QUICK INFO
Soul Veg City is located at
205 E. 75th St. in Chicago’s
Chatham neighborhood.
» View the menu at
soulvegcity.com/menu.
Continued from Page 11
At the same time Arel and Seay celebrated the
restaurant’s 40th birthday in March, they were
renovating the 112-year-old structure where it first
opened. After they earned a grant from the city and
bought the building, they gutted it and replaced the
plumbing and electrical, prioritizing hiring contractors
of color from the community. The new-look eatery
also sports a fresh name: Soul Veg City, which
the siblings bill as a “one-stop shop for veganism.”
The dining room will feature an expanded retail area
that includes smoothies, packaged sandwiches and
frozen meals, hot bar items, ice cream, produce and
dietary supplements.
“It is not easy to have a legacy restaurant go into
the second and third generations,” Emmanuel says.
“I’m proud of (Seay and Arel) that they can take
something that meant a lot to the community and
city and take that to the next level.”
Indeed, for all the breathless excitement she expresses
over Soul Veg City’s future, Seay’s reflections reverberate
with the weight of the powerful legacy in her
CLASSIC
COMFORTS
Above, Lori
Seay plates a
southwest salad
made of black
beans, corn, fresh
vegetables and
seasonings from
Soul Veg City’s
salad bar. Other
salads shown
include carrot and
artichoke. At left
are ready-to-go
containers of mac
and cheese. Seay
says it’s “a recipe
to live for.”
care and its outsize role in the community.
“Though I may not have understood everything
on the journey, it has definitely paid off,”
she says. “Over the years that Arel and I have been
in charge, we’ve employed over 100 people. We’ve
changed people’s lives; they’ve been able to move
out of their parents’ house or get a car or provide
for their children. It is rewarding to see our parents’
legacy will live on for generations to come.”
Planted | 12
Dig In
/menu