What started out as a passion project for chef Leah Richman has turned into a fully realized sit down restaurant in West Louisville.

Thanks to a program from One West, a nonprofit working to support commercial growth in the West End neighborhood.

Learn more about how the Accelerate program is bringing good business and good food to the West End and Louisville branches.

So is the name.

And it exactly is that.

That is exactly what we sell.

Here is brunch and soul food.

Before I moved into Chef's Space, I was actually driving school busses and but I always had a passion of cooking.

So one day at work, I was like, I don't want to do this anymore.

And I just sliced up that on faith.

And I was there for three years, and I had the opportunity to come to this accelerated program.

This was just like a next step.

I seen that I outgrew that space and it was just like, okay, now is time for me to move.

And that's that's where I'm at now.

We partner with Chef Space here in Louisville, which is just around the corner, and we work with them to have their graduates have an opportunity to come into their first retail experience.

And we currently have two chef space graduates in our different facilities.

And what we have done is we've created we've taken to old historic buildings, actually, and turned them into accelerators spaces where small businesses can come and have a residency of two years.

And we help them if need be with rent subsidized and that and then helping them to get wraparound services for a professional increase in their businesses, most notably accounting, marketing, things of that nature.

And H.R., most people know that the West End saw extraordinary amount of business flight from the area.

In fact, in 2017, when West had the Neilsen group do a study and during that study they found that there is basically over $60 million in leakage from the West End, and that's a huge amount of money leaving the area.

So part of one man's job is to recruit businesses here, but to also elevate those that exist currently.

Who are like very family oriented.

And we're close with our customers, you know what I'm saying?

So some people even just come and just sit down and just talk to us, even if they're not getting food just because we want we want to build a community that is a safe space for everyone.

And as long as as well as getting good food.

The next step for these businesses that grow out of the accelerator is to help them get their permanent location at some point.

And we're hoping to prepare spaces with them or for them so that they can ultimately own sites around the West End and operate long term.

So there's a sustainability component to all of this.

Well, I hope that we could recreate, you know, the narrative and bring a better outlook in the community.

You know, I want to I want to be able to see turn road one day up and down the streets and people just walk in freely and feel safe and that's really the goal.

It's significant because most communities, they can people can enjoy a place to eat, a sit down restaurant.

And if they don't feel like cooking, if they've been working all day just to be able to grab a meal or sit down with their families and enjoy a good local environment and local culture and good food.

And that's something that we know is imperative to the West.

And it is the history of the West that many of of your some of your greatest restaurants have come out of the West End.

And so we want to elevate that and communicate that to folks and remind people that the West End is the best in the Louisville.

And it is a great place to come and enjoy the culture.

Braunton soul had its soft opening in December, but planned for a full opening celebration in the spring, when it's warm enough to enjoy the patio outside.