I might be in trouble. I live about six minutes from Long’s Park and if the shrimp-and-grits Corey Woods served at the ribbon-cutting for Soulcialize’s Long’s Park location is any indication of the menu’s degree of deliciousness, I’ll be a frequent visitor.
Shrimp-and-grits.
I love shrimp-and-grits and have indulged in the dish at restaurants on the Eastern Shore (Virginia), the Outer Banks, as well as Calabash, Southport and Wilmington (all in North Carolina), and the epicenter of shrimp-and-grits, Charleston, South Carolina (Shem’s Creek!!). I must say, Corey’s shrimp-and-grits would give them all a run for their money.
Soulcialize’s Long’s Park location represents a stop on a career path that Corey began traveling as a child. “I taught myself to cook,” he says of growing up in Lancaster. As a teen, he worked in pizza shops, where he advanced from bussing tables to working in the kitchen. Corey recognized that the restaurant industry could provide him with a viable career, prompting him to enroll in culinary school.
After working for a variety of restaurants, he decided it was time to strike out on his own. His goal was to specialize in Soul Food, which was under-represented among Lancaster’s smorgasbord of cultural offerings. For him, Soul Food represents memories of good times spent with family in South Carolina and Virginia.
Corey and his son, Chanric.
In 2018, determined to forge ahead with his plans, Corey enlisted the help of organizations such as ASSETS and SCORE, which set him up with a mentor who helped him develop a business plan. By late 2019, he was ready to make his dreams a reality; in January 2020, he opened Soulcialize at Lancaster Central Market. As Corey acknowledges, even the best-laid plans can go awry and two months after opening, he was forced to pivot due to Covid shutdowns and restrictions. He kept the business viable by concentrating on catering and happily reopened when the market was back in operation. This year marks Soulcialize’s fifth anniversary at the market.
When the opportunity to take over the food pavilion at Long’s Park came his way, Corey embraced it. Open since early summer, staff members from the Lancaster City Alliance (LCA) and Lancaster Chamber hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Soulcialize in mid-July. LCA’s Facebook page shared that the organization is proud to welcome a business into the fold that provides Lancaster with “a taste of history, culture and heart.”
Staff members from the Lancaster City Alliance and the Lancaster Chamber provided Socialize and its owner, Corey Woods, with a grand-opening ribbon cutting at its Long’s Park location in mid-July.
Indeed, Soulcialize embodies all those attributes. Corey is especially proud to be able to share the history of was first deemed to be “Soul Food” in the 1960s. However, the roots of Soul Food extend back as many as 400 years and serve as a reflection of the way enslaved Africans learned to make do with the meager rations and adapt to unfamiliar ingredients. Corn (courtesy of Native peoples) provided the makings for meal, hominy, bread, grits and hush puppies. Speaking of hush puppies, the website Historycooperative.org, shares a legend as to how the Southern staple got its name: when individuals attempting to escape slavery needed to keep any watchdogs silent, they would fry cornmeal batter and toss them to the dogs as a distraction.
Inferior cuts of meat were made tastier by long, slow roasting methods (now known as barbecue). Chicken and fish were fried in cornmeal to heighten their taste. Still, there were some things that were familiar including black-eyed peas, okra, beans, rice and leafy greens. Elements old and new combined to create stews and soups.
Centuries later, Soul Food is embodied by fried chicken and catfish, cornbread, biscuits and gravy, collard greens, black-eyed peas, sweet potato pie, BBQ ribs, brisket, grits, mac & cheese and the list goes on. Such entrees and sides constitute the menus Soulcialize offers for catering and at its two locations.
Roasted chicken, greens and mac & cheese.
As for shrimp-and-grits, credit for that dish is attributed to the Gullah Geechee people of South Carolina’s Lowcountry. According to Deep South Magazine, the Gullahs would use their occasional and precious food allowance to buy grits. They paired the prized grits with whatever they managed to catch in the nets they spread along waterways. Oftentimes, shrimp was the catch of the day.
Shrimp-and-grits eventually became a breakfast staple for Southerners. That changed in 1982 when Bill Neal, a chef at Crook’s Corner in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, added cheese, mushrooms, bacon and other ingredients to the dish, making it more of a dinner entree. Lo and behold, Craig Claiborne of The New York Times came calling and wrote a rave review of Neal’s shrimp-and-grits. Since then, shrimp-and-grits has evolved to include regional ingredients and can be found on menus in mom-and-pop diners as well as fine dining restaurants.
As for Corey, he sees Long’s Park as a stepping stone. “My goal is a brick-and-mortar restaurant,” he declares. He’s been kept busy by visitors to the park, especially those who arrive for the Sunday night music series. The real test will come Labor Day weekend, when the Long’s Park Art Festival attracts crowds to the park.
Whether or not future growth is on the plate, Corey is determined to see Soulcialize carry out its other mission of supporting organizations and endeavors that champion youth, small business and minority-owned businesses.
Soulcialize is open in Long’s Park daily, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. The stand at Central Market is open Tuesday, Friday and Saturday, 6 a.m.-3 p.m. Catering for corporate events, private functions and social events such as weddings is available. For more information, visit soulcializecatering.com.
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