Soul & Smoke, renowned for its soul food and barbecue, will inaugurate its flagship location in Evanston on September 1. Chef D’Andre Carter and sommelier Heather Bublick, who started the business as a catering company in 2020, expand their venture with this new establishment. Now, their Black- and woman-owned business operates four locations around Chicago, including a stand at Soldier Field. The Evanston site marks their first full-service restaurant.
The newly designed Soul & Smoke will offer two menu styles: familiar favorites available all day and a fine dining experience during dinner hours. Chef Carter aims to create a space where customers can enjoy diverse offerings, from rib tip combos to a full dinner including steak and oysters. Carter’s culinary background encompasses classic Chicago-style rib tips and spicy hot link sausages, which he reimagines using heritage Duroc pork.
The flagship restaurant is a fusion of fine dining with barbecue and soul food, according to Bublick, who also serves as CEO. The duo’s journey began years ago while working at Michelin-starred restaurant Moto in Fulton Market, under the innovative chef Homaro Cantu. Soul & Smoke combines modern barbecue techniques with family recipes, creating a unique dining experience.
The restaurant’s grand opening faced delays due to the challenges of renovating a century-old barn. The building, initially a dairy barn converted into a school bus garage, was acquired in February 2020 just before the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic prompted operational pivots that unexpectedly grew the business. Code changes in the exhaust hood, fire sprinkler system, and roof, along with tariff impacts, contributed to financial challenges, leading to refinancing efforts.
Soul & Smoke continues to offer popular items like brisket while innovating barbecue dishes, including the oxtail cigar, a tribute to chef Cantu. This dish uncannily resembles a smoldering cigar, made from hickory smoked beef oxtail wrapped in bread and garnished with braised collard greens and sesame seeds.
Chef Carter also presents dishes such as grilled halibut collar with curry sauce, based on his aunt Genean Jeanty’s recipe, providing diners a savory experience with on-the-bone servings. Collaborating with pastry consultant Casey Doody and pastry cook Janice Espino, dessert offerings include sweet potato pie topped with torched meringue in a graham cracker crust, chocolate Swiss roll, and peach cobbler.
Beverage options feature throwback cocktails, local beers, and root beer floats made with Sprecher Brewery’s soda, a tribute to Carter’s late brother. Nonalcoholic drinks include iced teas brewed from Rare Tea Cellar leaves and house-made lemonade slushies.
Design elements within the restaurant echo Chicago’s essence, with chain-link fencing resembling city gangways and bright red smokers serving as standout features. The chef’s counter allows patrons to enjoy the culinary action firsthand, while art throughout the space tells the story of the building’s community significance.
Black-owned transportation firm Robinson Enterprises, which once owned the building, sold it to the restaurateurs, marking another milestone for Evanston, known for the nation’s first reparations program. Outdoor seating features a “Soul & Fire” mural by Bianca Pastel, illustrating neighborhood kids.
The couple’s journey to realize their dream restaurant has been intertwined with survival and employee retention after the pandemic. Their shared past in Chicago’s restaurant industry adds special meaning to Soul & Smoke’s latest chapter.
Address: 1601 Payne St., Evanston; Phone: 847-859-2732; Website: soulandsmoke.com/evanston
Other Chicago area restaurant updates include:
- Chez Poulet: French American brothers Nicolas and Oliver Poilevey recently opened this rotisserie chicken-focused eatery in Bucktown.
- Josephine’s by Joe: Streetwear designer Joe Freshgoods launched a coffee shop named for his grandmother, offering a unique mix of beverages and ambiance in West Town.
- Gingie: Scheduled to reopen after a kitchen fire, this River North collaboration between chef Brian Lockwood and Boka Restaurant Group resumes operations.
- Hackney’s on Lake: This long-standing Glenview institution will close its doors after 71 years, though its flagship location remains open.
- Zeitlin’s Delicatessen: Chef and owner Sam Zeitlin has closed his business, citing unsustainable costs.
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