our october pop up at cafe route dalston is now sadly over.
 
thank you so much for coming, it's been such a joy to feed you all!
 
watch this space for my next pop up... in the meantime, check out our upcoming events.


 

so what do we mean by soul food?

 

soul food originated in the american south and has been a core part of the black american collective identity since the 1960s, amidst the black power movement and the black arts movement that ushered in a renaissance of black creativity, community, resistance and radical black imagination. 

 

the belief by many that soul food is unhealthy, uninspiring and low quality is an egregious misrepresentation of the plethora, range and possibility of the cuisine. with this menu i hope to tell the story of soul food through delicious plant forward dishes that nourish the mind, body and soul, and introduce london to the unique flavour combinations that have been noticeably missing from its food scene. 

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a note on authenticity:

 

i was born and raised in london, to a black american mother and a mixed jamaican and british father, and this cultural mixing is reflected in the dishes that i create. while i strive to always stay true to the essence of the traditional dishes, it is also important to me to highlight those additional influences. thus, on this menu, the louisiana po’boy sandwich becomes a rude boy, using fresh coco bread from rainbow bakery in dalston instead of new orleans french bread and reflecting both my own jamaican heritage and the significance of the caribbean community on london’s food culture. to me, this is not fusion food - using what is local and available is an important and defining element of soul food. 

one more thing... soul food is not suddenly worthy just because it is plant based and health conscious. plant based just happens to be my journey.  soul food in all its forms is an expression of joy, survival, community and nourishment. remember to give thanks to the ancestors with every bite!

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