Former NBA player and first Black mayor of Sacramento, California, Kevin Johnson is taking his Fixins Soul Kitchen restaurant chain to new heights – and cities.
Johnson, a Sacramento native, opened the first Fixins Soul Kitchen in 2019 in his hometown. His latest opening in late August brought the eatery to Detroit’s Paradise Valley, a historically Black epicenter.
The Motor City spot’s menu offers Southern and soul food classics, including deviled eggs, fried green tomatoes, fried chicken, fried fish, and smothered pork chops. For sides, patrons can enjoy collard greens, candied yams, mac and cheese, black-eyed peas, and more.
The restaurant’s website notes that one of its values is remaining “turnt up on soul food.” The eatery serves cocktails with Uncle Nearest Whiskey, which is Black-owned, distilled in Tennessee, and directly associated with the world’s longest bar.
Fixins Soul Kitchen currently has additional locations in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Los Angeles, California. In a recently published Eater interview, Johnson said he’s planning for another 10 restaurants to pop up across the country. The forthcoming Fixins Soul Kitchen locations include Harlem, Baltimore, Atlanta, Denver, and Oakland.
The former NBA player shared that he and his wife taste-tested soul food nationwide for a year before opening the first Fixins Soul Kitchen. Notably, the former Suns and Cavaliers baller said a dish at Kandi Burruss and Todd Tucker’s Old Lady Gang restaurant in Atlanta was particularly inspiring.
What’s Next For Kevin Johnson’s Fixins Soul Kitchen?
Johnson wants his culinary establishment to keep repping “Black excellence” in The D. The common phrase is highlighted as an important value on the restaurant’s website. While speaking with Eater, the former mayor explained why he loves the new location so much.
“We’re a cool neighborhood, A,” he began. “B) We’re in a cool neighborhood where an African American owns the building as a developer and architect. C) We’re in a Black neighborhood that is doing all this cool stuff in an African American city. There’s just so much momentum, [and] I feel like the African American community is benefiting, too, in a real way, in an intentional way. For us to be a part of the resurgence in Paradise Valley is just very special.”
“The people of Detroit are just so welcoming,” he continued. “It feels like Detroit is made up of obviously Midwest, but Southern roots, and a little bit of New York. It’s a great vibe.”
