Pandemic aside, people deserve to enjoy good food, which is why Le Culture Café, an upscale restaurant in Detroit, closed its doors to make room for Culture Soul, a southern eatery serving gourmet soul food. Culture Soul features a variety of delectable cuisine ranging from traditional dishes such as Lamb Chops and Catfish to signatures favorites like Seafood Overload Mac & Cheese. After several setbacks that led to the closing of Le Culture Café, executive chef and owner Drew Matthews Jr. pivoted his business model to continue serving his city.
“The Le Culture brand is based on everything Detroit. The love for Detroit and the support in Detroit are real for me,” Matthews says.
Launched in 2017, Le Culture represents the African American culture, legacy and resilience of Detroit. The multimillion-dollar brand encompasses events, food and fashion and has become a lifestyle giant since its inception. Matthews’ passion for cooking led him to open the 300-seat upscale restaurant, Le Culture Café, in 2018. He is recognized by his community as a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist. Throughout the pandemic, even when his restaurant was shut down and made no money, Matthews and his employees were cooking and distributing meals to hundreds of first responders.
In the meantime, he spoke with rolling out about Culture Soul and what it means for him to represent Black history every day.
What does it mean to you, a Black man who grew up in the ‘hood, to serve your city?
I want to provide quality and affordable meals in the ‘hood other than Coney Island and things of that nature. There aren’t too many places that offer the quality that we offer, for us by us. I don’t use any frozen stuff, everything is fresh, we have Amish chicken, even Halal chicken. The seafood is fresh, everything is from scratch in our kitchen.
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