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Soul N' Vinegar's original location at 2832 R St. (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
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Owner Michelle Parrish inside Soul N' Vinegar (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
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A rendering of the ICA's cafe and gift shop (Image courtesy Steven Holl Architects / Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU)
One year after opening her converted 572-square-foot brick eatery in Church Hill North, Soul N’ Vinegar owner Michelle Parrish was approached about a second venture, this time inside the Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU, the $41 million gallery with continually rotating art exhibitions that opened in April of 2018.
For Parrish, it was a sign that her grab-and-go food shop at R and 29th streets had grown from a mere vision to a business on the community's radar.
When she first found out about the opportunity, “I was really excited,” Parrish says. Other businesses also submitted bids for the space, but the ICA saw Parrish's Soul N' Vinegar as the best fit.
“It was a situation I had been in before, where I was … feeling like I’m the least qualified,” Parrish says, reflecting on how she felt after learning she had been awarded a SEED grant to open the original Soul N’ Vinegar.
“I never applied to these things with the intent of thinking we would actually get it, I applied with the intent of thinking, 'This will be a learning process, and then it happens,' ” she says. “If there’s opportunities that come in front of me, I need to pursue them."
The SEED grant program launched in 2011 from a collaborative effort between the Local Initiatives Support Corporation and Bon Secours Health System to push for economic development in the East End, specifically the 25th Street corridor in Church Hill. Businesses including Sub Rosa Bakery, Metzger Bar & Butchery, and Dutch & Co. have been awarded SEED grants.
According to Parrish, Soul N’ Vinegar, a name that pays homage to her African American and Korean ancestry and cooking roots, came to the ICA’s attention after the owners of Pomona in Union Hill passed along her name.
As businesses, “we are neighbors, so that meant a lot to me,” she says of Pomona. "This is an opportunity a lot of people aren’t presented with, and an opportunity that would give us more exposure, visibility and make us seem more legitimate.”
Working inside an art museum is no new concept to Parrish, who previously worked at Amuse Restaurant inside the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Her resume also includes stints at Secco Wine Bar and Blue Talon in Williamsburg.
Parrish’s mission for Soul N’ Vinegar, to offer healthy, accessible and affordable food choices to the community, remains intact at her new venture. She knows that a contemporary art museum may not feel approachable to everyone, but her goal is to change that.
“I want people to feel like they can hang out and it’s not a fancy place just because it says, ‘contemporary art,’ ” says Parrish. “I like being in beautiful spaces, and when I worked at the VMFA I loved working there, but I know a lot of people don't even walk in the door or see it as space that isn’t for them — I don’t want that,” she explains.
“Nobody should walk into this building and come in and feel uncomfortable and not be able to experience the space … that would be horrible.” Parrish hopes that the cafe can help build bridges in the community.
The menu at Soul N' Vinegar ICA will change weekly, similar to the flagship location, with five to six main entrees typically available. Grab-and-go items including grain bowls, golden curry and vegetable spring rolls will be offered, along with daily hot specials.
Besides being able to serve hot food, a key difference between the two locations is the expanded seating inside the ICA cafe.
A graduate assistant at the ICA as well as a current VCU interior design student, Houria Boumzairig collaborated with Parrish to curate the aesthetics of the cafe. To create a connection between the two eateries, the cafe inside the ICA features Relativity Textiles kilim print wallpaper, which can also be found at the original location.
The eatery inside the ICA was formerly occupied by Ellwood Thompson’s Cafe, which closed at the end of June. Soul N' Vinegar had a soft opening in the cafe space earlier this month, and Parrish plans to host a grand opening on Dec. 6 to coincide with First Fridays.
Soul N’ Vinegar at ICA’s Abby Moore Cafe will have limited hours of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday to Sunday until its grand opening. Following, the cafe will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and closed on Mondays.
