Issuu

The Leader • Saturday, September 19, 2020 • Page 1B

Soul of the South: Comforting cuisine rooted in struggle By Zarah Parker zarah@theleadernews.com

The ability to follow a recipe can make or break a meal. While having a great recipe is part of the answer to making appetizing soul food, even more is required for the cook. “The key to good soul food is cooking from the heart and with love,” said Esther Lewis-Bernard of Esther’s Cajun Café & Soul Food, 5204 Yale St. Soul food cuisine reflects its ties to Black culture and African roots. According to Lewis-Bernard, soul food originated in the Deep South, which includes the states of Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi. “During the Transatlantic Slave Trade, enslaved African people were given meager food rations that were low in quality and nutritional value,” Lewis-Bernard said. “With these rations, enslaved people preserved African food traditions and adapted traditional recipes with the resources available. Over time, these recipes and techniques have become the soul food dishes we are familiar with today.” Some of those soul food staples include oxtail, which at one time came from an actual ox and now more commonly comes from beef cattle, along with fried chicken, smothered pork chops, fried catfish, mustard and collard greens, cabbage, black eyed peas and red beans and rice. “This was our everyday food,” Heights resident Corrine Campbell said. “I loved my grandmother’s fried chicken and collard greens. No one can make fried chicken like her.” Campbell spent most of her childhood in Mississippi before moving to Houston for college and then work. “I think soul food tends to be more fatty, salty, bigger portions,” Campbell said. “Well, really just more. You can’t go wrong with adding more seasoning, more anything to soul food.” Campbell doesn’t make soul food as often and she used to eat it, but when she does, she still calls her grandma for recipes. She said she’s

Photo from Facebook Esther Lewis-Bernard, foreground, owner of Esther’s Cajun Cafe & Soul Food and Esther’s Signature Dish, shows off her food along with some of her employees.

written most of them down, but there’s a few her grandma won’t give her, like her “famous” sweet potato pie. “Like all food it brings people together,” Campbell said. “But sitting down at a family reunion or any other family gathering with a plate of soul food not only connects us with each other, it connects us with our past. Because of that it will always be my

favorite food.” Soul food and Southern food are closely related. Both have a lot of the same types of dishes and recipes, and both are considered comfort food. But it’s soul food’s history that makes it its own unique cuisine. “This food genre, now associated with comfort and decadence, was borne out of struggle and survival,” Lewis-Bernard said.

Other than Esther’s on Yale, there’s not many places in the area that dish out soul food. Its sister concept is Esther’s Signature Dish, 1102 Pinemont Dr., which specializes in brunch and Cajun lunches. There is also Soul Taco, 1027 W. 19th St., a crossover concept that takes soul food staples and makes them into tacos. “I do wish there were more places nearby,” Campbell said, “but really

the best soul food is made at home.“ If someone venture to make soul food at home, Lewis-Bernard said that canned items just won’t get the best result. She suggests buying produce fresh from farmers markets because makes a difference in the taste of a dish. Follow us on social media @FromTheLeader

REVIEW:

Season your soul with dishes from Esther’s By Zarah Parker zarah@theleadernews.com

Soul food is like the more seasoned version of Southern food and with staples I’d never tried before -- specifically, the oxtail. A friend told me that if I was going to eat soul food and wanted to be adventurous, I needed to try oxtail. It was definitely an experience, and one that took some getting used to. However, I was glad I took the plunge to try the newto-me dish. When I ordered from Esther’s Cajun Café & Soul Food at 5204 Yale St. in Independence Heights, I got multiple dishes for me and my family to try. The oxtail came on a bed of rice with a side of cornbread, the smothered pork chops also came on a bed of rice with mustard greens and red beans on the side. With the fried chicken we got black eyed peas and a side of okra, sausage and shrimp. Oxtail isn’t pretty. It comes from the tail of cattle, and

