Folami’s Peace of Soul

Right in the heart of South Carolina, sits Peace of Soul, a black female owned and operated vegan soul restaurant. On any given day, people stand in long lines, wearing masks, and distanced 6 feet apart in the unforgiving southern sun just to experience what can only be described as culinary nirvana when biting into their vegan interpretation of chicken and waffles. Peace of Soul is a 100% plant-based restaurant. To think of a plant-based restaurant in a town where a BBQ restaurant sits on every corner, you might consider Folami Geter's entrepreneurial endeavor a fad soon to fold, but you’d be wrong. Folami adopted her plant-based lifestyle and cooking methods from her father, and, after inheriting his restaurant, she took a calculated, smart risk to renovate and brand it with her own vision.

During the extensive renovations, as somebody never to idle, Folami took her cooking on the road with a food truck. For over a year, she traveled to festivals, city markets, busy parks bringing food to the people and usually selling out before the line ended. All the while her restaurant was going through a tedious, stressful renovation, but the gamble paid off big when in February 2020, Peace of Soul re-opened its doors. Stunning white walls (with some green evoking plant life), Scandinavian wood furniture, mod chairs, African art celebrating women, and, no surprise here, plants hanging everywhere. Folami’s essence is felt the minute you step into her restaurant. And she can be seen in the back of the kitchen hustling among her beloved crew who is more like a family. She carries a radiant smile on her face showing pure joy and gratitude. She has worked long and hard to arrive where she is today, and the journey isn’t over as I suspect Folami has big plans for Peace of Soul’s future.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the pandemic’s hit on Peace of Soul. Soon after the restaurant’s grand opening, the pandemic struck. Folami had to swiftly figure out how to keep her doors open and her business profiting while protecting our community from infection. In no time, she effortlessly switched to contactless service. Online ordering was up and functioning as was the pick-up process. She was also protecting her customers and staff with a deep cleaning process. Her ability to nurture is another quality of Folami. All felt safe purchasing her food because she cares about you, me, and anybody who enters her restaurant and beyond. It was critical we all felt safe. She took it as a personal responsibility. Her nurturing, in fact, has led some in the community to reconsider their diets. I, for one, became a vegetarian/part-time vegan in November 2020 in large part to Folami.

I’m thrilled to share that Folami is now getting the country-wide recognition she so deeply deserves. In June 2020, Peace of Soul was named among the “30 Must-Try Black-Owned Restaurants in America” by Buzzfeed. In November 2020, Peace of Soul was named one of America’s Favorite Black-owned restaurants by Discover Card, and Folami was awarded $25,000 in the @Discover #EatItForward Sweepstakes.

One of my favorite things is to brag about Folami and Peace of Soul, because my heart fills with pride that a black woman in Columbia, SC has been able to garner respect, admiration, and appreciation for her plant-based diet restaurant, which isn’t exactly popular in the south considering most prefer animal protein. However, she is changing that and her business is booming. Folami is a smart, driven businesswoman, but the soul will never be taken out of her enterprise. Peace of Soul is more than the name of her restaurant; it’s her ethos.

If you ever find yourself in Columbia, South Carolina try-out any of these dishes at Peace of Soul: bacon cheeseburger, chicken sandwich, chicken wings, collard greens, spareribs, mac n’ cheese, purple cabbage, cheesesteaks, chili cheese dogs, chili cheese fries, Kung Pao chicken, yam, or sesame ginger okra. Those are just several of my favorites, but my absolutely favorite thing at Peace of Soul is Folami Geter who I consider a black female hero.