Soul Good Opens Its Doors to Knoxville
Located in the heart of Mechanicsville, a new restaurant is opening doors to more than hot food and cold smoothies.
Nestled between a nearby church and a barber shop, Soul Good's exterior reflects the style of architecture omnipresent throughout this historic Knoxville neighborhood. Originally built in 1929, the building's worn brick facade has withstood decades of change as the surrounding neighborhood boomed and then busted over the last century. In the present day, a crisp new sign featuring the Soul Good logo hangs jauntily over the sidewalk, beckoning in passersby almost as effectively as the enticing smells that drift out each time the door swings open.
In front of the building, cars pass up and down University Avenue in a steady stream, sparkling in the mid-June sunshine. At 2 pm on a Wednesday afternoon, the restaurant's modest parking lot is already filling, and business shows no signs of slowing.
Inside, the restaurant has been refurbished with retro-modern lighting and stylish decorations. Photos cover the walls, reflecting a robust mix of musical pop culture, historical buildings, and local figures from all walks of life. The air buzzes with the hum of voices, sounds from the kitchen, and music that drifts from a large speaker near the front register.
The Man Behind the Mission
Andrew Osakue, partial owner and driving force behind Soul Good, bustles around the restaurant in a whirlwind of activity. He is everywhere at once, stopping to chat with familiar faces at tables throughout the dining area, dipping behind the counter to lend a hand when the pace picks up, and even taking a pass through the kitchen to check on the food. Despite all this, he doesn't miss a chance to greet visitors as they arrive.
"Welcome to Soul Good! Good to see you," he beams, flashing his thousand-watt smile at everyone who walks through the doors. From his demeanor, it's nearly impossible to tell old friends from complete strangers – although to him there's not much difference.
Osakue was born and raised in New Orleans, living much of his life there before Katrina arrived and forced his family to evacuate, leaving everything behind. Landing in Memphis, Tenn., a few months later, he met his future wife and accepted a position working with inner-city kids in West Monroe, La., soon thereafter. The following year, the couple found themselves invited to travel to Knoxville to interview for a position with First Baptist Concord, a local church.
During the interview, they were introduced to Farragut and Mechanicsville, the two areas the church was serving. On a tour of Mechanicsville, they passed through Ridgebrook Apartments, a complex located just blocks away from where Soul Good now stands. There they were struck by the scene of bleak poverty before them and decided they were needed here more than anywhere else. Believing God was calling them to help the members of this community, they packed up and moved to Knoxville, where they spent the next five years working to uplift the residents and improve conditions.
Though Osakue and his wife may not have known it, the fight to alleviate poverty in this area was a battle that had been waged for decades.
A History of Struggle
Founded in the pre-Civil War era, Mechanicsville was originally called "McGhee's Addition," after railroad tycoon Charles McClung McGhee1. Around 1868, a massive ironworks foundry was erected nearby, contributing to a post-war economic boom in the area.2 Neighboring factories also demanded labor, which only spurred more growth. In short order, the neighborhood was filled with a mixture of Welsh and African American laborers from the ironworks, factories, and mills in the area. In this time period, such workers were known as "mechanics," and it wasn't long before Mechanicsville had a new name.
Although Mechanicsville was incorporated into Knoxville in 1883 and enjoyed several decades of prosperity, it fell into decline during the second half of the 19th century – a decline that hastened when many of its homes and buildings were demolished in the construction of the I-40 expressway.3
The area's population continued to diminish as middle-income families moved away throughout the 1970s and 80s, leaving many homes uninhabited and the local economy struggling. In 1991, a significant portion of Mechanicsville was designated a historic district as part of a decades-long push to revitalize the area.4
In 1997, additional funding was provided to Knoxville's Community Development Corporation (KCDC) in the amount of $22 million in the hopes of reversing the decline.5 A large housing project in the neighborhood was demolished and replaced with single-family homes, and dozens of new homes were built throughout the area. All the new architecture was designed to blend in with the 19th-century surroundings, and programs were implemented to help low-income families from the area rent or purchase the new homes.6
Despite all these efforts, parts of Mechanicsville have continued to struggle, and drugs and violence still remain a pervasive issue for those living in the area.
