CINCINNATI — Soul food is historically known for the flavors and recipes passed down from generation to generation. One restaurant in Over-the-Rhine is not only providing food for the soul but an experience for families to enjoy and feel at home.
"It's amazing to see how something that was used for us to cope and spend time with each other turned into something so big and become a staple to the community," said Camaya Wiley, co-owner of Soul Secrets.
Soul Secrets is a soul food restaurant that started through a mother-daughter bond for a love of cooking. Owner Candice Holloway started the restaurant in 2022 at Findlay Kitchen as a way for her to connect with her daughter, Wiley, when she was dealing with depression.
Learn more about OTR's Soul Secrets in the video below:
"So as a teenager, we began baking and cooking all together, and that was like an outlet for us to spend time with each other and for me to find something that was helpful in terms of coping. From there we were at Findlay Kitchen and now we have a restaurant," said Wiley.
The business is thriving on Vine Street with customers from around the Tri-State coming to try their southern meals with recipes from Forsyth, Georgia. The recipes were passed down from six generations.
"These are my great-great-great-great-grandmother's recipes. We've stuck with the recipes until today," said Camaya Wiley.
Wiley has a 3-year-old daughter who is already in the kitchen. The restaurant is known for its sides: mac and cheese, sweet potatoes, hand-picked collard greens and desserts. Throughout the community, you'll hear people rave about their top sellers, fried chicken and fried catfish.
"Our top platters, the traditional catfish is hand-battered with cornmeal and then it's dropped in grease. We drop our fish fresh; we don't have it sitting. All of our fish and chicken is dropped to order," said Wiley.
Wiley says when you come to the restaurant, it gives you a sense of home and comfort. The roots of Soul Secrets aren't only ingrained in the recipes but in the decor of the restaurant, featuring a painted tree growing out of the frame and into the ceilings of the walls, with portraits of all six generations across the walls, promoting family and their ancestors.
"The tree is the roots. It spreads out like the tree of life, of family and our ancestors," said Wiley.
The restaurant has about 100 or more visitors on the weekends. While you enjoy the calm family vibe, you'll hear throwback R&B tunes during the week and gospel music every Sunday.
"It gives you a sense of being home, with a home-cooked meal or being over your grandmother's house for Sunday dinner," said Wiley.
Generational wealth is spread throughout the family. You'll often see staff wearing "My ancestors sent me" shirts, created by a cousin of the owners. While the restaurant offers catering for many events, businesses, and families, Wiley also offers meal prep and catering for smaller groups.
In the kitchen, Wiley described it as a scene of community, allowing the family to spend quality time together. The restaurant is also a second-chance hiring company.
"It's really important. A lot of people don't have that foundation. So, being able to have something to save for your family, children, and grandchildren so they are financially stable and don't have to worry about where they're going to get their meals from or pay their bills," said Wiley.
The restaurant is open Tuesday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sundays 1-7 p.m.
"We have a lot of catering that we're pushing out for companies that want to be inclusive of black-owned restaurants and businesses," said Wiley.
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