It was about the time that Cynthia Nevels found out her son Tyler needed a double organ transplant that she decided her family would make a change.
“We had to move immediately to Houston to get on the transplant list and he was really sick — I think he was maybe on 23 different medications, and he was just hanging on,” Nevels said.
Nevels was no stranger to change herself. She became a single mother after a divorce, raising three children while attending classes at Texas Woman’s University, where she majored in psychology. She had also had her own health struggles, conquering Graves’ Disease about 15 years ago with the adoption of a vegan diet.
In helping care for her son, Nevels felt less control. Tyler was born with cystic fibrosis, an incurable genetic disorder that damages the lungs, pancreas, liver, kidneys and intestines.
“I was looking for answers of how I could help him, and there was nothing I could do but the food I fed him,” Nevels said.
Nevels began experimenting in the family’s small apartment kitchen, trying to create healthy, plant-based meals that her kids would eat.
“They were my guinea pigs, poor little babies,” Nevels said with a smile.
Six years later, what began as an effort to help improve Tyler’s quality of life evolved into an award-winning food truck, Soulgood. Founded in 2018, the truck has been offering vegan twists on classic American dishes to North Texas residents since, expanding into catering, vegan baking and a virtual restaurant. As of Tuesday, Soulgood’s popular flavors and more are on the menu of its first flagship restaurant — at Nevels’ alma matter.
The restaurant opened Tuesday at 1201 Oakland Street in the former Oakland Cafe space, the restaurant takes the recipes that were seeded in Nevel’s apartment to new heights. Emphasizing health-conscious but familiar choices for vegans and flexitarians alike, Soulgood is offering up all-day breakfast beginning at 7:30 a.m. and lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
The plan was originally to expand Soulgood into a national brand of drive-thru vegan eateries, but when Nevels got a call from TWU food servicer Chartwells seven weeks ago asking if she wanted to bring the concept to campus, she knew it was the right fit.
“When I went to school here, it was very difficult because I was working two jobs and going to school full-time and had my kids, but they [administrators] helped me — they just wouldn’t let me quit,” Nevels said. “So to come back as a person that’s recognized around the nation as an advocate, to where I sort of started, makes me feel like it’s come full circle.”
Menu favorites include tamales, vegan beef street tacos and Texas-shaped waffles, along with to-go breakfast staples like muffins which will be served all day. Having a brick-and-mortar space allows Soulgood to expand beyond the handful of options usually offered on the food truck. It’s also giving Chef Cynthia, as she’s affectionately dubbed, a chance to experiment with new dishes just like she used to.
“I didn’t go to school for this and didn’t really know anything about the food industry —all I had was passion,” Nevels said. “I was under a lot of stress going through what we were going through, and when I got in the kitchen, I was able to kind of just relax and disappear into my head.”
Today, Soulgood remains a way to honor Tyler’s legacy, who died in 2015 when he was 17-years-old. Five percent of sales go to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation through Soulgood Cares, which also gives back to the community by helping provide meals for underprivileged communities and through other initiatives.
“When we were in the midst of the journey Cystic Fibrosis Foundation was there for us, and I just wanted to do something where I could return the favor whenever I got back on my feet,” Nevels said. “I’m also always looking for a cure because it is a cruel disease and it was a very, very tough time for my son. It’s been part of the fabric of the company since day one.”
The name, too, is a celebration of Tyler.
“My son was a good person — he was a sweet boy and had a really good soul so I thought ‘How can I incorporate that?’,” Nevels said.
As the company expands, her original mission of serving up health-conscious, tasty meals continues to inform what Chef Cynthia does in the kitchen and the community.
“It wasn’t even meant to be like this, so to speak — I was just trying to help my son,” Nevels said. “To see where we are and where we’re about to go across the country — I don’t know — that to me is very rewarding.”
AMBER GAUDET can be reached at 940-566-6889 and via Twitter at @amb_balam.