'Made With Soul': Sweet Catch Celebrates 1 Year In Brooklyn

PROSPECT LEFFERTS GARDENS, NY — Ka-wana Jefferson's mission is the note a diner once dropped in the suggestion box at her Brooklyn restaurant Sweet Catch: "Your collard greens remind me of my grandma's."

That mission has successfully brought Sweet Catch through its first year serving soul in a sleek and colorful eatery on Nostrand Avenue in Prospect Lefferts Gardens, where friends and family gathered Thursday to celebrate.

"It's a celebration of Black food," Jefferson said. "[It's] seafood made with soul."

While the decor is meant to make diners feel like they're cracking crabs on the beach, the food is warm and nostalgic, Jefferson explains.

Jefferson's food is an ode to Black and Southern cultures — she serves up raw oysters from a Black oyster farmer and southern-inspired dishes like shrimp and grits.

The menu also boasts family recipes like a mac and cheese and red beans that have fed Jefferson's loved ones for years.

"It's my culture," she said.

And on Thursday, Jefferson watched her tables fill up with friends and family, enjoying a celebratory pre-fixe menu to mark one successful, albeit challenging, year in Brooklyn.

"That fills my heart," she said.

Like many small businesses struggling with pandemic recovery, Jefferson is up against ever-increasing interest rates, staffing issues and COVID-19 hurdles that linger "like a grey cloud."

"We're here and trying really hard," Jefferson said. "I'm thinking about the customer experience, so it comes with a cost."

But her mission remains exceedingly clear after her first year.

A seafood lover herself, Jefferson originally opened Sweet Catch noticing the industry could use more Black woman-owned spots.

An owner of two additional businesses, Jefferson is now focused on increasing brand awareness and gaining new customers, she said.

"There clearly needs to be more representation in this area," Jefferson said.

Jefferson has been able to share guests' most special moments, like birthdays and weddings, and even small pieces of positive feedback keep Jefferson moving.

"It's a passion project," Jefferson said. "I really, genuinely love people. I love this business."