment of a Black nation state as the answer to racial oppression, first gained … Continued