MONROE, Wash. — Avery Lewis learned to cook in his grandmother's kitchen.
"She was probably telling me to get out of her kitchen most of the time, but I always ended up sneaking back in there," Lewis said.
It was always Lewis' dream to open Avery's Chicken & Waffles.
Run by Lewis and his wife, Junelle, the food truck is quickly becoming a favorite in Snohomish County, but it has not been easy.
"Black-owned businesses are the hardest to open and the hardest to keep open," Junelle Lewis said.
Furloughed from his job during the pandemic, Avery Lewis vowed to never be in that position again. He seized the opportunity to open his own business.
It's a difficult proposition for anyone but especially for a Black family in an overwhelmingly white region like Snohomish County.
"Not really having mentors or a network you can tap into to ask for help or guidance is really hard," Junelle Lewis said.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 80% of Black-owned businesses fail in the first 18 months compared to just 20% in the general population.
There are only about 150 Black-owned businesses in Snohomish County despite an African-American population of more than 33,000.
That's something Kendra Montgomery and Michael Adams plan to change.
They run the organization Black Snohomish County.
It's a support network for Black businesses looking to start up or grow.
It offers resources, connections and collaborations for businesses and the county's entire African-American community.
"I've seen people come here who then move away because they don't feel that sense of community and belonging," Adams said. "What we really want to do is build that community and belonging because we want people to stay and thrive."
Adams and Montgomery said Snohomish County is different from other counties in the region because the Black population is more spread out.
They believe more of an effort needs to be made to get people connected.
"I like to see all them get together and support each other because we are here," Montgomery said.
The Lewis family has no plans to leave.
They're hoping to expand one day and have their kids take over the business knowing Black Snohomish County is behind them.
"I want to inspire people and motivate that next generation," Avery Lewis said.
"Just having that commonality of you’re a Black business owner and somebody who has gone through the same things as me and are looking out for me because we've faced some of the same challenges is so helpful," Junelle Lewis said.