DETROIT – A former NBA All-Star is making a major investment in Detroit, employing about 100 people at his new soul food restaurant.
Kevin Johnson, a three-time All-Star for the Phoenix Suns and former mayor of Sacramento, California, is the owner of Fixin’s Soul Kitchen.
The restaurant is located at 1435 Randolph St. in downtown Detroit in the historic Paradise Valley neighborhood near Comerica Park and Ford Field.
“Your community is special. It’s a beautiful community,” Johnson said. “I said if we could be part of the comeback of Detroit and the renaissance of Paradise Valley and Black Bottom, that would be great.”
During the 1920s through the 1950s, this area was once a thriving business and entertainment center and was home to the thriving black residential neighborhood of Black Bottom.
Johnson says it was Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan who helped him find the right location for his restaurant.
“Bedrock flew us out here four years ago and they had all these buildings and places we could visit. I liked them, but I didn’t find my home run spot. I had dinner with the mayor and he said we need to go to Paradise Valley.”
“They told us about this concept for Fixins and I said, I don’t know why you’re looking around town,” said Mayor Duggan. “I said we have the remains of Paradise Valley that we’re going to rebuild in a way that honors that heritage.”
The interior of the 780 square meter, 325-seat restaurant pays homage to Detroit and its Motown roots with historical photos and artwork.
The menu features some of Johnson’s family recipes with dishes such as chicken, oxtail, gumbo, shrimp and grits, fried deviled eggs, chicken and waffles, biscuits, cornbread and more.
“My grandmother is from the South, as are other family members, and we have recipes. So I felt like I could open a really cool soul food place,” Johnson told MLive. “Everything is made from scratch and from family recipes.”
Johnson founded Fixin Soul Kitchen in 2019. The Detroit location is the largest among his three other locations in Los Angeles, Sacramento and Tulsa. The Detroit restaurant is now open daily for dinner.
