FALCON HEIGHTS, Minnesota — When Chef Gerard Klass found out Soul Bowl would be at the Minnesota State Fair this year, he knew one of the menu items had to include something on a stick.
"We just wanted to do something that represents us and the food that we sell in the restaurant, and still get a little State Fair," Klass said.
The result is Soul Bowl's popular "Soulsicle" which consists of fried chicken on-a-stick topped with candied yam sauce, cornbread crumble, mac-and-cheese seasoned cheddar cheese, hot sauce and green onions.
It's a mini version of the restaurant's southern hospitality bowl.
"This was a good year to test and get our feet wet," Klass said.
Klass and his wife, Brittney Alise Klass, opened Soul Bowl in 2018, inside Graze Provisions + Libations in the North Loop. Last year, they opened a second location in Richfield. Their food can also be found in Target Center and Target Field.
The couple set out on a mission to reinvent soul food, describing it as "soul food reimagined for the urban millennial."
"Make it a little bit more healthy, make it a little bit more visually appealing, bring some barbecue and Caribbean flair to that," Klass said. "It's my heritage. I'm passionate about it and I think in Minneapolis, I wanted it to grow and be relevant just as much as the rest of American food was growing. Kind of make sure soul food gets its rightful place in the grand scheme of American food here in Minneapolis."
Soul Bowl will celebrate its three-year anniversary on September 6, just after wrapping up their first Minnesota State Fair as one of 11 new vendors this year.
"I kind of thought it was a prank at first," said Klass, recalling how they found out in June they would be a vendor. "Once we found out it was real, we were like, 'Hey, we got to hit the ground and get running to set up as quick as possible.'"
Klass went on to say, "This is the perfect year to do it and excited to be here post-pandemic."
Besides their Soulsicle ($9), Soul Bowl is selling donut peach cobbler ($7) and Queen B Lemonade ($5) — blueberry lavender lemonade in a pouch reminiscent of Capri Suns.
You can find Soul Bowl in the Food Building, east wall, open 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. (8 p.m. on Labor Day).
Know a local business we should feature for our Behind the Business segment? Email Heidi Wigdahl at hwigdahl@kare11.com.
