Photo by Caitlin Abrams
Gerard Klass of Soul Bowl Restaurant
Trend seers are always looking for the next Chipotle. If I had a chunk of cash, I might bet on Gerard Klass. A corporate chef for Crave and Kaskaid Hospitality, Klass is working on his own side hustle, Soul Bowl. And it has been selling out when he pops up in North Minneapolis. Soul Bowl is a build-your-own soul-food dish, based on the idea that urban millennials love customization: They want it the way they want it. Soul food may be rooted in tradition, but Klass sees people lining up to heap everything in a comforting bowl of what he calls neo-soul food. Just pick your base, your veg, your meat, maybe a sauce. The result could be cornbread dressing, black-eyed peas, and smoked turkey. Or dirty rice topped with candied yams and braised beef. Rounding out the menu are extras like smoked deviled eggs. Or a fried-chicken sandwich with collard greens and mac ’n’ cheese on hot-water cornbread. Look for Soul Bowl to keep popping up in 2018, most likely at the New Rules building on Lowry. Just go early, and be prepared to wait in line. Find him on Facebook @klassicsmpls.
