In honor of Women's History Month, we're highlighting a handful of fiercely driven women restaurant owners in Richmond who are advocating for a vision beyond the business and beyond the plate.
Owner Michelle Parrish behind the counter at Soul n' Vinegar, in the former Ruth's Beauty Shop space at 2832 R St.
Michelle Parrish named her grab-and-go market in the East End Soul n’ Vinegar as a nod to her African-American and Korean ancestry and cooking roots. The business strives to provide affordable and approachable meals for people in the neighborhood. While some restaurant owners cater to their own culinary dreams and desires, Parrish is driven by the needs of those directly around her and aware of the symbiotic support system between her and neighborhood residents. She is currently awaiting approval for EBT, to allow those who receive SNAP benefits to pay electronically, and she has plans for a garden behind the eatery. She employs local residents, has a crew of kids who pick up trash around her shop and continually strives to make an impact beyond a "bangin'" pimento cheese, an unexpected surprise from the 35-year-old New England native.
Richmond magazine: What are some of your first memories of food?
Michelle Parrish: Both of my parents loved food, and my parents always cooked. We were poor, though, so we didn’t go out to eat a lot, and we didn’t have a lot of money for groceries — it was coupons, things on sale and searching to find out what the best deals were. I was home a lot by myself, and my parents were very much, "You need to learn how to take care of yourself," but I didn’t think of food as a profession, and nobody ever talked to me about it like that.
RM: What kind of food would you make for yourself?
Parrish: Hashes, lots of hashes. I loved eggs, scrambled eggs and omelets.
Soul n' Vinegar is located at the corner of R and 29th streets.
RM: What brought you from Massachusetts to Virginia?
Parrish: I had family that lived in Williamsburg, and we would drive down and visit, especially for Thanksgiving. After college, I didn’t want to be one of those people that stayed in the same state [where] I grew up. My parents got divorced, and my mom moved to Virginia, and I thought it would be a good place.
RM: Where did you work?
Parrish: I lived in Williamsburg for seven years and worked at a bunch of spots. My first job was at Red Lobster. I worked at Blue Talon Bistro, and that was where I learned about fine dining and saw it could be a career path.
RM: Where did you work in Richmond?
Parrish: I worked at Amuse. Then, while I was doing that, I googled Richmond restaurants, and Heritage popped up. Joe [Sparatta, owner of Heritage,] was the first person I emailed and said I wanted to come in and [shadow]. He called me very shortly after that, and I spent a whole shift there; it was busy. They weren’t hiring, but I ended up seeing an ad for Secco, and he set up the interview. It was for a sous [chef position], and [I had] never been a sous. He said, "You’ll be fine," and I went and got the job.
The fridge houses prepackaged to-go items, drinks and produce.
RM: How was that experience at Secco?
MP: I had never worked harder at a job in my life — it meant a lot to me. When I was in Boston, I did pastry, and I hadn’t been a line cook for a while. There were so many things I had to do that I had never done — I was totally, "Fake it till you make it." I would go home, watch videos, read cookbooks and go in the next day and just do it. I was just trying to prove myself.
RM: Where did the idea for your own business come from?
Parrish: When I was in school [for business at Reynolds Community College], I found the Office of Minority Business Development, and they had a free course on how to run a business. ... I happened to see [the building where Soul n' Vinegar is today] on Craigslist one day, and I walked here and thought it would be a good place for a grab and go. I was never a cook who had aspirations to have a restaurant; I wanted to do something small enough so I could run it by myself every day.
RM: What was your vision for the space?
Parrish: To be approachable and relatable to the black community here. Grab and go makes sense — a lot of people don’t have time to cook and are looking for cheaper options. I needed to do something different. The goal was to [offer] things as cheap as I can.
Soul n' Vinegar offers a number of vegan options, including dirty rice.
RM: What has the community response been since you opened in July?
Parrish: People that come and support us are very intentional. I still think we are not where we would like to be; there’s a large population of Church Hill where this is still out of their price point. But we have a lot of regulars that come in three time a week since we’ve been opened. My hope was to depend on the neighborhood to help us. We cater to them, and hopefully they will help keep us alive.
RM: How do you keep yourself motivated and stay positive?
Parrish: It’s a struggle. There’s ups and downs. When we first opened, a lot of people came in to support us that I didn’t expect, and all of those people are business owners or self-employed. They are the ones when I'm down and ready to hide in a cave somewhere, those are the people I’ve been able to call. When it gets bad I call on people who know exactly what I’m feeling like. I have mouths to feed, employees to take care of, and [I] received grant money [a SEED (Supporting East End Entrepreneurship Development) grant], so I have a responsibility.
RM: What is your relationship like with residents of the neighborhood?
Parrish: I know everybody, so I also feel a responsibility. Before opening I went and walked around to every single house and did a postcard survey. I was so proud of it, and it said, "Hey, Church Hill, I need your help. My name is Michelle, and I’m thinking about opening a food shop." It was 10 questions — What do you like? What do you spend on groceries? How long [have you been] in Church Hill? What are your favorite places? — and I made 200. I needed feedback and needed to start somewhere. Every person said yes and that they wanted healthier things.