5 minute read
SOULCIAL KITCHEN
By Lynn Venhaus, Contributing Writer
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The first mobile cloud kitchen platform in the Metro East continues to grow food concepts and its mission on its nearly three acres at 127 North Belt East in Swansea.
Soulcial Kitchen began last summer to offer customers variety, like a food hall. Now their commissary includes takeout, delivery, curbside, online ordering, catering, a fleet of food trucks and a restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating.
John E. Michel and his wife Holly, who live in O’Fallon, created the hospitality business model to provide a unique experience. Besides distinctive food, they wanted Soulcial Kitchen to be both a business incubator and a charity-driven mission.
Michel, a retired U.S. Air Force Brigadier General, is a former fighter pilot who is an award-winning author and motivational speaker. He was a partner in Minute Man Hamburger restaurants in Arkansas, which involves Veterans in the operations. Currently, the food trucks include A Fine Swine championship barbecue, El Guaqo Taco, and Soulcial Smash Burger Company.
The Space Shuttle Café, a converted DC-3 airplane on wheels, landed on the parking lot in November.
Chicken and pizza choices are coming later – such as Neo’s Wood-Fired Pizza and NashVegas Fried.
The brick-and-mortar restaurant, which opened in October, offers barbecue, tacos, and burgers, with sides, as well as Daily Inspirations – chef specials, which include salad, soup, and sandwich of the day selections as well as a burger of the week and vegetable of the week.
Inside, they can serve 60-70 people, and with the outside patio, about 100.
The head chef is Chris Stein, a graduate with honors of the prestigious Culinary Institute of America and a native of Southern Illinois. Previous experience includes working for the Wrigley Family’s Santa Catalina Island Company and in the kitchens of Niche and Sidney Street Café in St. Louis under James Beard awardwinning chefs Gerard Craft and Kevin Nasham.
Stein said he was excited to join the Soulcial Kitchen team. “Not only are they on the culinary cutting edge, I believe in their mission of giving back to the community,” he said.
The complex includes a beer garden, dog park and grounds for family gatherings. To make it an overall experience, plans for a covered pavilion for music, kids’ activities, fun and games are in the works.
Michel said flexibility is key. These plans were set in motion when he connected with David Stidham, now chief operating officer, who previously ran A Fine Swine
BBQ restaurants in New Baden and Mount Vernon for five years, and had been a marketing executive with Culver’s.
Stidman’s specialty is championship pulled pork, which won a Memphis in May international competition trophy in 2017. Signature sandwiches, The Hogfather and The Beefeater, are on the menu, as are pit beans, loaded potato salad and mac ‘n cheese. Pitmaster specials rotate – such as championship ribs, fork-tender pork steaks and burnt ends.
Co-founder Stidman said they introduced smoked barbecued meats into the El Guaqo Taco food truck. “Beef barbacoa tacos, grilled chicken asada tacos, and smoked pork carnitas tacos are regular features, with pork belly tacos with grilled pineapple salsa and avocado crema as one of the surprise recurring specials. Our head chef developed the menu, and he has such strong chops, I guarantee you his carnitas tacos will make you want to cry. I sure did,” he said.
What they have learned throughout the COVID-19 pandemic helped them navigate the current challenges of the restaurant business.
“The restaurant industry has been undergoing a transformation in both expectation and presentation for years, and the pandemic only accelerated the growth of key trends such as delivery, pickup, mobile, and drive through,” Michel said.
He said the quality of their food and the concepts have helped build momentum during the complex’s infancy.
“It’s the versatility of the model,” Michel said.
Another major focus is to reduce food insecurity through its “Currency of Caring” meal-token program.
The team wants to be in service to others.
The prepaid coins may be purchased for $8 each at Soulcial Kitchen or the website. “It is a dignified, unique ‘Pay it Forward’ meal program designed to create a simplified means of providing a variety of hot meals to Metro East residents in need,” Michel said. They also launched a “Love Thy Neighbor” initiative in November, partnering with local businesses to either offer 100 free hot and nutritious meals by taking a food truck into an underserved vulnerable neighborhood in need or support a nonprofit organization serving on the front lines. The first partner was Blue Stingray, a custom software company in St. Louis.
Michel is adamant about their goal of giving back and making a difference, adding community initiatives as they go.
“At a time in our nation’s history where many of our fellow citizens are struggling or facing difficult circumstances, ‘Love Thy Neighbor’ is a simple and tangible way to demonstrate compassion, care, and kindness to those most in need, in our midst,” he said.
Another first – in the country, is their implementation of a food truck apprenticeship program that provides training and hands-on experience for cooks who are looking to break into the food truck business.
For more information about Soulcial Kitchen, its menu, programs, catering and booking food trucks, and contact information, visit soulcialkitchen.com. To find out the weekly specials, visit their Facebook page.
