TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Halisi Africa, nestled in the heart of Railroad Square, offers African fusion and an ethnic ambiance. Now, the quaint restaurant is set to be featured on Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives” Friday.
The opportunity to claim national attention has been the turning point for the owner, Bryant Shaw, especially after a turbulent 2024.
“We want to focus on controlling the narrative around Africa and the African diaspora and getting the opportunity to be on the national stage to talk about that, it reminds us of why we started,” Shaw said.
The restaurant owner spent time traveling in Africa and wanted to bring a piece of culture to the Railroad Square art district. After a tornado swept through the district in May, Halisi Africa had to close its doors temporarily.
After five years of being in business, Shaw never considered shutting down for good until that moment.
“Experiencing the tornadoes and the hurricanes and things like that going on, just with natural disasters around us, we had to choose what we wanted to do to keep going,” Shaw said.
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Shaw and his team decided to push through to stay open and the opportunity to be featured on “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” was the boost they needed to stay open and expand operations. He got the side wall knocked down and he’ll be expanding to the space next door.
“Expanding would’ve never crossed my mind last year. Lately, I feel really empowered just because I remembered why we’re doing it,” he said. “I want people to enjoy the experience when they come here. I want people to feel like they got a taste of Africa and got to see Africa in a new light.”
The Food Network filmed the episode at the restaurant in October.
The new addition to the building is expected to be ready just in time for a watch party on Friday, March 14, at 9 p.m.
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