Celebrating Black Owned Businesses

Celebrating Black Owned Businesses
Posted on Feb 27, 2023
ILCW Crew and Family

Celebrating Black-Owned Business in San Bernardino

 

The Black community in San Bernardino has a vibrant history. From Lizzy Flake Rowan, a freed slave who played a major role in the city’s development in the 1850s, to Darren Goodman, the first Black police chief in San Bernardino, the Black community is an important player in the city’s prosperity.

Retail, restaurants, nonprofits, health providers, and more make up San Bernardino’s Black-owned business community. I Love Chicken and Waffles, one of the newer Black-owned restaurants in the city, opened twice–once in 2020, before the pandemic, and again in 2021. Launching a restaurant just before shutdowns didn’t deter owner Demico Sherman and his family from continuing to pursue their dream.

ILCW Crew & Family
San Bernardino natives and brothers, Demico and Ryan Sherman, opened I Love Chicken and Waffles with the help of their family.

“Growing up in San Bernardino, my family and I noticed there was a lack of homestyle soul food,” said Sherman. “My brother and I were event planners, my wife is a chef, and my family was eager to support our dream of opening a restaurant. Together, we opened I Love Chicken and Waffles and it continues to be a family affair.”

The entire family plays a role in I Love Chicken and Waffles’ success. Brothers Demico and Ryan Sherman are the owners. Demico’s wife, Kenya, is the head chef, and his mother, Debra, cooks as well. Demico and Ryan’s father, Diamond, also helps with restaurant operations and their cousin, Deangelo is a partner. The brothers also had the support of two non-family partners, Obadiah Baldwin and the late Demetrius Mayo. The collaboration and everybody-pitch-in approach from the family has helped the I Love Chicken and Waffles restaurant reach success during the pandemic and beyond.

“We get tremendous support from the local community,” shared Sherman. “They can feel the love when they walk in. And they come back for the top-tier service, the authentic food, and the entertainment we offer.”

ILCW Sandwhich
Visit I Love Chicken and Waffles for homestyle, soul food favorites.

 

The I Love Chicken and Waffles menu features its classic namesake dish, and other homestyle favorites such as collard greens, hush puppies, and BBQ fish. I Love Chicken and Waffles recently expanded its space to accommodate large events, holding as many as 800 people for movie nights, Lucha Libre fights, and more.

Sherman shares that the Black-owned businesses in the Inland Empire are eager to share resources and help each other out. Tammy Martin-Ryles, President of the Black Chamber of Commerce Inland Empire, couldn’t agree more.

“Our members get the most value when they participate,” said Martin-Ryles. “We see enormous success from Black-owned businesses when they collaborate, share, and contribute their ideas and resources. The Black Chamber of Commerce Inland Empire is set up to help Black business owners know the resources they have available to them, but our greater goal is to create an environment where Black business owners can have a community where they can rely on each other.”

For more information and resources, visit blackchamberofcommerce.org/inland-empire.