Macon Magazine

9 2 | M A C O N M A G A Z I N E . C O M A U G U S T / S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 9 Opening a non-mobile restaurant hadn't been in the plans, but the family seized the opportunity and diligently worked for six months cleaning, re-tiling and hand painting, and in May 2018, the restaurant opened its doors. Initially called Gourmet Goody Box, Mack revised the main location's name in early 2019 to Southern Vegan Soul Café, in an effort to more accurately reflect its soul-food fare. LONG ROAD TO SUCCESS e path to opening her business wasn't an easy one. Running a food-based business requires a lot of red-tape navigation, and Mack hit some bumps along the way. "Finding the right resources and getting everything up to par and legit was a struggle," she said. "You aren't necessarily just given this information freely from the different agencies, you have to research and know which questions to ask." She pauses, then goes on: "I did notice that I'd sometimes get a different response when I was on the phone with someone using my 'professional' voice than when I showed up in person. I can't say it was definitely race related, but it was my experience, and talking to other restaurant owners it seems their experiences were a little different from mine." Tenacious, Mack powered through and got the work done, and she's proud of that fact. "I want to let everybody know we're the real deal, we're not just selling plates," Mack said, referring to the practice of home cooks, most of whom advertise via word of mouth and operate without the proper licensing, selling food for profit. "at's an African-American thing – we hustle, we have to find ways to feed our families, so we take what we're good at and make it a business. But in that process, we've got to take it a step further and do it the legal way," she said. Response to the restaurant has been great so far. eir main location, inside a covered building at the Macon State Farmers Market, is a bit unusual, but Mack said, "I'm constantly reaching new people. e exciting thing about the Internet is that it allows you to be in multiple places at once, so people can find us on Facebook, Instagram, HappyCow, Yelp ... that gets us more business, more visibility and more people trying new things." e Internet response has been encouraging. "is tastes like what you would expect food to taste like in heaven," raves one online reviewer, while another compares the restaurant favorably to upscale vegan eateries in places like New York and Washington, D.C. Nearly every reviewer mentioned the friendly, warm, family-oriented vibe of the place – and that beams directly from the heart and soul of Jessica Mack. "I really do love what I do," Mack said. "I try to never forget the reason why I work this hard. I feel called to do this, and that inspiration drives me to create something I know is needed in our community. My aunt always told me, 'Never get in the kitchen if you're not right in your spirit.' So, if I'm aggravated or in a bad mood, I take care of that before I start cooking, because I took her message to heart – what you're giving is what you've got." "I try to never forget the reason why I work this hard. I feel called to do this, and that inspiration drives me to create something I know is needed in our community." – Jessica Mack

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