When she came across 6888 Kitchen Incubator she said, “I knew this was where I wanted to be and where I needed to be.”

Side Piece Soul Cafe features a variety of soul food such as fried porkchops, sautéed chicken, fried chicken, corn bread, macaroni and cheese, and sweet potato yams. Other items include chicken wraps, wings and fries.

“I learned how to cook from experience,” Parks said. “I’m inspired by the world and the people I meet and the things I see. The world is my teacher.”

She does plan to offer breakfast with items such as wings and waffles, shrimp and grits and breakfast sandwiches.

This is not the first time Parks has owned and operated a business. Originally from the Bahamas, she owned a restaurant called “NOM NOM,” which closed during the coronavirus pandemic.

Parks was planning to open a restaurant in Cleveland with her sister, but her sister died in 2021 just before they started construction.

“After that I had lost my light for cooking,” Parks said. “I just didn’t want to do it. It made me so sad.”

She started cooking again for friends and family after a couple of months, but then her aunt and mom died — prompting the need to move from Cleveland.

“I came to Dayton just to do this restaurant,” Parks said. “I didn’t even know what the food scene was like in Dayton. All I knew was it was my opportunity to have a restaurant again.”

Customers can expect fresh food. Parks said nothing is frozen including the wings, which are made from scratch.

As for the name of her restaurant, Parks said she was in a domestic violence situation where her ex-husband would always call her a side piece. She decided to take something negative and turn it into a positive.

“We control the narrative at Side Piece,” she said. “I cook from the soul and cooking has been a relief for me for my entire life.”

MORE DETAILS

Side Piece Soul Cafe, operating out of 6888 Kitchen Incubator at 32 S. Ludlow St. is open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday with plans to expand hours starting next week. Parks said they will open at 7 a.m. with breakfast.

On Monday, Aug. 19, her business will launch on DoorDash and her hours will expand once again from 6 or 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Orders can be placed on-site or by calling 216-562-9840. For more information and updates, visit sidepiecesoulcafe.com or the cafe’s Facebook or Instagram (@sidepiecesoulcafe) pages.