Returning to the Mechanicsville Community
After many years serving the community, Osakue and his wife had moved to a position in Vonore, Tenn., pastoring at a church located on the banks of the Tellico River. When word reached them of the endemic drug use that was taking over Ridgebrook, spurred on by the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent shutdowns, they decided they had to do something about it.
Once again, the couple felt they were bidden to answer the call, and they and their two young children moved back to Knoxville to face this new challenge.
"We walked away from 100 percent of our salary in January of this year, in the middle of Covid, to serve an apartment complex who can't pay us one cent," says Osakue earnestly. Fully committed to improving the lives of those who need it most, he and his family once again put the community's needs ahead of their own.
Firm believers in the message of Romans 8:28,7 the family never doubted they would find a new path forward. They immediately began planning ways to uplift their new neighbors and make an impact on the community.
"We left with one thing in mind. Number one, we're not going to be needs based. We're going to be asset based," says Osakue. "That means we're going to build on the assets, the talents, and the gifts of the people who live in the community. We're going to elevate leadership and entrepreneurship from right here in this community. Because if they're selling drugs, that just means they're entrepreneurs. So how can we take the drugs out of their hands and put another product in their hands?
"Instead of drugs, I always say chicken tastes better than dope. You know, that's my slogan," he laughs.
How Soul Good Was Born
Although Osakue does have a background in foodservice, he didn't originally come to Mechanicsville to open a restaurant. Instead, he planned to listen to members of the community to learn about their needs and aspirations and then help make those dreams a reality. As he got to know people in the area, he realized that many of them had the skills and desire to work in a foodservice venue.
"If you put businesses in front of me, this would not have been top 10, top 50, or any of those things," he says. "So, are some of my skills in here being used? They are. But what's more important is that the skills of the community are being used. It doesn't really matter the industry to me, it's the asset."
Viewing Soul Good as a pit stop along the road to success, Osakue hopes to use the restaurant as a model for other downtrodden communities throughout the region, the country, and even the world. Ideally, he says, community members will be able to use the skills they've gained at the restaurant to continue growing and moving on to even greater things.
"Our approach to it is, the leaders are already here, the entrepreneurs are here," says Osakue. "We just have to create places where they can get the skill set to then take their businesses to another place. And that's how we got here, and that's why Soul Good is here."
Doing Good in the Community
With connections spanning the city, Osakue has managed to introduce many people to employment opportunities they may not otherwise encounter. Through relationships with friends, church members, and local businesses, he's helped disenfranchised people from the area establish new careers in foodservice, pipefitting, and real estate industries, to name a few. According to him, giving people the opportunity to become self-actualized and engage with their full potential is the most effective way to turn them away from drug use and toward a better life.
"When a person doesn't get connected to their passion, you heighten the chance of that person doing something that they probably have no business doing or just all-around quitting," he explains. "Because it's not what they were built to do. We sit down and discover how people are built and seek to connect them to industries that enable them to build their gifts out."
Aside from simply providing job opportunities at Soul Good itself, restaurant management and community leaders are committed to meeting needs throughout the community in as many ways as they can. In addition to career opportunities inside and outside the neighborhood, Osakue helps families connect with organizations providing structured activities for children who may otherwise fall through the cracks of existing programs.
"The number one resource are relationships," he says. "While that may sound very basic, it is far from basic. A lot of those doors are open, [people] just need to know how to cross the bridge to get to those doors. I always say we lay on our face before God and let people step on our backs to get to where they need to go. So if we just stay out of the way and help get people to their next steps, we've created a movement for our city."
So What's on the Menu?
If Soul Good's mission to foster unity and uplift the surrounding community isn't enough of a draw, the food itself makes a visit to this eatery worthwhile. Featuring a menu that's "simple, but jam-packed with flavor," the restaurant boasts several unique dishes, some unlike anything else in Knoxville.
With a blend of spices and crispy breading inspired by Osakue's childhood growing up in the Big Easy, Soul Good's golden ring fish sandwich beckons to seafood lovers with a generous portion of fried fish and toppings held together between slices of golden Texas toast.
On the lighter side, the restaurant offers a chef salad, as well as the aptly named soul melt – a sandwich built with a carefully selected combination of sliced white meats, two cheeses, fresh lettuce, tomato, and creamy "special sauce” served warm. In addition to the soul melt, freshly-cooked bone-in and boneless chicken wings are available in a variety of flavors.
