Most restaurants that cook okra are trying to hide it. Chetwan Smith is trying to perfect it, and the difference shows up in every cast-iron pot she runs at Sweet Soulfood on North Broad Street.
Smith started the business as a festival vendor, cooking vegan versions of the New Orleans dishes she grew up eating. She and her husband, Anthony, opened the brick-and-mortar location in April 2018, and the steam table has been selling out most days since. The menu rotates, the portions are large, and the prices are low enough to make first-timers do a double-take at the register. The smothered okra is the dish that draws the most attention, and for good reason.
Getting okra right in a long simmer requires patience and heat management. The goal is to cook out the natural slickness entirely, letting the vegetable break down into a thick, dark gravy built on caramelized onions and Creole seasoning. When it works, the result is something close to a stew, rich and deeply savory, with none of the texture that makes okra polarizing. At Sweet Soulfood, it works.
The setup is cafeteria-style, which means the food is visible before the order is placed. That matters here because the steam table on any given day might hold jambalaya with wheat-gluten sausage, cashew mac and cheese, stuffed bell peppers, collard greens, sweet potatoes, and eggplant lasagna alongside the okra.
Non-vegans make up a real portion of the regular clientele, drawn by food that reads as the real New Orleans rather than as a substitute for it. The bread pudding alone, made without eggs or dairy, has its own following.
The menu changes daily, so checking the Instagram or website before visiting is worth the 30 seconds. Sweet Soulfood is at 1025 N. Broad Street, open Monday through Saturday from 11 am to 5 pm. Call (504) 821-2669 or visit sweetvegansoulfood.com for current offerings.
