Just days before the closure of Atlanta’s oldest Black-owned vegan restaurant on July 12, TheAtlantaVoice visited Soul Vegetarian as it prepared to close a chapter in its rich history. A woman who had been coming to the restaurant since she was a child fellowshipped over a meal with her teenage son, reflecting two generations that the West End institution has fed. Farouq Dawud, a customer since the restaurant opened its doors, sat in a dedicated corner with a boxed plate of food in front of him.
While the longstanding customers bid their last goodbyes through patronage, Chef Pahroosha Israel cracked open a photo album she’d discovered the day before that chronicled 47 years of Soul Vegetarian. As Israel placed photo after photo on the table, depicting when the restaurant was nothing but an empty building with newspapers across the windows, powered by the vision of members of the African Hebrew Israelite Nation of Jerusalem, a smile lit her face. The photo album was a parting gift that gave a glimpse of the legacy that she and many others have built.
“We’ve been in the building 47 years, but until you actually see where we came from, you don’t understand,” Israel said.
Since 1979, the goal of Soul Vegetarian has been to bring a healthier diet and lifestyle to the world. For nearly five decades, they’ve done just that, becoming a neighborhood staple and treasured hub where food, health, education, faith, and community thrived. The restaurant first opened at 625 Peachtree St. before later relocating to the West End in 1982. When the vegan eatery opened its doors, it was one of the first businesses to make a home on Ralph David Abernathy and the first of its kind along the corridor. It then became the backbone of the West End, inspiring many vegan journeys and many of the Black-owned vegan restaurants that now dot the city.
“The West End is a very historical place in Atlanta, and we’ve been on this corner and been a part of this community when there was nothing in this community,” Israel said. “There was nothing on these blocks when we got here. Definitely not Black-owned… We are from the Hebrew Israelite community, and in our community, one of the things that we were always taught was to serve and to give, and so that’s what we have done, and whoever caught on, took it further. Forty-seven years is a long run.”
The restaurant announced its decision to cease operations in June. Israel revealed that the decision to close ultimately came down to the building’s aging infrastructure and rising operating expenses, the latter a reality that has plagued many of the city’s restaurants.
“It was a hard decision, and it’s a very emotional one for us, but we’ve held on for 47 years, and we take that with pride. We did a good job, and if we could stay longer, we would,” Israel said. “We are not saying that we’re never going to open up even a little corner, but right now this is what we have to do.
“They’ve said the West End is going to change in a couple of years; we’re not leaving because it’s going to be changed. We would take on that challenge. The world has changed three times since we opened, and we have weathered that storm.”
When Soul Vegetarian announced its closure, members of the community flooded social media with sadness but also with memories that celebrated the institution. They reminisced on moments such as hearing Honduran herbalist Dr. Sebi speak and meeting India Arie while they grabbed a plate. But more than that, they remembered the comforting food and the good people that they held dear throughout their lives. From the BBQ kale that was a Chef Israel creation to the mac and cheese and collard greens, the soul of the restaurant was carried by its ability to feed stomachs and hearts.
It’s a legacy that Israel refuses to let go of. She has been cooking at Soul Vegetarian since 1987, taking after her mother who cooked at vegan restaurants in Israel and helped jumpstart Soul Vegetarian’s journey. Their goal was to help people live longer and live a healthier lifestyle, and she said she feels complete because so many people now know about veganism.
Saint Mica’el, one of the founding members of the restaurant, shared memories of helping to build the restaurant from the ground up in its early days, from running errands to taking out the garbage . He now lives in Israel, like many of the saints who established the restaurant, and called the decision to close a “conclusion.”
“When we were first built in 1979, the word was that one day we’d come to the restaurant, steam table would be on, food would be in there, and no one would be here to serve the food. That day has come,” Saint Mica’el said.
The West End’s Soul Vegetarian has closed, but its second location, Soul Vegetarian No. 2, is still open at 652 North Highland Ave. NW. Israel promised the community that while Soul Vegetarian has closed, it still lives on.
“Even though we’re leaving the area, we’re not done yet. Don’t count us out,” Israel said. “Soul Vegetarian was a gift that we gave the community, gave the world, gave Atlanta, and gave Georgia.”
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Based on reporting by Atlanta Voice.
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