Soule brings taste of good life to Chicago's North Lawndale community

CHICAGO - In today's Good News Guarantee, a Chicago restaurateur is serving up good cheer in the North Lawndale community.

It’s the first new, sit-down, full-service restaurant to open there in 50 years. 

There are good vibes and great food being served up inside Soule.

"She's great in the kitchen. I have to give it to her, the food is spectacular," said frequent diner Crethia Harris.

On the menu: fried catfish over mashed potatoes, steak and shrimp.

"There's nice places downtown. There's nice places in the surrounding suburbs but Bridgette felt like we should have something like this in this community," said employee Shaneka Fields.

Soule owner Bridgette Flagg always wanted to bring a taste of the good life to North Lawndale.

"My business started in North Lawndale. My mother and my grandmother always entertained, it was always about family and it was always about community with them," said Flagg.

She opened the Creole-infused, soul food restaurant in 2017 in Ukrainian Village, then opened a second location where it all began.

"To see her living out her dream, it makes us really proud… Just to bring something back to this community of this magnitude, it just means a whole lot," said Fields.

About 60% of the staff comes from the neighborhood. Bridgette also hires at-risk youth and the formerly incarcerated.

"A lot of my cooks, I teach them to cook their pain through food.  They're very dedicated young men, they're driven, they're hard workers," said Flagg.

This year Flagg is launching the Soule Cares Foundation. She plans to feed and gift 500 Southwest Side residents this holiday season.

Soule is located at 3615 West Roosevelt Road.