Cooking is in Kolnita Riggins-Walker’s blood. And her restaurant is all about family.
Doc’s on Harvard opened last spring on Cleveland’s southeast side in a small brick building where Kolnita’s father-in-law ran a dental office for decades. Pictures of the dentist and his wife hang on the walls in a space that feels more like a home than a business.
It’s a rare fine-dining locale in the Lee-Harvard neighborhood, a Black middle-class stronghold that’s seen better days. And it’s an early example of how civic leaders hope to bring prosperity – businesses and residents – back to overlooked parts of the city.
“The rich history of Lee-Harvard is just that,” Kolnita said. “I’m not doing something brand new. I’m just bringing back something that hasn’t been here for decades.”
Bob Fenner/News 5On Tuesday, she and her staff hosted a celebratory lunch for the many partners who made Doc’s on Harvard possible. Dozens of people, from lawmakers to representatives for the Cleveland Browns, munched on her Riggins’ Southern Fusion Rolls – a family recipe.