At J’mae’s Home Cooking the soul food is both basic and complex. The effortless essence of soul food is carried on at J’Mae’s, accompanied by the restaurant’s comfortable atmosphere, menu and staff.
“Soul food” is, simply, a description of regional southern cooking. J’Mae’s, situated in a house turned restaurant, is the perfect venue for serving the hearty food of the South— less restaurant, and more a nostalgic window on life, making you feel like the South is where you should have grown up.
From the South
The casual, homey restaurant, located near the corner of Lagrange and Central, is named for the family’s matriarch who died in 2012, Johnie “J’Mae” Mae, who originally moved here from Selma, Alabama. “ At 16, Mom stowed away in the back of a station wagon that her sister was driving to Toledo,” claims Michelle Tarrant, J’mae’s daughter and one of the proprietors. “When she was discovered, they were already far from Selma so she came and stayed in Toledo.”
Elevating the simple
Besides the chicken, pork chops and ribs one would expect from a soul food restaurant, some unexpected “out-of-the-box” dishes, meatloaf and salmon patties, offer something new.
“They were just four o’clock, after work suppers,” says Michelle with a smile. “You could really stretch the ingredients for both.” This meatloaf is an easy, understated dish with the traditional ketchup topping served with a small amount of onion gravy. Basic and straightforward without any surprises, it is exactly the kind of dish I grew up on.”
The salmon patty might be revolutionary. Firm, piping hot, and, absent of bread crumb fillers, this is no attempt to reimagine this simple dish. Like J’Mae’s meatloaf, the salmon patty is true to the working class entree many of us were raised on.
I tried the hot tamale, which comes in beef or turkey, and although not directly linked to soul food proper, it is a pleasant surprise. With just enough spice to make my eyes water, it presents as more of a sausage than a traditional Mexican tamale. I limited myself to one, but I could have eaten a dozen. Pigs feet make a special Sunday appearance , “We run out of those pretty quick,” claims Michelle with pride. Gumbo, a dish of rice, sausage, and okra, common in Louisiana, frequently appears as a special.
Soul on the side
The essential foundation of what many identify as soul food lies in the side dishes. Soul food is, fundamentally, a blend of West African, Native American, and Caribbean cooking. Beans, rice, greens, corn (along with hominy and grits), cornmeal, and sorghum are at the core of this cuisine. J’mae’s has an abundance of sides. The greens alone are a true test of the purity of southern-style cooking and making greens palatable is no small feat. At J’mae’s, the greens, neither oily nor tough, should become its own food group. Add some black-eyed peas, pinto beans and from-scratch mac and cheese and you have small sides that start at just one dollar.
Entrees start at $11 and are served with three of the amazing sides and cornbread. Scratch made desserts, starting at $3, include a peach cobbler that is so amazing it might be able to initiate world peace.
When I left J’Mae’s, my soul, and belly, were equally full.
11am-7pm Tuesday & Wednesday, 11am-9pm Thursday-Sunday, closed Monday.
J’Mae’s Home Cooking, 3117 Lagrange St.
419-241-7779
