NBA Star Kevin Johnson Is Betting on the Legacy of Downtown’s Historically Black Paradise Valley #DetroitFood

Rosa Maria Zamarrón

The former mayor of Sacramento’s new restaurant Fixins Soul Kitchen drew exuberant crowds at its soft opening

It was supposed to be a soft opening celebration for 100 or so guests at the newest location for Fixins Soul Kitchen, the growing chain founded by NBA legend and former mayor of Sacramento Kevin Johnson. But by 7 p.m. the gathering had swelled to more than 250 visitors at the Paradise Valley destination, forcing a crew manning the host stand to turn away eager patrons or ask them to wait for close to an hour to be seated. At one point, a fire alarm went off, threatening to derail the test run. Customers stayed put, though, and servers continued to place hearty dishes of oxtail, smothered chicken, and warm squares of cornbread onto customers’ tables — undeterred by the racket. Crowds and alarms be damned, this evening was meant for the celebration of a new chapter for Paradise Valley’s dining scene.

At the center of the buzz is Kevin Johnson, who in 2019, launched the first location for Fixins Soul Kitchen in the Oak Park neighborhood of his hometown of Sacramento, California. Johnson was mayor of Sacramento for two terms but did not seek a third term in office following resurgent allegations of sexual misconduct.

“I grew up in Oak Park, so that was the poor part of the city of Sacramento, and like every city around the country, it was the underserved community,” Johnson tells Eater. “I wanted to do our first Fixins in that neighborhood to prove that we could be successful in the neighborhood I grew up in.”

In the coming years, Johnson would set up shop elsewhere, at LA Live near DTLA, followed by Tulsa, Oklahoma — home to the historic Black Wall Street. Then came Paradise Valley, a historic district that was once the center of Black enterprise and entertainment, in Detroit, one of the Blackest cities in America. Developers like Rainy Hamilton, Dennis Archer Jr., and Hiram Jackson, have been working for years to reimagine the area into a premiere entertainment zone — built by and for Black people.

“I feel like we’re kind of trying to preserve or reinvigorate and build on a lot of momentum in Detroit, but especially the Black community, which I’m excited about,” says Johnson.

Work to beautify the district ahead of this year’s NFL Draft — which drew in a record-breaking 775,000 spectators downtown — has already taken shape and in recent months Archer Jr. launched the Vinyl Society, a swanky, intimate cocktail bar situated next door to Fixins, featuring live performances and DJ sets from emerging and and established local and nationally recognized artists.

The day after the soft opening, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held outside of the restaurant, starting with a performance by the Detroit Lions Drumline Honolulu Boom, a a blessing from Rev. Charles Christian Adams of Harford Memorial Baptist Church, and Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and City Council President Mary Sheffield who presented Johnson with a “Spirit of Detroit” award. A media release says that Fixins’ opening has resulted in 100 job opportunities and an open job fair is currently taking place 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. through Friday, September 13 for positions that include server, host, runner, busser, expo, prep cook, line cook, baker, and dishwasher.

Nicole Ashley Allen

Nicole Ashley Allen

Fixins is located in the former Detroit Seafood Market, which in its heyday was the spot where local movers and shakers in politics, media, and entrepreneurship would gather after work for drinks and networking. Gone is the dark wood paneling, moody lighting, and oversized banquette seating of the former space, and in their place is more of an open floor plan, featuring tons of natural lighting from floor-to-ceiling windows. Within the space are 10 original works by Oakland, California-based artist Milton Bowens, as well as pieces that celebrate the legacy that Motown and Detroit have had on pop culture throughout the decades.

“There [are] a lot of individuals that are native to Detroit, that were born here, that we want to recognize and celebrate as well,” says Johnson.

As for the food, Johnson tells Eater that he and his wife Michelle spent a year traveling to different soul food restaurants across the country for inspiration. Specialties include fried chicken brined for 24 hours for dishes like smothered chicken in roux brown gravy and chicken and waffles that comes with grape-flavored butter; fatty oxtails in sweet brown gravy; and deep-fried deviled eggs topped with bacon and hot sauce, which Johnson says was inspired by a similar dish served at Old Lady Gang in Atlanta. The drink menu includes sweet tea, Koolaid, and cocktails made with Uncle Nearest Whiskey — a Black and woman-owned whiskey brand based in Shelbyville, Tennessee.

Rosa Maria Zamarrón

Rosa Maria Zamarrón

Rosa Maria Zamarrón

Johnson tells Eater that another 10 locations are in the works in cities across the country, including Harlem, Atlanta, Baltimore, Denver, and Oakland.

For now, Johnson is all in on Detroit.

“We’re a cool neighborhood, A. B) We’re in a cool neighborhood where an African American owns the building as a developer and architect. C) we’re in a Black neighborhood that is doing all this cool stuff in an African American city. There’s just so much momentum [and] I feel like the African American community is benefiting, too, in a real way, in an intentional way. For us to be a part of the resurgence in Paradise Valley is just very special,” says Johnson. “The people of Detroit are just so welcoming. It feels like Detroit is made up of obviously Midwest, but Southern roots, and a little bit of New York. It’s a great vibe.”

Fixins Soul Kitchen is open 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday through Thursday and 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and is at 1435 Randolph Street.

from Eater Detroit - All