INDIANAPOLIS — The Juneteenth Foodways Festival, held annually in Indianapolis, honors a woman who made history at the White House. 

Organizers of the festival say it’s a night filled with fun, food and fellowship. There were 2,000 people at the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site on Friday celebrating.

“We’re celebrating black entrepreneurs, restaurants, caterers, and retail partners, throughout Indianapolis,” said Shanét Wallace, the site’s special events coordinator.

Wallace said the festival honors Dolly Johnson, a woman who was hired by President Benjamin Harrison as the first Black chef in the White House.

To honor her achievements, dozens of food vendors at the festival recreated some of Johnson’s famous dishes.

“Today I made Dolly Johnson Tutti Fruity Cake,” said Taria Slack, owner of Black Leaf Vegan Café.

Slack has been in business for three years and said that seeing the community come together warms her heart.

“Dolly Johnson inspired me to pursue my business,” Slack said. “To bring my southern roots to food and make it vegan too.”

The creativity doesn’t stop there. Drew Fox, owner of 18th Street Distillery, said he put his spin on some of Dolly Johnson’s signature cocktails.

“We didn’t want to stick to the traditional recipe,” Fox said. “So, we did a non-alcoholic hibiscus simple syrup. While also adding a high-end tonic it’s refreshing, and topped it off with mint.”

Most importantly, organizers said this event is about giving small Black-owned businesses an opportunity. The festival is in its second year.

Although Juneteenth isn’t technically until Monday, there are several events happening this weekend leading up to the holiday.