If you close your eyes inside BLK Swan on a Sunday evening this month, you might think you’re back at your grandmother’s house.
Stevie Wonder songs float from the speakers. Between a bit of Motown and classic hip-hop, you hear the clink of forks against plates and that familiar chorus: “Try the mac and cheese.” A family of 12 squeezes through the front door, and someone yells from across the room, “We’re over here!”
And just like that, dinner feels less like a reservation and more like a reunion.
Welcome to Soul Food Sundays at BLK Swan — a Black History Month celebration that’s part dinner party, part cultural tribute and all heart.
The aim is to re-create the feeling of Sunday dinner — the kind that used to anchor the week in Black households.
“It wasn’t just about the food,” said Chris Simon, the co-owner of BLK Swan in Harbor East. “The food brought everybody together, but it was the conversations that made it memorable. The catch-ups. The conflict. The ‘I’m dating someone new.’ The ‘We’re pregnant.’ Those moments.”
Still, food is at the center of the gatherings. To bring his vision to life, Simon brought in chef James “JR” Robinson, who goes by Chef JR, a New York native and longtime D.C. restaurateur known for his Southern and soul food expertise. “We wanted to use our platform to highlight another Black chef doing great work,” Simon said. “To bring people together.”
Robinson’s approaches to cooking and community were just right for what Simon wants to achieve.
“It’s about unity,” Robinson said. “A Black restaurant collaborating with another Black chef. Showing it’s not competition — we can push each other.”
Baltimore has no shortage of soul food spots, and the restaurant isn’t trying to replace those institutions. Instead, it’s paying homage — while staying true to its elevated aesthetic and commitment to experience, offering this dinner option every Sunday for the rest of February.
At the kickoff event last Sunday, restaurant staff greeted patrons as if they were cousins who hadn’t visited in a while. Guests leaned back in their chairs, smiling. A birthday celebration unfolded at one end of the dining room. At the bar, a couple danced in their chairs while enjoying a signature BLK Swan drink.
Mambo chicken deviled eggs at BLK Swan. (Chyno)
For Robinson, Soul Food Sundays are personal. His grandmother, who helped shape his palate and passion, died during the pandemic.
“This is my way of feeling her,” he said.
And you can taste it.
His black-eyed peas are not from a can. Let’s start there.
“These are the real ones,” he said proudly, gesturing to a pot rich with ham hock, smoked turkey and bacon. “The dry ones. You soak them for four days.”
Four. Days.
Chef JR, of Fraîche in D.C., puts the final touches on his signature black-eyed peas recipe, which was handed down from his grandmother. (LaDawn Black)
That kind of patience doesn’t exist in drive-thru culture. But it does here.
“This right here is my favorite dish,” he said of the black-eyed peas. “I make it every Thanksgiving.”
The rest of the menu reads like a greatest hits album of Sunday staples: crispy catfish, jerk turkey wings falling off the bone, baked salmon that stays impossibly moist, creamy mac and cheese, candied yams, spaghetti, greens and cornbread.
Some dishes will vary weekly — “just enough to keep it fresh,” he said, but all of the dinners will be rooted in tradition.
Catfish and spaghetti at BLK Swan. (Chyno)
Skillet mac and cheese at BLK Swan. (Chyno)
Guests have noticed.
Deanna Robinson raved about the jerk turkey wings. “Fall off the bone,” she said. “Phenomenal.”
Diner Rico Love said when he saw the posting for Soul Food Sundays on BLK Swan’s Instagram page, he immediately made his reservation.
“The ambience and energy is impeccable,” Love said. “The service is incredible and I feel that they want me here.
“I came for the soul food experience and the catfish has met my expectations … crispy and flavorful.”
Nearby, a couple debated the heat level of the greens. He thought they were spicy. She thought they were perfect.
Either way, the bowl was empty.
Dining and Cooking