Mariano's to celebrate Juneteenth with a kickoff party at their Bronzeville location

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Juneteenth is coming up on Monday, June 19 and Mariano's is celebrating early, with kickoff party at their Bronzeville location on Friday, June 16, starting at 4 PM.

This free event will celebrate Black-owned businesses and local community groups with music, car shows and samples from local vendors. One of those businesses is Chef Dominique Leach's Lexington Betty Smokehouse in Pullman.

Chef Leach has a special relationship with Mariano's. Just this year, the grocery store began selling her Lexington Betty Smokehouse x Vander Farmers Wagyu Dogs! The hot dogs are sweeter and more affordable than Japan wagyu beef since they are made from F1 Wagyu beef, a special breed of cow that's half Japanese black cattle and half Holstein-Friesian dairy cow.

Chef Leach's expertise and soulful food earned her a spot on The Food Network's show CHOPPED, recognition as the "Best Barbecue in Chicago" by Good Morning America, and a full brick-and-mortar home for Lexington Betty on the South Side of Chicago following a pilot project to help promote black-owned businesses in the region.

Chef Leach and her wife's hard work and persistence in a male-dominated industry have helped them to carve out a name for themselves in the culinary world in Chicago and beyond.