As a little girl, my grandmother’s house was the house that united us all. Uncles, aunts, cousins, siblings and friends would sleep on grandma’s hard living room floors; as I tip-toed over them to get to grandma, who was in the kitchen. Grandma would smile and ask “Do you want to know how to wake everyone up at the same time?” I nodded yes, and she proceeded to put oil and sliced onions in a pan, and then sautéed them together. One by one, the mouth-watering aroma awakened sleeping eyes as my grandmother started cooking.
With generations of recipes passed down to the youth, Soul Full, LLC is a modern African American cuisine restaurant associated with my family’s Southern roots. Today I am partnering up with my daughter, Diamond De Vane, who continues to carry my grandmother’s and my mother's traditional culinary recipes to create a family-style concept restaurant. Our goal is to attract a diverse clientele with our innovative outlook on African American culture and cuisines.
I remember trying to Google a soul food spot once when I was craving fried chicken, baked mac and cheese, collard greens and sweet potato pie for dinner and I did not feel like cooking at home. I hate cleaning dishes and really wanted to buy some good soul food without the hassle of taking the time to cook and then cleaning after. When I Googled soul food restaurants, the only spots that popped up was Popyee’s and Boston Market, which are 2 fast food spot that I would never deem as good soul food (nothing compared to my mother’s or grandmother’s homemade cooking). Any restaurant that I did deemed good was either in in Queens, Brooklyn or Manhattan, way too far for me. So I thought to myself, why not bring soul food a little closer. I surely can’t be the only person who would love to not travel so far for good home cooked comfort food and not have to bother my mother to make me some. I remember when I was younger, my neighbors from across the street would come knocking on our door anytime they saw my grandmother was in town. They knew she would be cooking and they wanted to be a part of the deliciousness they knew was coming. It was back then that I realized that homemade soul food is what truly brings everyone together, no matter the gender, race or age. Now fast-forward to my late twenties and I love hanging out with my friends, trying out new restaurants and trying out new bars; and still, not many soul food restaurants. Today I am partnering up with my mother, Sherlett Hilton to create a family-style concept restaurant that will aim to continue and share my grandmother’s and her grandmother's traditional culinary recipes.
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