Kamal Hospitality Group, the family business behind House of Wings, held a grand opening for its newest concept in Historic Overtown this past Saturday, Oct 17. Tanya Jo’s Cheesesteaks is a Philadelphia-inspired neighborhood restaurant named in honor of Tanya Jo, owner Siddiq Kancey’s mother, who was born and raised in Philly.
“The concept… is named after my mother, Tanya,” said Kancey. “She grew up in Philadelphia. My grandparents still live there, and I spent a lot of time growing up there.”
“Everywhere you go in Philly, you can get a traditional cheesesteak,” he continued. “And so, for us, we wanted to bring that traditional experience to Miami.”
Siddiq Kancey is the owner and founder of Tanya Jo’s Cheesesteaks.
(Elisabeth Campbell for The Miami Times)
For 15 years, House of Wings has operated out of Overtown after relocating from Coconut Grove, where it was originally founded in 2002. According to Kancey, Kamal Hospitality Group sought new opportunities after the success of House of Wings to bring more businesses and provide more to the community “that has provided a lot to us.”
Kancey identified a gap in the market for Philly cheesesteaks in the city after the traditional northeast sandwich had its big popularity “boom” within the last year, he said.
Founded by Amani Kancey, Goodbread Laundry is named after Overtown’s historic Goodbread Alley.
(Elisabeth Campbell for The Miami Times)
“I personally haven’t had the most traditional Philly cheesesteak here in Miami yet,” said Kancey. “I feel like a lot of Philly cheesesteaks, they’re fancy. They have wagyu and they have ribeye. They have the seeded roll, and the true neighborhood traditional Philly cheesesteak has none of that. It’s very basic: beef, cheese, and at any shop, you kind of just add your own toppings. So that’s what we try to do here.”
The sandwich shop is built to be approachable and energetic, and reflect the spirit of Miami locals — much like House of Wings down the street.
With roots from the Bahamas to Philadelphia, the family’s contribution to Overtown doesn’t only include the food business. Amani Kancey, Siddiq’s sister, recently opened Goodbread Laundry on Third Avenue, the only laundromat currently located in the Overtown neighborhood.
Goodbread Laundry is the only laundromat in Overtown.
(Elisabeth Campbell for The Miami Times)
“Overtown [is] a place that I would call home,” said Amani. “You know, we’re very close to the community. We’ve always given back, provided jobs and done what we can as a family here.”
“I’d say during the pandemic, I became interested in laundromats as just an essential service,” she continued. “I’m a lawyer by training, but I knew that I wanted to do more with my time. I’ve always just been very service oriented.”
Amani, like Siddiq, also saw a gap in the market. She thought that bringing a laundromat to the community was an opportunity to do something different and “refreshing” with what was otherwise a dreaded chore.
“I also wanted to really honor the history of Overtown,” said Amani. “This used to be the Harlem of the South, and there was so much Black entrepreneurship, nightlife, music and entertainment. I was really inspired by that, so I knew that there was a lot of potential here.”
Tanya Jo’s features a patio with outdoor seating for customers who want to dine out.
(Elisabeth Campbell for The Miami Times)
The mid-century modern design honors that golden age of Overtown, with the hope of creating a home-like experience for those who choose to do their laundry at Goodbread. Even the name ties back to an important part of Overtown’s history.
“Before [I-95], there was on Third Avenue and 14th Street an alley that the community called Goodbread Alley because there were a number of Bahamian families living there,” said Amani. “The Bahamian women cooked bread, and it smelled like good bread, so they called it Goodbread Alley.”
Musaddiq Muhammad, founder of House of Wings and father of Siddiq and Amani, recalled “religiously” going to the wash house with his grandmother every Saturday morning.
“I love to wash dishes and wash clothes as a man because innately that was in me: to clean, to cook and to do something [of] service,” said Muhammad. “So now, when I see my children opening up businesses, it is these same principles that I taught in my house that gives them the wherewithal to come back and do exactly [what] they were taught, the same thing I was taught.”
For Muhammad, the Black community can “control our destination” by reviving the things that have always made them successful. He emphasized that Black residents need to remain in their neighborhoods and fight against displacement, keeping Black ownership and excellence at the forefront of the community.
As a business owner and resident himself, Muhammad seeks to give back to the community that provided so much for him and his family.
According to Siddiq, family, community and entrepreneurship are the three core pillars of the family businesses.
“Our biggest goal is trying to provide as much as we can for the community,” said Saddiq.
“Everything comes back to Miami,” said Muhammad.
Find out more about the family’s three businesses by visiting tanyajoscheesesteaks.com, goodbreadlaundry.com and houseofwingsmiami.com.