its knobby appearance turns some people off. It’s fatty and tastes like beef, and while I’d probably compare it to short ribs, I think has a deeper, heartier flavor. The smothered pork chops came with two thick, bone-in chops covered in a gravy. The gravy on top was a thicker consistency than regular brown gravy and had hints of garlic and paprika. The chop was easy to slice through, but I find pork in general a little tougher to chew than other meats. The fried chicken came with three wings. Out of all the dishes, I could most tell a seasoning difference with the chicken. It was saltier and the breading had more seasoning mixed in it. I’m already a big fan of fried chicken, but this was the most-seasoned fried chicken I’ve tried. I really enjoyed it, especially since the chicken wasn’t dry. My favorite side was the mustard greens. Considered an herb, mustard greens have a peppery flavor. The sautéed side dish was soft without be-

For dessert, I got another staple, banana pudding. It was sweet and a little tangy. The vanilla wafers were piled on top and already softened. The pricing at Esther’s is reasonable — the most expensive thing on the menu is the oxtail, which is around $20 depending on if you plan to make it a combo or not. While Esther’s is on Yale, its sister concept, Esther’s Signature Dish, is at 1102 Pinemont Dr. and focuses on brunch and Cajun lunch options. Esther’s Cajun Café & Soul Food

Photo by Zarah Parker Pictured is a variety of dishes made to go from Esther’s Cajun Cafe & Soul Food, 5204 Yale St.

ing mushy. I’ve had kale and spinach before, which might not be exactly the same in taste, but they have similar textures. The mustard greens were cooked perfectly. The red beans had an earthy quality with hints of sweetness and the black eyed peas

were savory and left a nutty aftertaste. The okra, sausage and shrimp dish was mixed together in an orange sauce that tasted like tomato. I liked that the okra was soft with just a little bit of a crunch, but overall, I preferred the other sides. The cornbread was dense

Mico’s owners relishing in success By Lara Prakash For The Leader

Mico’s Hot Chicken was a long time in the making, but a dream that has become reality for Kimico and Chris Frydenlund. Kimico, 32, and Chris, 30, knew that they wanted to own their own business, and in 2019, the couple opened Mico’s Hot Chicken. Though she liked her previous job as a nurse, Kimico always loved the food industry and enjoys being a business owner. Still, proving herself as such remains an ongoing challenge. “When I’m at the restaurant and talk to visitors, they end up asking, ‘Do you work here?’ I say, ‘I’m Kimico, the owner,’” she said. “Normally their eyes bulge out of their head when they hear this because no one expects that a young Black woman is the creator of a successful and respectable establishment.” Mico’s, located at 1603 N. Durham Dr. in the Heights, is one of the many Black-owned restaurants around Hous-

Photo from Facebook Kimico Frydenlund is the proud co-owner of Mico’s Hot Chicken, located at 1603 N. Durham Dr. in the Heights.

ton. They have garnered more attention during the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, which has gained momentum since the May 25 death of George Floyd, a Black man who grew up in Houston and died in police custody in Minnesota. But Kimico wants to remind customers that Mico’s Hot Chicken should be judged on the food quality and service it provides, not on the color of the owners’ skin. Though Mico’s has seen a rise in customers in recent months, Kimico said, “I am in the food industry to serve all people and I can only hope that the color of my skin doesn’t deter anyone from visiting our establishment.” Prior to founding the restaurant, which followed their food truck by the same name, the Frydenlunds operated a rolled ice cream food trailer. Kimico, a registered nurse for seven years, and Chris, a sports science major in college, then decided to jump into the deep end and open their own restaurant. Kimico said she “came across NashSee Mico’s, P. 2B

but had a soft top layer and was made a little sweet with sugar. The bread was a great companion to the main dishes, whether I ate it alone or dipped it in some of the gravy.

Address: 5204 Yale St. Hours: 11 a.m.–8 p.m. Monday–Saturday, 11 a.m.–7:30 p.m. Sunday Pricing: $5.59-$23.99 Kid-friendly: Yes Alcohol: No Healthy options: No Star of the show: Fried Chicken and mustard greens