Before a single plate has been served or a table set, Cocoa Cafe is already doing what it was born to do: bring people together.
In a recent feature titled “Cast Your Buckets: The Rise of Cocoa Cafe and the True Heart of Alton Park”, the team at Food as a Verb captured something we’ve felt all along—this project isn’t just about food. It’s about reclaiming legacy, creating opportunity, and nourishing a community that has always deserved more.
The article draws a vivid line between past and present. From childhood memories of grabbing candy from corner stores to the now-shuttered Big H grocery that once stood as a neighborhood landmark, the story of Alton Park is a story of resilience. And now, Cocoa Cafe is stepping into that story—not to erase the past, but to build upon it.
✊🏾 Food as Liberation
While Juneteenth was celebrated two months ago, its message echoes far beyond a single day. It’s a reminder of what true freedom looks like—not just emancipation from bondage, but access to resources, opportunities, and self-determination.
Cocoa Cafe is living that legacy. Right here in South Chattanooga, we’re turning a food desert into a space for growth. A bistro. A kitchen incubator. A food truck commissary. A community gathering place.
We’re casting our bucket where we stand.
And with every Farmers Market & Food Truck Friday, with every vendor who gets a new customer, with every neighbor who says, “I feel seen here,” we’re proving that food—when rooted in justice—can be a tool for liberation.
🌱 Legacy Reclaimed, One Friday at a Time
Even as construction continues, Cocoa Cafe is already active. Our monthly Farmers Market & Food Truck Friday events are drawing crowds, sparking conversations, and offering platforms to small food businesses—many of them Black-owned and locally grown.
Each event is a chance to reclaim space that was once forgotten. Each plate served is an act of presence. Each handshake, smile, and story shared is a step toward the South Chattanooga we all believe in.
As Food as a Verb wrote:
“The Cocoa Cafe team is choosing to cast their bucket right where they are.”
That choice is what drives us.
🌟 Be Part of the Movement
Cocoa Cafe isn’t just a place—it’s a promise. A promise to honor our roots while building something new. A promise to make entrepreneurship accessible. A promise to feed both body and soul.
We may not have opened our doors yet, but the heart of Cocoa Cafe is already wide open.
Join us.
Attend an upcoming event.
Support a local vendor.
Tell a friend.
Be part of this living story.
Together, we’re writing a new chapter for Alton Park—one where freedom is served fresh, and everyone has a seat at the table.
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