Soul Good doesn’t rest on its laurels when it comes to sides or desserts, either. French fries, onion rings, and fried okra are served hot and crispy alongside your choice of entree, while fresh fruit smoothies and hand-made milkshakes add a sweet and frosty touch to any summer day.
Imported from Louisiana, the restaurant's snoball machine produces authentic New Orleans-style iced treats in a variety of hand-made flavors. Visitors can opt for a delightful twist on this regional dessert with a "soul ball," which features a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream at the bottom to absorb the snoball's flavors as it's eaten.
No matter the dish you choose to sample, it's hard to go wrong. Soul Good has put its money where its mouth is; every menu item is crafted with care, and it shows.
Take a Prayer, Leave a Prayer
Although the staff at Soul Good has put its heart and soul into the menu, that isn't what the workers are most proud of. True to the restaurant's goal of building support and fostering unity, a cork board decorated with handwritten messages of encouragement and appreciation adorns one wall. Nearby, blank cards, thumbtacks, and pens are arranged, so anyone passing through can "leave a prayer" by adding a new request to the pile.
A sign posted next to the message board reads, "Here at Soul Good, we believe in the power of prayer." It goes on to encourage those experiencing hardship, sorrow, or loss to pour their hearts out on a piece of paper so staff and customers alike can pray for them. For those who feel isolated or unseen, this can be a first step toward reaching out, giving them a voice to share their struggles. For others, it brings comfort to know that the community will be praying for them as they face their own personal battles, whatever those may be.
Visitors to the restaurant are also invited to "take a prayer" as well, choosing a message from the board and offering up a prayer on the author's behalf before continuing with their day.
"That corner, for us, is just growing that sense of family," says Osakue. "That's what we're built on. From the time you walk through those doors, you're loved, and from the time you walk out of those doors, you're loved. That's the ultimate picture of who Soul Good wants to be known as, you know. Let the food be great. I hope it is. But if we can love people, I think we've accomplished our greater purpose."
Employment Strategies at Soul Good
In keeping with this theme of redemption and acceptance, restaurant management has made every effort to employ those who often find themselves disenfranchised in the highly competitive modern job market. Current employees include single mothers – who often struggle with childcare and finding work schedules that accommodate their family's needs – as well as the formerly incarcerated and drug addicted.
Being placed within the same community it strives to improve helps remove additional barriers to employment. Soul Good is within walking and bussing distance for many people who want to work but lack private transportation.
Many people in these difficult situations don't know where to start in navigating the roadblocks that pile up in front of them. Existing assistance programs are often impersonal and incomplete, leaving those who are already struggling feeling even more isolated and forgotten. Over time, many people simply give up, believing they'll never have the control to change their situation.
"There are just a lot of people who don't have a voice. And if you don't have a voice, often times people make decisions for you, and you never get a chance to be a part of those decisions that are made," says Osakue, explaining the restaurant's larger goal of uplifting the surrounding community and helping them take on more active roles in how the area is managed.
"I would love for us to see what it would look like if we bring people to the table that may not check all the boxes but who have the experience of navigating communities such as these, to not only be a blessing to their community but also ask how they can be a blessing to your community… To begin to come around the table and build things together, rather than one group making a decision and another group becoming hopeless."
Creating Hope for the Future
In the long run, Osakue hopes to do much more than help people find work; he wants to inspire them to take ownership in their own communities and spark lasting change. He describes the restaurant's ultimate goal, not only for Mechanicsville but for all of Knoxville, as "a picture of mutual transformation."
"I believe two things: Love never fails, and we can love the hell out of people," he says. "So if we keep love present but also give opportunity to those same people, then we can begin to see murder rates decline, drugs no longer sold, lives transformed. Because now you're not just saying 'Go do it,' you're saying 'I'll do it with you.'"
References
- Mechanicsville: Where the Old is New Again. The Knoxville Focus. Accessed June 2021.
- The Foundry. Knox Heritage. Accessed July 2021.
- Knoxville Historic Resources Survey Report. Knox County Planning. Accessed July 2021.
- Mechanicsville Historic District Design Guidelines. Knox County Planning. Accessed July 2021.
- Mechanicsville Housing. Knoxville's Community Development Corporation (KCDC). Accessed June 2021.
- HOPE VI in Knoxville a Cause for Celebration. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Accessed July 2021.
- Romans 8:28. "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." King James Bible Online
