In recognition of Black History Month, NBC 5's Food Guy Steve Dolinsky went digging into a restaurant with Deep South roots, located in a South Side neighborhood with its own storied past.
Kristen Ashley, a young entrepreneur, opened Cleo’s Southern Cuisine in Bronzeville a couple of years ago. She also has a Loop location open for lunch-only on weekdays, and in both spots, she honors her grandmother Cleo, whose Clarksdale, Mississippi roots influence the menu.
"Technically Biloxi – and I went to school at Grambling State University in Louisiana, so I took the Mississippi and the Louisiana and put it together and boom - there was Cleo’s,” said Ashley.
Buttermilk and hot sauce season the chicken just before it gets breaded, and ultimately fried in shortening, which helps promote a crispy, crackly exterior, while keeping the meat juicy inside. Same goes for catfish, aggressively seasoned, breaded and fried until golden brown, ideally served with a corn muffin that’s been dipped in vanilla extract and honey.
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Mac and cheese begins with cavatappi tossed in a cheddar sauce with cottage cheese.
“It’s a deep South thing. Actually, a lot of people are always like ‘what is that peculiar taste?’ they can never pinpoint, but the cottage cheese is definitely one of my secret weapons.”
She then combines that with Monterey Jack, and finally, tops it off with Jack cheese to form a sort of cheesy crust that is ultimately the perfect cap to this starchy side. Sweet potatoes are topped with a healthy amount of white and brown sugar, vanilla extract and pineapple.
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“So I think that’s something that kind of off-sets that sweetness, because pineapples are pretty tart, so it doesn’t overpower.”
Chicken and waffles is another option, made sweeter with the addition of honey and powdered sugar, but careful, because the Purple Rain and Mississippi Sunshine are also sweet, as is the splurge-worthy chocolate-pecan bread pudding, that is even better when eaten warm out of the oven.
Ashley says running her business in this neighborhood, on this block, makes sense on a number of levels. “I actually grew up five blocks from the restaurant. When this space became available I was like, ‘you know what grandma, I feel like you’re talking to me here,’ so I really need to jump on this.”
She’s glad she did, because the neighborhood continues to improve with new construction and with it, a lot of hungry new neighbors.
“So to be a part of that, on the grassroots level was super, super important to me.”
While the Loop location is open Monday through Friday during the day, the Bronzeville restaurant only serves dinner on Friday, Saturday and sunday.
Here's where you can go:
4248 S. Cottage Grove
773-633-2757
190 N. Wells St.
312-285-2140
