The owner of Bonnie Jean's Soul Food Cafe did more than name the restaurant after the woman who taught her to entertain and cook—she also continually serves up her mother's recipes and hospitality. Today, when patrons step into Bonnie Jean's, they fill with the aromas of chicken and waffles, fried catfish, homemade barbecue sauce, and pork ribs steadily flowing from the kitchen. Chefs prepare the sides with the same amount of neighborly care, from the corn bread and collard greens to the yams and peach cobbler. Even the dining room could be mistaken for a living room, with photos lining the plum walls, a chessboard waiting for two players to match strategies, and the warm glow of a chandelier illuminating smiles and giving diners plenty of light to make macaroni portraits.
