{"id":31012,"date":"2025-11-06T18:38:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-06T18:38:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/31012\/"},"modified":"2025-11-06T18:38:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T18:38:09","slug":"how-this-brooklyn-restaurant-practices-family-inclusion-new-york-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/31012\/","title":{"rendered":"How this Brooklyn Restaurant Practices Family Inclusion \u2013 New York Family"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\"Kokomo\"Photo by Katrine Moite
\nLoco for Kokomo: How this Brooklyn Restaurant Practices Family Inclusion<\/p>\n

The Black-owned restaurant Kokomo keeps family at the forefront of all its dishes.<\/p>\n

When you step into Kokomo<\/a> restaurant at 65 Kent Ave., you\u2019re immediately greeted with a calming and sensual experience. The dim lights and rustic decor create a warm atmosphere, while the beautiful Williamsburg skyline offers breathtaking views against the crisp New York City air.<\/p>\n

Psst\u2026 Check Out UniverSoul Circus Returns to Brooklyn with $19 Tickets<\/a><\/p>\n

Upon arrival, your stomach will pause for a moment to bask in the rich aromas of Asian and Caribbean fusion. The smell of their signature oxtail flatbread pizza baking in their stone pizza oven, or perhaps the spices of the delicately crafted Biang Biang rasta noodles, will tickle your nose and transport you to a mouthwatering oasis, unique from the surrounding restaurants in Williamsburg.<\/p>\n

But behind the cleverly infused dishes lie not just two entrepreneurs, but a husband-and-wife duo, Kevol and Ria Graham, who put family at the heart of everything they do.<\/p>\n

\"Kokomo\"Photo by Katrine Moite
\nA Flavorful Approach<\/p>\n

Opening during the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the couple didn\u2019t let the global crisis stop them from offering New Yorkers an authentic dining experience. Both of Caribbean heritage, Kokomo offers a variety of foods, expertly walking the thin line of authentic Caribbean and Asian cuisine with a hint of Americanized flavor and style, much like the melting pot that is the Big Apple.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe knew that we wanted to represent our culture as well as our heritage through our food, but not neglecting the fact that we\u2019re also both New Yorkers,\u201d Ria explained when asked about the creation of the menu. \u201cSo when you look at Kokomo\u2019s cuisine, you would see that it\u2019s, it\u2019s a true melting pot of not just what it means to be Caribbean, but also a New Yorker.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Grenadian and Trinidadian wife and mother came from a background of restaurant marketing before she met her now Jamaican husband, Kevol, a chef. The budding romance was the perfect recipe for a storm. After being presented with a unique event space multiple times, the couple decided to take it as a sign to start their own restaurant, thus giving birth to Kokomo.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the Caribbean, when you\u2019re there in the islands, people are trying to feed you. They\u2019re trying to make sure you\u2019re trying all the different things they have to offer,\u201d her husband Kevol echoed. \u201cThey\u2019re excited about you trying their food. So we love to pour that same passion into our culinary cuisine, welcoming all different ethnicities and cultures that come into Kokomo because it is a place for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

The dimly lit space is effervescent with electric energy. You hear the chatter of patrons as they sit at the glowing tables, accompanied by menu options that speak to the culture of New York City, yet hold the flavors of Asian and Caribbean islands, dancing on your taste buds to create an exceptional experience.<\/p>\n

\"kokomoRia Graham and children<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Photo by Katrine Moite Loco for Kokomo: How this Brooklyn Restaurant Practices Family Inclusion The Black-owned restaurant Kokomo…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":31013,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[18909,98,100,99,18908,18910,18911,9,24,63],"class_list":["post-31012","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-brooklyn","tag-black-owned-businesses","tag-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn-headlines","tag-brooklyn-news","tag-family-restaurants-new-york-city","tag-family-friendly-black-owned-businesses","tag-kokomo","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31012","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31012"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31012\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31013"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31012"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31012"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31012"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}