Two Milwaukee Businesses Score $20,000 Grants From Ketchup Maker

Anomalous and Blake Campbell. Photo courtesy of Anomaly Catering.

Two Milwaukee businesses will receive a financial boost through the Black Kitchen Initiative, a grant program seeking to uplift Black chefs and their businesses while breaking down systemic barriers in the industry.

Anomaly Catering and Daddy’s Soul Food & Grille were among the 45 recipients announced in early December, each securing $20,000 to support their restaurant and catering operations.

Chicago’s House of Hoagies, located in Menasha, was also a winner.

The funding comes at a critical time for Anomaly, which has faced recent challenges. In September, an overnight break-in caused extensive damage to the business’s location at 3800 N. Teutonia Ave., resulting in the loss of food, supplies and catering equipment. Days later, a reckless driver crashed into the building, destroying much of its facade.

Owners Anomalous and Blake Campbell have spent the past months rebuilding, all while fulfilling catering gigs, hosting neighborhood gatherings and participating in special events—including winning the 2024 Battle of the Chefs, despite the challenges facing their business.

The Campbells also operate Yo’ Mama’s Kitchen and Gastronomy Arts Studio.

Both Anomaly and fellow grant recipient Daddy’s Soul Food & Grille are known for their active involvement in the community—a quality the program specifically sought in its winners.

Bennie Smith, owner of Daddy’s Soul Food & Grille, said the award will strengthen his commitment to the cause. “This grant will help us to continue providing our employees with stable and strong employment that comes from having a budget supported financially by corporations that care about the small businesses bottom line,” he said in a statement. “This grant helps to keep our business in the black!”

First launched in 2020, The Black Kitchen Initiative aims to preserve the legacy of Black food, cooking, and entrepreneurship by addressing historic inequalities and expanding access to capital.

Now in its fourth year, the program has also supported Black-owned food businesses through the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic—a demographic hit particularly hard by the crisis. Data show that 28% of Black business owners experienced losses in 2020, compared to 17% across all groups.

Anomaly Catering, Daddy’s Soul Food & Grille and Chicago’s House of Hoagies are the first Wisconsin businesses to receive grants from the Black Kitchen Initiative.