JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 A longtime Jacksonville soul food restaurant is back serving customers after a two-year closure, continuing a family legacy that began two decades ago.<\/p>\n
Austin\u2019s Soul Food and Catering has reopened its doors on Jacksonville\u2019s Northside, serving Southern favorites including oxtails, smothered pork chops, smothered shrimp, collard greens, macaroni and cheese, desserts and homemade salads.<\/p>\n
Owner Alissia Austin said the restaurant is about more than what comes out of the kitchen.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s more than a restaurant to us. It\u2019s our family\u2019s legacy that my mother started, and I\u2019m just blessed to be able to continue it,\u201d Austin said.<\/p>\n
Austin said the business has been around for 20 years. She has been part of it for about 14 years, watching generations of customers continue to support the restaurant.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s so crazy to see my customers that I started with, their kids, their grandkids, and now my customers as well,\u201d Austin said.<\/p>\n
The restaurant closed for about two years while Austin completed repairs to the building and prepared for the birth of her first child.<\/p>\n
When it came time to reopen, Austin said moving to another part of Jacksonville was never the plan.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe community is part of Austin\u2019s. They\u2019ve been here from the start,\u201d she said. \u201cThis is a northeast side-based restaurant, start to finish. So this is home to us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Austin said customers have been excited to see the restaurant return, and the feeling is mutual.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought it was just me missing my customers and being in the restaurant, but everyone has missed us,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Many of the recipes served today were inspired by Austin\u2019s mother and grandmother. One dish that holds a special place for her is the seafood salad, which she said was one of the first dishes her brother taught her to make.<\/p>\n
Austin said the goal is to give customers more than a meal.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want you to experience the love, the recipes, the traditions and the memories that are poured into this food,\u201d she said. \u201cI want you to feel like you\u2019re dining at one of your family members\u2019 house.\u201d<\/p>\n
The restaurant also works to give back to the community. Austin said she collaborates with local churches and organizations to provide meals and hopes the business continues to serve as a neighborhood resource for people in need.<\/p>\n
After 20 years, Austin is already thinking about the next generation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI plan on passing this to my baby, hopefully,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Austin\u2019s Soul Food and Catering is open Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays from noon to 6 p.m.<\/p>\n
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