Transforming Communities: Hospitality, Mentorship, and Artistic Collaboration with Bronzeville Winery

A legendary partnership built upon mutual respect and values, Bronzeville Winery has quickly become a community staple after two years of rapid growth—and was recently awarded “Best Hospitality” at Chicago’s Jean Banchet Awards. What can entrepreneurs and restaurateurs in disinvested communities learn from its success? Co-owners Eric Williams and Cecilia Cuff sat with Edible Chicago and shared their journey behind creating a space designed to engage, activate, and elevate the community.

Xiao Faria daCunha (Xiao): My first question is about the structure: Why did you choose to start a winery restaurant?

Eric Williams (Eric): The owner of this space wanted me to do another Silver Room, but I knew a restaurant and hospitality were needed here. Nowadays, more Black people are into wine. So why spend money at a restaurant that doesn’t reflect the local community? That’s why I wanted to build a wine-focused restaurant.

Xiao: Are you hoping to use this space to activate the community and raise interest?

Eric: Only 20% of our guests are knowledgeable about wine. Most have only a vague idea of what they may enjoy. This space is centered around wine but definitely focuses on the community.

Cecilia Cuff (Cici): COVID-19 shifted interest toward the educational factor: Everyone wanted to learn to make bread or beer at home. We saw the same shift in our community as people finally had time to think about where and from whom their wine came. The story behind [each wine] is an important part that dictates our menu. For example, you can try four different wines in our wine flight. Right now, we have four women-owned wines [featured in a flight]. We’ve also done all Black-owned wines.

Xiao: What about your mentorship programs? That’s part of your education too, yes?

Cici: Yes. And it has two components. For one, Chef Lamar, a seasoned, award-winning chef, will mentor Chef Dundee in becoming an executive chef. The second part is that 85-90% of our culinary team want to open their own restaurant or space one day, so we help them prepare for that—whether it’s learning [culinary] skills or understanding how to operate a business. The idea is nobody works here for more than a year or two. We want them to move on with their projects.

Xiao: Basically, you’re building a hospitality collective.

Eric: That’s the goal. We want someone to start from being a dishwasher here to running their own thing.

Xiao: How has Bronzeville Winery engaged with the local community besides being a hangout spot? Have you collaborated with other local businesses and leaders?

Eric: We are deeply connected with local artists and let them show their work in public. The same goes for our music and the DJs. We also offer our space for fundraisers and other private events. The idea is to keep everyone here in the neighborhood.

Xiao: And what would you say is the biggest takeaway from running this project?

Cici: Bronzeville Winery showed me that Chicago has many opportunities for entrepreneurs. This space has activated the block and created more safety and visibility than most would have imagined. We hear long-time residents say they’d never expected a space like this in this community. And I think how they’re treated makes a big difference.

Xiao: It’s the respect.

Cici: Yes. And after seeing that impact, I want to work more with entrepreneurs on the South and West Sides, especially in disinvested communities.

Xiao: What about the future? Is anything exciting on the horizon for Bronzeville Winery?

Cici: Eric and I are going to Portugal and Spain in April to make our first Bronzeville Winery wine. That wine will act as a mentorship program in partnership with our existing non-profit to create more minority and women sommeliers. Each vintage will also partner with a different artist on the label — a part of the effort is ensuring every artist earns a liveable wage from the labels.

Eric: Licensing..

Cici: Plus, the amplification of the artists. Get their name out.

Xiao: Anything else?

Cici: We want to bring a James Beard nomination or a Michelin star to the South Side. That will mean a lot to the neighborhood as it redefines what “best” means in the culinary world. Does it always mean the best-looking food and the most exclusive ingredients, or should it be about what’s best for your community?

Eric: And we want Bronzeville Winery to help people in other areas build a positive association with the neighborhood. It happens a thousand times; it will change how people look at this community. Music, art, culture, hospitality. That’s what this neighborhood is about.