Soul food … what is it?

For some it’s comfort food, for others it is Southern inspired food.

What is your definition of soul food? Is the meaning more befitting of a mom and pop restaurant, or can it be considered for the menu at a fine dining restaurant? Better yet, is Chicago even ready for such an establishment?

We talked with five of Chicago’s top soul food restaurateurs, who combined have 195 years in the business. We asked them their opinions about “soul food,” why they went into business, and the idea of fine dining soul food restaurants.

Their establishments are household names, not only in Chicago, but nationwide. Thanks to the movie Soul Food, this comfort food has enjoyed a resurgence in the culinary industry, but it has also greeted a new generation with old Southern favorites with nutritionally balanced and updated menus.

Army & Lou’s

Established in 1945, Army & Lou’s is located on Chicago’s South Side, and it is the oldest of all of the establishments featured in this article. Although it has changed hands a few times, owner Delores Reynolds’ original plan was to restore this stalwart to its original splendor.

“Army & Lou’s was started by William ‘Army’ Armstrong and his wife Louvella. As I understand it, Mr. Armstrong, who worked for the (Chicago) Defender, loved to cook and entertain, so he opened up the restaurant at 39th and Indiana. It was a small business that grew, thanks in part to Mr. Armstrong’s affiliation in the news business, and because it was a great place to meet and greet at that time,” says Delores Reynolds, current proprietor of Army & Lou’s Restaurant.

“In the 1960’s, (the Armstrongs) sold the restaurant to Mary and Charles Cole. (The Coles) moved the business to its current location on East 75th Street, expanded the restaurant, and really turned it into probably the only fine dining soul food restaurant in the city,” Reynolds explained.

The restaurant changed hands one more time before closing in the early 1990’s.

Says Reynolds, “I was approached by Shorebank to open up ‘this mainstay’ in the community, but I really wasn’t interested. I have always worked in food service, but never considered opening up a restaurant. But as time passed, and much thought went into what this would mean to the community, I asked two friends to do this joint venture with me and we re-opened the restaurant in December of 1992.

“I had one goal, and that was to get Mary and Charles Cole in this restaurant and to return this building back to its splendor. They worked with me for a year, and with the original recipes we were able to bring back Army & Lou’s, but with a ‘90s flavor.”

Reynolds explained that Army & Lou’s addressed the changes by using alternative ways of keeping flavor without sacrificing the taste, such as taking the bacon out of their greens and replacing it with smoked turkey. They cook everything from scratch, and serve all of the standards — fried chicken, catfish — using the original recipes, just healthier.

Army & Lou’s signature dish is Baby Back Ribs .

“This food is good for you because soul food by nature is cooked from scratch. It has vegetables, and the only thing we need to do is to key into those items that more health conscious individuals are concerned about,” says Reynolds.

“My definition of soul food is: basic home cooking, well seasoned and not fancy. It’s traditional southern style cooking. The term soul food took off for people in the northern area because if you go to the south you don’t see soul food, you see southern cooking.

“I have seen a few attempts to bring in a high-end soul food place, but in the end they didn’t work. When you say soul food, mom’s home cooked food, you say affordable. So, I think that the two just don’t mix, and it doesn’t work downtown. I don’t think that people will pay the price for what is considered comfort food. They will take a French dish that is curled up and lavish and pay $30. But I am going to have a hard time selling fried chicken for $30. Even for high-end people, I would have to fancy it up. And then what do I have then … fusion,” Reynolds frankly states.

“What’s special about soul food is that it’s the place you go to get food that tastes like home. That’s the difference. Most people go out to eat for a different experience. Our plan here is to make the food taste like the food that mom or your great aunt or grandmother is cooking on that special Sunday. That’s the whole reason for it. It’s not to give you something that you haven’t had before. It’s to bring back a memory of really, really, really good food. “

Army & Lou’s — 422 East 75th Street, 773/483-3100. Open 9 a.m.-10 p.m., Wednesday-Monday; closed Tuesday.

Captain Hard Time

Established in 1969, Captain Hard Time is located at 436 East 79th Street.

“I was dining out with business colleagues on the South Side, and we were looking for a restaurant that had something for all of us. That type of restaurant didn’t exist. So I came out of the mortgage business, and since I had a background in the food industry as a dietician for the University of Chicago, I decided to go back into the food industry, and I have been here ever since,” says Josephine Wade, owner of Captain Hard Time.

“I was basically looking for the elite neighborhood for my type of business. I looked at Chatham, Pill Hill, and Beverly. My husband had an existing business in Chatham, so I took Chatham.”

The restaurant got its name from a restaurant Wade had visited in Mexico — Hard Time — and she added Captain, thus becoming Captain Hard Time.

“I originally opened up at 75th and Dorchester, but grew out of it. A good friend of mine had a building and was willing to put up the money. He told me that if anyone could make a go of it, that I could. We closed the deal on a handshake, and within one year, I paid him back,” Wade proudly added.

