Linda’s Bean Pie Café is Open For Business!

 Pictured above at Linda’s Bean Pie Cafe grand opening, from left: Terron Grant, Pathstone Enterprise; Pamela James, CAOWNY Business Development Director; Sis Linda Muhammad, proprietor, and L. Nathan Hare, CAOWNY CEO. Challenger Photo

A steady stream of well wishers and potential customers attended the  recent grand opening of Linda’s Bean Pie Café.

Located  at 301  E. Utica near the corner of Jefferson Avenue, the  neighborhood’s newest eatery will not only offer the delicious traditional bean pie made famous by the Nation of Islam, but a  variety of specialties made from the navy bean  such as soup and ice cream as well as  her trademark  “Bean Pie Smoothie.” The creative entrepreneur  is even planning on offering a “bean burger” in the near future.  There are  traditional deli items on the menu as well such as sandwiches and salads. She also hopes to educate customers on the health benefits of the navy bean.

-Business Development-

Sister Linda opened her doors after completing one of the CAO WNY Pathstone’s free 12-week Enterprise Business Development  sessions. Although an experienced business person (she first opened her café on Main Street in Williamsville), she found the classes to be very beneficial in helping her to open the E. Utica Jefferson location. 

“I’ve always had an entrepreneurial mindset,” she said in a News interview.

On hand to congratulate her was Pamela James, the CAO/WNY Business Development Director, Terron Grant of Pathstone Enterprises Business Development Officer and L. Nathan Hare, CAOWNY CEO.

Mr. Hare  spoke briefly on the importance of building strong economies and strong communities.

“In order to build an economy for ourselves  we have to be the source of the goods and services we need for our community,” he said. “We have to sell to ourselves, hire ourselves, buy from ourselves  in order to keep our money turning over among ourselves….Every community that does that is strong….those communities that do not, are weak.”

Although Black Americans have a  gross domestic product of $1.7 trillion dollars he said, the dollar turns over in our community only ¼ of one time.

Using the historical reference to  Black Wall Street, he pointed out that the dollar turned  over in that community 36 times making it “the highest dollar velocity ever recorded in the history of any community in the United States.”

The importance of Black Wall Street and the lesson we should learn? “They kept their money  among themselves,” he said.