...the waitresses and other restaurant staff are trained in the history of the Negro League and are encouraged to engage patrons in dialogue about the history of the league.

The menu says it all: "Enjoy the food, digest the history." Negro League baseball history, to be exact. Donald R. Curry recently opened his Negro League Cafe on Chicago's South Side. In addition to providing customers with a good meal, the cafe honors the greatest players from the Negro League. Long before blacks were allowed to share the dugout with the likes of Honus Wagner and Babe Ruth, players like "Cannonball" Dick Redding and John Henry "Pop" Lloyd made their mark hitting and throwing pitches in the Negro League. The best of those Negro League players would show off at an all-star game played at the old Comiskey Park, not far from Curry's restaurant and in the heart of a community originally settled by black migrant workers.

Some of the greats from that era live in the Chicago area and have stopped in for a drink, Curry said. Among them: players like Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe and Johnny Washington. And why wouldn't they? A percentage of the profits are donated to a pension fund benefitting the Negro League players, Curry said. The Chicago White Sox even donated some of the interior art work for the restaurant.

Curry said he hopes not only to capitalize on the interest of Negro League baseball history but to attract people visiting a cultural center that recently opened nearby.

Curry said he has overcome plenty of skepticism to open his establishment.

"I have been trying to do this since 1997, and everyone told me this wouldn't work," he said.

He said the waitresses and other restaurant staff are trained in the history of the Negro League and are encouraged to engage patrons in dialogue about the history of the league.

Much of this history is detailed in the artwork displayed throughout the restaurant. Portraits of players decorate both the interior and exterior of the building.

"As I tell all the players, the folks aren't coming here to see me," Curry said. Dinner is offered in a buffet style for $14.99. Diners choose from 10 items on the buffet, which include favorites such as fried chicken, collard greens and corn bread. Desserts include a chocolate fudge brownie and peach cobbler.

The lunch menu offers burgers named for Negro League players, such as the Al "Sunshine" Spearman turkey burger and the Charlie "Goulash" Johnson burger with grilled onions and white American cheese.

Chicken sandwiches, salads and chicken wings also are featured on the lunch menu, and most items range from $7 to $9. A kids' menu is available.

If all goes well, Curry hopes to add three more restaurants in Chicago and expand from there.