Wade says Captain Hard Time serves a diversified menu representative of a variety of cultures. Some of the dishes are Sweet & Sour Pork, Beef Wellington, and Jerk Chicken, and their signature dish is Shrimp Bisque.

“We do a lot of soups and salads too. A lot of people are overwhelmed when they come in and see the table settings and the linen napkins. Everything is cooked to order. The Greens are picked everyday, and the candied sweets are peeled fresh,” says Wade.

“We don’t have fine dining because the level of support isn’t there. We say that we want integration, and we say that we want our own, but we really don’t. We choose to eat with any nationality other than our own. If you go to any black restaurant on the South Side, you would think that there’s a depression, but you go anywhere across Western Avenue and you can’t get in the door. Young baby boomers don’t eat with us at all, they go to the chains. It is due to lack of training. They are used to going to these places. So how can you expect someone who has been trained to go outside of their community (to dine in their neighborhood). The training begins at home. For African American history month, you don’t see other nationalities taking their kids to eat collard greens, sweets, ham hocks, pork shoulder, brains and eggs. “

Wade also acknowledged that a local television story on some of the Black restaurants that aired a few years ago took a real hit when it was reported that some restaurants, both on the North Side and the South Side, weren’t clean. She adds painfully that a follow-up story was done on the North Side restaurants, but not the ones in the Black community.

Says Wade, “It’s a shame, and a lot of pain for African American entrepreneurs in the food business. We have one rule for us, and another rule for our counterparts.”

Captain Hard Time — 436 East 79th Street, 773/487-2900. Open Tuesday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-11 p.m.; Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. until midnight.

Edna’s Restaurant

Established in 1966, Edna’s is located at 3175 West Madison Street, and has been a mainstay on Chicago’s West Side for 37 years.

“My father Samuel Mitchell, Sr. loved to eat, and he always wanted to open up a restaurant, so he and my first husband found a place on the West Side. We started off selling hamburgers and hot dogs, but quickly changed the menu to preparing full meals. A year later, we opened up a lounge next door so our patrons could go to either the restaurant or the lounge without leaving the building,” says Edna L. Stewart, owner and proprietor of Edna’s Restaurant.

Stewart remarks that in her 37 years in business, the restaurant which originally opened up at Albany and Madison, has moved twice since then.

“In all these years, we haven’t made a full block,” says Stewart smiling.

This family-owned restaurant was run by Edna and her father until his death in 1993. Now as sole proprietor, Edna offers a wide variety of soul food dishes.

“I have always loved to cook and entertain. I learned a lot about food, how to pick out salt pork and sausage from my mother when I was very young. I’ve been cooking since I was seven, watching my mother from her hip. By the time I was 16 years old, I was cooking for 20 people, and enjoyed every minute of it,” Stewart says.

“We would have fried chicken, potato salad, and fresh greens. My mother was a great cook, and she was firm about the quality of food — how it tasted and how it looked. I am the same way. I oversee the kitchen. If it isn’t right, it doesn’t leave the kitchen. For me, soul food means it’s seasoned food. It’s seasoned from the soul.”

Stewart says the menu has changed over the years. As Edna’s has become more health conscious, some things have changed and as customers have changed, the restaurant has changed with the times.

Says Stewart, “You don’t have to sacrifice good food, flavor, or taste. I shop for everything … certain foods from certain vendors, from the oxtails to the catfish and the greens. I am very particular about where I buy my food.”

Edna’s biscuits are legendary, but her signature dish is golden fried chicken.

“When I started, I wanted to prepare food for everyone to enjoy. I never thought about fine dining,” says Stewart. “Back in the 1960’s, African Americans weren’t thinking about ‘fine dining’ like we do now. I have people calling from New York about my food. If I could start all over, I would do both — have a fine dining side, and a regular restaurant.”

Edna’s Restaurant – 3175 West Madison Street, 773/638-7079. Opened Tuesday-Sunday, 6 a.m.-7 p.m.; closed Monday.

Izola’s Restaurant & Dining Room

Established in 1956, Izola’s is located on Chicago’s South Side, and has been in business for nearly 50 years.

Izola White started her career in the restaurant business as a waitress, and after going through a divorce, she opened up Izola’s.

“There was another restaurant here, but it wasn’t doing well. So, I remembered the menu where I previously worked, added a few things, and created my own menu. In the beginning, I started off with specials — breakfast was 51 cents, lunch was 75 cents, and dinner served after 3 p.m. was $1.50. Coffee was 10 cents,” says White.

“I don’t consider what I serve as soul food. Soul food is greasy … to me. My food isn’t greasy. I call it dining out at a good restaurant.”

Some people even call it comfort food, White emphasizes.

“My signature dish is Short Ribs of Beef. We are old school fresh greens, cabbage, everything from scratch. I serve food that my customers enjoy. I listen to them, and over the years a few things have changed, but quality, taste and service have not.”

