Beckley, WV (WOAY) This Friday in uptown Beckley, the team at Soul’d Up cut the ribbon for their restaurant’s official grand opening. Owner Yafeesa Johnson is excited to share a full menu of her very own soul food recipes with the community:
“This is my grand opening of Soul’d Up soul food restaurant. It feels amazing because it was supposed to happen a while ago, but it just kept on getting pushed back, so I’m very excited about it happening today.”
Johnson says the reception over the past month during their soft opening has been amazing.
“I’ve been shocked every day. Like, more people come just from word of mouth – from TikTok or Facebook. It’s just been awesome.”
And the whole menu is worth sharing, with something for everyone – from burgers and fries to catfish dinners – all with a special Chef Yafeesa spin.
“Everything we cook is made fresh… I make my own sauces… We just added, today, barbecue ribs, and we just added Tuscan salmon also.”
Beckley Raleigh County Chamber of Commerce president Michelle Rotellini applauded Johnson for adding to the community’s efforts to revitalize uptown Beckley and the surrounding area.
Rotellini: “I keep saying, ‘Why not Beckley? Why not now?’ and you have stepped up to be a part of that, and so we are just thrilled!”
Johnson hopes to see many more local businesses do the same.
“It feels amazing, and if we all can just continue to support each other, it’s only going to become better. Because we need this. We need every restaurant that’s up here; we need every establishment up here to bring it back to life.”
Soul’d Up is at 327 Neville Street in Beckley, a short walk from Word Park. And this Friday, from 6 to 9, Lady D and Mission are celebrating the grand opening with live music.
