Since arriving at UNC, I’ve come across a surprising amount of Black vegans on campus– individuals who don’t eat food made from animals or dairy products.
I grew up in a southern family, where our one vegan cousin had the smallest plate every family gathering and Thanksgiving. As a dairy-free person, I also understand the struggle of navigating meals with friends and family without everyone’s favorite ingredient: cheese.
On campus, I was intrigued by how many students could navigate the dining halls and restaurants of Chapel Hill without meat or animal products. It turns out that it’s not that hard with the vast array of vegan cuisine in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area.
One of those places is Pure Soul, a vegan soul food restaurant located at 4125 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd Suite 1, Durham.
The words “vegan” and “soul food” appear as if they shouldn’t belong in a sentence together. Many people become vegans to adopt a healthier lifestyle and alleviate cardiac problems heightened by a soul food diet.
A 2018 study published in the “Journal of the American Medical Association” found that a southern-style diet was more strongly correlated with hypertension for African Americans than any other researchers measured in the study.
While some Soul food staples are healthy– such as yams, sweet potatoes, and collard greens– meats are often fried or preserved with salt, and greens are cooked with fatback to enhance flavor. Health experts in the Black community note that soul food is a huge part of Black cultural history, and African Americans don’t have to avoid it, but instead, change how they prepare it.
Pure Soul is co-owned by Nikolas Spaulding, a Black vegan chef, and his partner Andrew Justad. In 2021, Spaulding also told the Durham food blog Bull City Bites that he felt local communities needed healthier options that could still be considered comfort food.
Pure Soul has a plant-based menu, with dishes using ingredients like soy, beans, and almonds to mimic the flavor and texture of meat and dairy.
My mouth watered looking at images of a juicy chicken sandwich and creamy mac and cheese on the restaurant’s website, so I knew I had to visit it in person.
One Saturday night, my friend and I pulled into the parking lot of Pure Soul, nestled in the corner of a strip mall-esque location. The inside of the restaurant looks like what you would associate with the word “vegan:” plant decorations everywhere and a general bohemian vibe. The inside had a cozy atmosphere. Customers order at the counter and sit around the same area. Many of the workers were young and had great customer service.
Pure Soul has a large menu, including different handhelds and soul food staples. All handheld meals come with a small side. They also offer soul food plates, consisting of “meat” and two half-sides. There was NC-style pulled barbeque, fried “chkn” poppers, fried “chkn” over rice, fried drumsticks, fried fish, and fried shrimp. Sides include collard greens, mac and cheese (can be made gluten-free), cornbread, potato salad, black-eyed peas, kale Caesar salad, regular and sweet potato fries, yellow rice, and hush puppies.
I ordered what the cashier called their second most popular sandwich (they were out of the NC-style barbeque)– The Kind Chkn Sandwich. It was a fried chicken sandwich topped with lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions, and mayo with a side of fries. My friend ordered the mushroom onion swiss burger with a side of mac and cheese, which they call “Soul Mac.”
My sandwich came wrapped in paper with the fries and veggie toppings on the side. I also got a special vegan honey mustard, as honey, being made from bees, is not vegan. The chicken patty was large and crisp. The taste was similar to chicken but there was a sweetness to it that I liked. It was also easy to bite into compared to biting into chunks of chicken. Most fried foods also leave a heavy feeling in your stomach after eating them, but this sandwich didn’t. Everything on my plant-based plate tasted fresh and light.
My friend really enjoyed her burger which she said looked and tasted similar to beef. The highlight of her meal was the “Soul Mac.” The cheese was thick, creamy, and flavorful.
Vegan cheese has a poor reputation among people since the dairy-free ingredients decrease the cheese’s tanginess and the texture is very dry. Some vegan cheeses are also very hard to melt, and attempts to make mac and cheese with them lead to a clumpy, sticky mess. However, I believe that Pure Soul has perfected the vegan mac and cheese recipe and can convert any vegan cheese-hater.
Before we left, we had to stop by the dessert case, which displayed various vegan cakes, cookies, and pies. I got the Peanut Butter Dream Pie, which is whipped peanut butter on top of a square of chocolate crust. I love peanut butter anything, so this rich desert was the perfect light and sweet ending to a crispy and savory meal.
So what’s the verdict on Pure Soul? Vegan comfort food slaps!
For a price point of $14.99, you get a good portion of food and great quality. I got a better quality chicken sandwich than I would have had at a local Chick-fil-A, Zaxby, or Canes. The dessert menu is a bonus.
For anyone who doesn’t want to make the drive to the restaurant Durham, Pure Soul is also on DoorDash and Uber Eats. I recommend everyone add Pure Soul to their favorites on DoorDash and consider trying the plant-based chicken sandwich next time you’re craving some good fried chicken.
