For chef Kurt Evans, black neighborhoods and Chinese restaurants have long gone "hand in hand" — a relationship shaped not only by taste, but by history.

Evans, 40, who was born and raised in West Philadelphia, is a black American who built his reputation cooking what he calls black American Chinese food. His restaurant, Black Dragon, opened in 2024, serving dishes that blend American and Chinese staples with flavors rooted in black culinary traditions.

Inside the small takeout restaurant, backlit menu boards hang above the counter, each panel filled with photographs of familiar dishes. At both ends, red Chinese characters read "May wealth flow in" and "May business prosper". On the counter sits a black dragon sculpture accented with gold. Inside, three or four staff members move briskly behind the counter, flames leaping from woks.

The space was originally a mom-and-pop Chinese takeout restaurant, and when Evans took over, he chose not to make major changes. Instead, he wanted to preserve the look and decor of a traditional Chinese takeout spot.

Along one wall, wallpaper features vintage photographs of children holding signs that read, "Power to the people. Black power to black people. Yellow power to yellow people." Nearby, a large orange neon sign glows with the slogan, "Food is our common ground."

"Food is somewhere different cultures, ethnicities can come and get together and be as one, and there's no separation. That's our common ground," said Kyle Moore, who co-owns the store with Evans.

For Evans, that idea is not abstract, but deeply personal. "Food is the common ground that gets us together, and that's where it brings us to a common place, and then from there we can build," he said, explaining his desire to show solidarity with other marginalized communities.

Drawing on his firsthand experience, Evans said that "a lot of the Chinese stores may have been a lot of black Americans' first cultural experience," a connection he traces to history and discriminatory policies.

"When the first wave of Chinese Americans came here, they weren't able to open businesses in white neighborhoods," he said. However, they were able to purchase a building in a low-income neighborhood and set up a business, have their family live above, work in the building and be able to be in the community that way, he explained.

While no single law explicitly barred Chinese Americans from opening restaurants in white neighborhoods, a web of exclusionary policies and practices effectively limited where they could operate.

"Outside of forming Chinatown and the city, the next available place would be in a low-income urban neighborhood," Evans said, a dynamic that led to many Chinese restaurants opening in black neighborhoods, where rents were cheaper and exclusion was less rigid. "It was such an easy connection, drawing the lines between dishes and certain things."

Evans' first encounter with Chinese food came in the 1990s, when a teacher brought General Tso's chicken to school. His family had designated days for Chinese food, but General Tso's chicken "was always something that stuck with him when he thought about Chinese food".

Early familiarity

That early familiarity later shaped his career path. Starting out as a hospital cook, Evans was assigned to the Asian food station, where the techniques and flavors immediately intrigued him. He went on to run small businesses of his own and work in other kitchens, cooking everything from pizza and burgers to fried wings and cheesesteaks. He said the idea for Black Dragon had been brewing for nearly nine years before he finally opened the restaurant in 2024.

What was once intended to be a neighborhood restaurant has become a tourist destination. Drawn by the rare combination of Chinese and soul food, as well as the buzz generated online, visitors now travel from far beyond West Philadelphia. "People come from all over… I'm always in shock," Evans said.

As Black Dragon's reputation grew beyond the neighborhood, Evans began drawing attention far outside West Philadelphia. One of the most standout moments of Evans' career came when former vice-president Kamala Harris was campaigning in Philadelphia and her team hired him to cater the event.

Across the street from Black Dragon, Stepheneecee Williams, who works at a nearby pharmacy, is a regular customer.

"I think that Chinese restaurants are a staple in the black community," she said. "It was a former Chinese store, but you come in and you get a little more understanding, you get a little of our culture as well… We do live side by side."

bilinlin@chinadailyusa.com