Like her other constituents, freshness and good service are key. “We have white tablecloths on Sundays. As for a full-time soul food fine dining restaurant, Blacks can open it, but they don’t support it. Before the Civil Rights Movement with Dr. (Martin Luther) King in the ‘60s, we supported our own community. But after the movement, it hindered the notion of supporting our own businesses. Guests will go downtown, but they don’t patronize ‘their own.’ Patrons will go to Hyde Park or go to eat on the North Side and wait, but here, they are impatient,” she says.

Can Izola’s succeed downtown?

“I would kill myself working. I’ve been in the kitchen for 30 years. I’m on call 24/7. If you don’t love people, you shouldn’t go into this business. I’m not in it for the money, I enjoy people,” White proudly adds.

“I have seen many generations grow up coming to this restaurant, and politicians running for office. I will keep doing this as long as I can. I take care of my business. I’m not important, you the customer are.”

Izola’s — 522 East 79th Street, 773/846-1484. Open 24 hours. Closed on Wednesdays.

BJ’s Market & Bakery — A Different Soul Food Dining Experience

Established in 2001, chef and restaurateur John Meyer’s journey in the culinary industry began when he wanted to open up a hot dog stand. After a brief stint working at a hotdog stand chain, he attended Washburne Trade School’s culinary program. His vision was to open up his own hot dog stand. While working with his mother’s retirement home, John broadened his knowledge and skills preparing meals for the facility’s residents and families. After working at the University Club of Chicago honing his skills and gaining invaluable experience, he changed his mind and opened up a fine dining restaurant, The Retreat, in 1992. But it closed in 1999.

“We had the Retreat for seven years. It was my dream, and my wife Hope and my family supported me. I had these grandiose ideas, and I wanted to do French cooking. I wasn’t going to do food that I was raised on. I enjoyed food with sauces.

“I saw what my customers wanted — training and service — and that was my passion, serving the customer. (But) it was hard to find the same type of person who had the same kind of passion (as myself),” Meyers said.

The Retreat was located in the Pullman district on Chicago’s South Side.

“It was a destination restaurant,” Meyers explained, adding that the location played a key role in his decision. “People were afraid to come out at night. The nights weren’t good for us. Sunday was half of our business. The location is important, and you want to go in a neighborhood where people could afford your food. The neighborhood people really didn’t support us.

“We had to make a decision on the Retreat or BJ’s Market. Before making our decision, we realized that Sunday was half of our revenue, so we wanted to have a restaurant that specialized in Sunday cuisine,” Meyer adds. “BJ’s Market was easier.”

BJ's Market & Bakery is named after Meyers’ two children — Brandon John and Brianna Juanita.

Says Meyers, “I can run all three BJ’s Market & Bakery locations with the same effort that it took me to run The Retreat. It makes a profit, and it is food that the patrons are accustomed to eating.”

The flagship restaurant is located at 87th and Stony Island and is the model for his other restaurants, also located on the South Side of Chicago. Meyer opened up his second BJ’s Market & Bakery at 96th and Western in 2001, and his third at 1156 West 79th Street in 2004.

“Our menu is Southern-Soul Food-American. We try different things. Given my background, for example, we do Tilapia and we do liver. Sometimes things work, but we try to keep it simple and not expensive. One person cooks the greens. Ninety percent of the food, one person makes. Mashed potatoes and chicken are cooked throughout the day. This gives us more quality control. You know what time it was made and when. You order at the register and pick it up at the counter. For breakfast, we bring it out to you,” says Meyers.

“Soul food works for me because it’s what the customer wants. That’s why I am here today, I listen to the customer. I didn’t set out for it to be soul food, I ran away from it. I just want good food. Soul food, Italian … I just want it to be good. (Customers) eat other types of food, but always come back to soul food.

“We always want to keep it fresh and high quality service. My goal is to have good food with excellent service. That’s the most important aspect. There must be quality service” Meyer adds.

Meyer also sells cakes, pies, muffins, rolls, and peach cobbler. His signature dish is Mustard Fried Catfish, which he serves every year at the Taste of Chicago.

“My goal is to have several BJ’s Market & Bakery restaurants, and I want to franchise. I want the restaurant to be successful, and for people to enjoy soul food. I want to be in every state. We need something like this … to grow across the nation.”

BJ’s Market & Bakery – Locations and hours: 8734 South Stony Island Avenue, 773/374-4700 (11a.m.-9 p.m., Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Sunday); 9645 South Western Avenue, 773/445-3400 (11a.m.-9 p.m., Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Sunday); 1156 West 79th Street (79th & Racine), 773/723-7000 (7 a.m.-9 p.m., Monday-Thursday; 7 a.m.-10 p.m., Friday and Saturday; 7 a.m.-8 p.m., Sunday). BJ’s locations are open seven days a week. Beginning April 25, the Stony Island restaurant will open at 7 a.m. for breakfast.