Aunt Lou's Soul Food opened this past June but is off to a seasoned start for lunch and dinner. While this is owner Corey Dickerson's first restaurant venture, he has an extensive background in the industry. His late grandmother, known to many as Aunt Lou, raised him and passed along her cooking skills to him. Following his extensive background in the food and restaurant industry, he decided to offer "modern soul food with a classy touch" to downtown Springfield. The restaurant is located on the first floor of the historic Ferguson Building at the corner of Sixth and Monroe streets.
Dickerson teamed up with Smarjesse Taylor for this venture, and while Dickerson said he will be the head chef, he's enlisted "a lot of family" to help run the restaurant, including several of his daughters.
Southern food influences Aunt Lou's menu, focusing heavily on comfort food favorites. Diners can start with appetizers such as fried green tomatoes, Lulu wings, fried deviled eggs and more. A little Cajun sauce can spice things up a bit. Entrées include smothered or fried pork chops, fried chicken and fish, pot roast, and shrimp and grits. Sides include baked mac and cheese, candied yams, mashed potatoes, cabbage, greens, and red beans and rice. Southern sweets offered include peach cobbler, sweet potato pie and banana pudding.
