Restaurant news: Family-owned soul food restaurant to open in Edgewater

Hill’s Chicken & Waffles is gearing up for its grand opening in Edgewater next month.

The new restaurant, which replaces what was formerly La Familia Latin Cuisine, is located at 2120 S. Ridgewood Ave. and plans to bring a much-needed soul food touch to the city, according to siblings and New Smyrna Beach natives Chris, James and Quiana Hill who own the shop alongside their younger brother Thadio — who resides in Alabama.

“We’re coming out the gate swinging” James said with a laugh, describing the new spot’s opening as a first-time venture that the family is eagerly embracing — and hopes the community will, too.

How Hill’s Chicken & Waffles came to be

After returning to Florida in 2017, following 25 years in North Carolina, Chris said he always knew he wanted to open a restaurant — a way to simultaneously cultivate community while also honoring his late mother, Barbara, who, the siblings say, was famous town-wide for her generosity and matchless magic in the kitchen.

“We came from a cooking family. So, we decided to do this together as a family, because what better way to bring people together than comfort food and family,” Chris said.

“So, that’s kind of the goal and the model for this restaurant — just bringing people together with food.”

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Growing up, their very own home served as a community table, of sorts — a place where they say people continually gathered, laughed and left with spirits high and stomachs full.

“When you came to our house as a kid, you were part of the family — so, that’s the concept,” Chris said. “And our parents brought in everybody. Our doors were always open, and they were always generous to giving. They fed everyone.”

Following the late March closure of La Familia Latin Cuisine, Chris said the up-for-grabs location was almost too perfect, neighboring Edgewater’s Center of Deliverance, where James and Chris currently serve as pastors.

“You get full, and you get blessed,” the brothers joked.

What’s on the menu at Hill’s Chicken & Waffles?

The new restaurant’s Southern cuisine concept evolved rather organically, Chris explained, emphasizing the city's soul food drought that he and his siblings can't wait to remedy.

“Our family, we’re known for soul food,” Chris said. “…So, I said 'let’s do chicken and waffles, but not a breakfast. Let’s do chicken and waffles with a soul food twist.'”

As its name suggests, the new restaurant will boast a creative array of plain and specialty homemade waffles, including the red velvet, Oreo cookie, Fruity Pebbles, sweet potato and Cinnamon Toast Crunch waffles, alongside stuffed waffles and waffle sliders.

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“Everything’s made from scratch,” said Quiana, who’ll be taking the reigns in the kitchen.

Alongside the eatery’s chicken and waffle array, she has a full menu of comfort food favorites she’ll be cheffin' up, combining her late mother’s most treasured homemade recipes with several of her own touches sprinkled throughout.

Among the items customers can expect are collard greens with smoked turkey, candied yams, shrimp and grits, fried pork chops and waffles, fried fish and homemade mac and cheese.

“We use five or six different cheeses for that,” Quiana said.

“And I’m also thinking about incorporating her dressing. She was famous for her dressing in town ... So, I think that would be a big staple recipe for the restaurant.”

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The eatery also plans to offer oxtail with yellow rice as a specialty menu item, tentatively available on Friday and Saturday, and a simple breakfast selection, including eggs, bacon and grits.

“My father makes some of the best grits you’ll ever taste,” Chris said with a smile. “The key to good Southern grits is to wash your grits first, and then slow cook them.”

Looking ahead with Hill’s Chicken & Waffles

As Hill’s Chicken & Waffles prepares for its upcoming opening in just a few short weeks, Chris says, ultimately, the family-oriented spot hopes to be a place of gathering, where hospitality and delectable Southern staples go hand in hand.

“The way our parents cooked — they cooked with a lot of love, and that’s soul food,” he said. “The essence of soul food is the love that you put into it, and I think that’s going to set us apart from everyone else.”

Hill’s Chicken & Waffles is located at 2120 S. Ridgewood Ave., Unit 8, in Edgewater and plans to offer dine in, takeout and delivery. The eatery hopes to open by July with tentative hours of 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. Tuesday – Saturday. For more information, visit facebook.com.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Hill's Chicken and Waffles soul food restaurant to open in Edgewater