Cornbread Restaurant & Bar
Southern restaurant (US) · Southfield ·
Southern soul food, cocktails, and Black history in a shoebox lunch
Southern soul food, cocktails, and Black history in a shoebox lunch
"Owner Patrick Coleman began a tradition in 2018 of offering shoebox lunches in special cardboard boxes adorned with pictures of famous Black Americans and their stories, an annual promotion that nods to Black train commuters who were banned from dining cars thanks to Jim Crow-era racism. While enjoying fried chicken wings or catfish along with macaroni and cheese, customers can get a history lesson reading about luminaries such as civil rights activist Ruby Bridges, star baseball player Satchel Paige, and writer James Baldwin; Coleman works with a printer in Memphis, the lunches are especially popular during Black History Month in February but are available year-round, the boxes are also available for sale and many schools around Michigan and beyond have ordered them for educational use (Coleman even received an order from Ohio State University), and so far in 2025 the restaurant has gone through 8,000 boxes. Coleman says, “We just wanted to give a history lesson,” and adds, “When you really come down to it, it’s American history, not necessarily Black history.” He was inspired by what his grandmother and mother experienced as Black women in the ’50s taking the train from Detroit to Nashville—once the trains crossed the Mason–Dixon Line, segregation became more visible and Black commuters weren’t allowed on the dining cars, so they packed their own meals in shoeboxes (his great-grandmother would pack chicken, macaroni and cheese, and fruit, decorating the box with jewelry and other trinkets). As a child Coleman recalls his mother and grandmother reminiscing about how the times changed and the challenges they faced—“These were incredible stories, they were stories that needed to be passed down,” he says—and he reflects, “I stand on the shoulders of folks that couldn’t go to a restaurant [because] of their color, and here — today — I own a restaurant,” noting, “That was life in the South for Blacks.” In 2022, two years after the police killing of George Floyd, Coleman created a new limited-edition shoebox called the “Stop Racism” box, which he describes as “grittier” and which featured stories including Breonna Taylor, the Tulsa Massacre, and Ax Handle Saturday in Jacksonville, Florida; there has been talk of additional boxes to share more stories of historical figures and the movement for Black civil rights, and Coleman notes, “It’s very inspiring when you hear these stories of resourcefulness and resilience.”" - Ashok Selvam
"Since 1997, this award-winning sit-down soul food has relocated and now carries a liquor license so that guests can enjoy a cocktail while experiencing the spot’s legendary traditional favorites and low-country cuisine, including fried chicken and waffles, smothered pork chops, down-home catfish, vegetarian options, and more. Don’t forget to order the off-the-menu shoebox lunches which are available the entire year and give diners a unique lesson on Black history in America." - Serena Maria Daniels
"Around since 1997, this award-winning sit-down soul food has relocated and now carries a liquor license so that guests can enjoy a cocktail while experiencing the spot’s legendary traditional favorites and low-country cuisine. For a special game day spread, add an order of Cornbread’s Southern-fried down home chicken wings to any of its decadent entrees, which offer the same crispy batter and juicy meat as the eatery’s signature chicken, served with a creamy blue cheese dressing." - Serena Maria Daniels
"The restaurant’s shoebox lunches are presented as a symbol of Black resilience: about five years ago the owner, Patrick Coleman, began producing illustrated cardboard boxes that highlight African American contributions as an homage to his mother and great-grandmother, who weren’t allowed to eat in train dining cars during Jim Crow and instead relied on shoeboxes of homemade food. The project began in 2018 with an initial run of 1,000 boxes that quickly sold out, earned a Good Morning America feature in early 2020, and saw a second run later that year that explicitly chronicled historical moments of racism and brutality. The boxes—designed to keep stories front and center and to celebrate resolve, resourcefulness, and dignity—have reached customers in 38 states and are available to order directly from the restaurant." - Serena Maria Daniels
"Southfield’s staple Beans & Cornbread — which specializes in Southern food with options like collard greens, salmon croquettes, and a stellar fried chicken recipe — moved in late 2021 and rebranded as Cornbread Restaurant & Bar. Get the plate of chicken with sides such as macaroni and cheese or spring for the Belgian waffle. The new space also means room for a full bar." - Brenna Houck
