The first Black-owned restaurant in Napa, CA, will be opening soon. The Press Democrat reports that Kansas City, MO-born Executive Chef Darryl Bell and his business partner, Jeremy Threat, plan to open a permanent location for their barbecue restaurant, Stateline Road Smokehouse, in the California city. Before entering the restaurant industry, Bell had already made a mark in entrepreneurship by introducing his hometown-inspired barbecue sauce, 816 BBQ Sauce, in 2014. Bell relocated from Kansas to Napa to pursue a new opportunity at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bistro. There, he steadily rose through the ranks to become the executive sous chef within seven years. Bell soon had an epiphany to start his venture as a restaurateur following the success of his signature barbecue sauce. He told the outlet in an earlier interview, t his decision came during the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. “It was COVID-19, to be honest. I’d get off work and see In-N-Out would have a line all the way around...