Downtown Tallahassee’s only Black-owned restaurant is onto bigger and better with an expansion into the former Egg Cafe & Eatery on 300 S Duval St.
JoEllen’s owners Joe and Teresa Nix believe that the new location is a step in the right direction for their business.
Joe Nix, and his wife Teresa Nix, co-owners of Cater with Care also known as CWC Cafe, work together in the kitchen to fulfill orders for customers Tuesday, June 16, 2020.
“It seems like there’s so much more opportunity and so much more potential, we just want to capitalize on all of that,” owner Teresa Nix said talking about the endless possibilities that await them. “We’re just really excited.”
The restaurant known for bringing Southern delights to Kleman Plaza will be closed from May 25 to June 1. The Nixes plan to host a grand opening event in their new location on June 2 at 11 a.m.
JoEllen’s is a soul food restaurant on 215 W. College Ave.
They’re not saying goodbye completely to their flagship location, as it will be utilized for expanded catering and private dining experiences.
More space, more opportunity
Just as the couple’s original downtown location fell in their lap back in 2022, so did the relocation into The Egg Cafe and Eatery which shuttered at the beginning of January 2026.
“For Joe and I, we were looking for expansion not so much in having multiple locations but we wanted to own the space,” she said. “We’ve always tried to own the spaces that we’ve been in, but for whatever reason it never happened. This gives us that opportunity. That’s the main thing for this move, we want to be able to have something for our kids and the grandkids.”
The Nixes started from humble beginnings operating their catering service and breakfast and lunch eatery Catering With Care or CWC on South Monroe Street from 2014 to 2022. The owners shifted operations at CWC, located on 1431 S. Monroe St., to their downtown location JoEllen’s because of staffing challenges.
JoEllen’s a soul food restaurant located on 215 W. College Ave.
The additional dining room and kitchen space is what attracted them most to the location.
She noted that the kitchen will be more functional to prepare their prized down-home delicacies including fried chicken, mac and cheese, fried green tomatoes, candied sweet potatoes, collard greens and more.
“We’re definitely trying to put things in place to be able to make it a better experience overall for our customers,” Nix said in an interview with the Tallahassee Democrat early April 24. “That’s always been our goal, and I think in this space we’ll be able to do a lot more that will be pleasing to everyone.”
She hopes they’ll be able to provide better dining experiences for guests by adding more people to the team, improving wait times and possibly reintroducing dishes they parted ways with before.
This article includes previously reported information. Kyla A Sanford covers dining and entertainment for the Tallahassee Democrat. New restaurant opening up, special deals, or events coming up? Let me know at ksanford@tallahassee.com. You can also email your suggestions for a future TLH Eats restaurant profile.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: JoEllen’s restaurant expands in downtown Tallahassee