When city planner and architect Adrian Lipscombe visited a cafe in La Crosse, Wisconsin for a business meeting, little did she know she'd end up moving her family up all the way from Austin, Texas, running the cafe herself, and revitalizing a whole section of the city. And if running a restaurant during a pandemic isn't a full-time-plus job, Lipscombe also developed an initiative—40 Acres and a Mule—to preserve, research and celebrate Black foodways and support Black land ownership, makes hundreds of free meals for families in need, and got certified as a sake expert. Lipscombe took time from her busy schedule to talk about all of that, as well as what's going on in her native Texas (spoiler alert: plenty), what farmers are up against, and how she ended up with 40 avocado plants in her home. 

Uptowne Cafe

https://uptownecafe.com/

This Juneteenth, Chef Adrian Lipscombe Aims to Preserve Black Foodways

https://www.foodandwine.com/news/adrian-lipscombe-40-acres-mule-juneteenth

The 40 Acres and a Mule Project

https://www.gofundme.com/f/forty-acres-project

Follow Adrian on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/adie_eats/

The Food & Wine Pro Guide to Mental Health and Sobriety Resources

https://www.foodandwine.com/fwpro/the-food-wine-pro-guide-to-mental-health-and-sobriety

Texas Restaurants, Bars to Reopen at Full Capacity; Workers Not Yet Eligible for Vaccine

https://www.foodandwine.com/news/texas-restaurants-bars-to-reopen-at-full-capacity

Food & Wine Pro

https://www.foodandwine.com/fwpro

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