Ever wonder where top chefs go to chow down after they’re done cooking for you? In the 954, a lot of meal maestros head over to a husband-and-wife eatery serving international soul food. The cozy little joint has been a well-kept secret … until now.
Neighborhood foodies pack Fort Lauderdale’s Hot & Soul restaurant nightly. So do local chefs, which was all part of the plan.
Christy Samoy, co-owner of Hot & Soul: "Our dream was to have kind of a family-style restaurant, but at the same time, a place where the service industry would go to."
Here’s how you get the competition over to your place.
Christy Samoy: "We do different kinds of dishes that not every restaurant does, and you know the chefs appreciate it."
Along with a variety of local craft beers and wines, Hot & Soul serves up what they like to call international soul food.
Christy Samoy: "We take dishes from all over the world that we like and we cook ’em."
That’s no hype. The menu is filled with global delicacies.
Christy Samoy: "We do lots of Italian, we make our own fresh pasta. We do country pâté, that would be a French dish. I’m Philippine, and we do chicken adobo, and we lived in New Orleans for almost nine years, so we have barbecued shrimp and gumbo."
By "we," Christy means her husband, Mike. He’s responsible for everything that comes out of the kitchen, including the daily specials.
Mike Hampton, co-owner/chef of Hot & Soul: "I go to the market, I get my seafood in, I get my meat in, and I just kinda make whatever I want."
Luckily, he likes to make dulce de leche with cinnamon toast, and everything Mike puts on a plate for you is something he’d serve himself.
Mike Hampton: "We make food that we feel passionate about and we feel good about, and hopefully it translates."
No need to worry about that.
Customer 1: "I come here with my sisters. I come here with my friends. We love the local food; it’s always something new, something different to try."
Customer 2: "My favorite restaurant in South Florida. It’s all fresh, delicious."
Christy and Mike are celebrating Hot & Soul’s third anniversary all day Sunday. They’re firing up a massive crawfish boil and Caribbean grill with craft beers and specialty drinks.
FOR MORE INFO:
Hot & Soul
3045 N. Federal Highway #60B
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33306
(754) 206-2155
www.hotandsoul.com