ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — February is Black History Month, and no study of Black heritage in and around St. Louis would be complete without a focus on the entrepreneurial spirit.
Betsey Mitchell’s latest project is Rize Event Center, a full-service catering and restaurant facility in north St. Louis County near St. Louis Lambert International Airport.
The facility opened in December. Mitchell described what was on the lunch buffet.
“That’s catfish nuggets, buffalo spaghetti, green beans and cabbage,” she said.
Then she continued lifting shiny, polished, stainless-steel lids.
“Hush puppies and peach cobbler.”
Not afraid to talk about her belief system, Mitchell could be seen holding court with friends and customers in front of the hostess station.
“The author of this story with me is the most high,” said Mitchell, pointing skyward. It’s in response to a question about a sign on the wall that reads, “I trust the next chapter because I know the author.”
“And I couldn’t have done it without him,” she adds.
Mitchell said being a Black entrepreneur in the St. Louis area comes with a special set of challenges.
“It’s not easy," she said. "I have to be 10 times better.”
She chose her words carefully.
“To make sure the product or service I am giving is… on point – 100, 110. Because I’m going to be ….”
She pauses. A look of satisfaction crosses her face. Mitchell has found the words.
“More is going to be expected.”
On the walls of Rize, Mitchell honors her family’s history and heritage. She describes one display, a framed newspaper article and photographs.
“This was in 1997,” she said. “The St. Louis Post-Dispatch was doing stories on families – mothers with their daughters’ businesses.”
“This is not my first rodeo,” Mitchell said, laughing. “I’ve been in the business for years.”
In the other corner of the dining room, you can see a drawing of Mitchell’s mother, Minnie.
“She died almost two years ago, at the age of 89,” said Mitchell. “This is where all the recipes come from. This is who and why I am who I am."
Knowing from where you came and to where you are going.
“Rising to the occasion,” said Mitchell. “Whatever occasion, I can rise to it.”
Mitchell’s friends say she is too modest. The former educator has master’s degrees and is a long-time member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority.
Her mother was known for her fried apple and peach pies. Mitchell said she is incorporating those items on her menu.
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