Willy Street Eats makes grandma proud with jerk chicken and BBQ - The Capital Times
A neon sign for Lao Laan Xang remains on at 1236 Williamson St., but a new comfort food restaurant, Willy Street Eats, has been quietly open in the space since March.
The owner of Willy Street Eats, Cliff Simmons, came to Madison from Chicago in 1994 after his son was born, hoping to give him a better life. He said he worked odd jobs until his arrest in 2010 for using and selling drugs. While in prison, he read about the restaurant business and thought about cooking with his grandmother as a kid.
"It has always been my dream to have my own family restaurant," Simmons wrote in an email, "and allow everyone to experience those great Southern favorites that I grew up eating and learning to make.
Owner of Willy Street Eats, Cliff Simmons, is pictured at his new restaurant at 1146 Williamson St.
"Since my grandmother passed away, I felt that I never made her as proud of me as I wanted. That pushed me to get back into the world again," Simmons added. "I'm going to make sure Eloise Simmons' spirit, recipes, cooking style and family togetherness is spread everywhere."
Lucky on Willy Street
After his release from prison, Simmons returned to working odd jobs and started saving money for a restaurant, but "didn't have the credentials and certifications to start a business," he said. He gained that knowledge from the Madison nonprofit Just Bakery, a 12-week vocational training program, and also from working in a couple restaurants as a dishwasher, server and cook.
"I learned all the aspects of running a restaurant," he said.
New comfort food cafe, Willy Street Eats, is located at 1146 Williamson St.
Simmons took a baker's job at Just Bakery, working there part time while also working full time at Ugly Apple Café. He put in many hours, saved money, kept himself occupied and kept learning. He "got lucky" when he found the space on Williamson Street.
Simmons' kitchen at Willy Street Eats offers the comfort food he grew up on and other items that he has loved through the years.
The daily menu is posted on a dry erase board at Willy Street Eats.
He posts the menu, still a work in progress, on a whiteboard and on handwritten signs on the windows which promote one menu item per sheet. The menu includes lots of seafood — smelt, a Cajun shrimp basket, red snapper and Friday fish fry — as well as ribs, pork chops and Polish sausage.
Friday fish fry includes a choice of catfish, cod, perch or shrimp. A dinner, which includes three sides and bread, costs $22-$25. There's a kids menu that comes with fries and a small juice for $5.
On a recent visit, the jerk chicken dinner came in tender small pieces, deliciously spiced and medium hot. It was accompanied by baked beans and rice, mixed together with bacon pieces and tasting smooth and earthy.
Black eyed peas and collard greens at Willy Street Eats.
Black eyed peas were served in thick, savory, herby gravy. Simmons explained that he soaks the beans with the seasonings, then cooks them with vegetables and herbs.
The coleslaw was bright and somewhat sweet, and the collard greens were served in a soupy potage. Pleasantly bitter, the collards are cooked in bacon fat, ham hocks or, when available, turkey tails. The corn bread was moist and pleasant.
Other sides, which vary in availability, include baked mac and cheese, candied yams, rice, cabbage, green beans, mashed potatoes, onion rings, fried okra and spaghetti.
Tyrone Nash, a cook at Willy Street Eats, chops meat in the restaurant's kitchen.
One dinner was quite large, so the second dish a friend and I ordered was rib tips with fries, flecked with black pepper ($18). The reddish, smoky tips, with a sweet tinge, are grilled outside in the back, as are the ribs, chicken, steak burgers and brisket.
Simmons grills twice a day — when he gets there in the morning, then in early evening. Rude Brew blueberry and basil kombucha ($5), brewed in Madison's north side, made a nice complement to the meal.
Making Eloise proud
At Willy Street Eats, Simmons is the chef and has been training Tyrone Nash, a cook originally from Atlanta. Nash "was looking for work and housing and I decided to give him a chance, like I had a chance. He's a good cook," Simmons said.
Simmons eventually wants to add more items and online orders. For now, payment is only in cash or through CashApp. He's actively working on his website and social media, but hasn't decorated the space itself much yet — there's a large TV to one side, and a chess box on one table. Larger changes to the historic building require city approvals, Simmons said.
Jerk chicken is pictured at Willy Street Eats.
So far business has been pretty good, said Simmons, better than he expected.
"The neighborhood has been amazing, the community is very supportive. I am overwhelmed by the welcome I received," he said. Customers have offered to help paint and decorate.
While Willy Street Eats finds its way, Simmons will continue to vend out of a food truck he named after his grandparents. Find Emery andEloise's Comfort Food at the Sessions at McPike Park, Friday-Sunday, June 16-18.
Simmons' dream is to open one restaurant on each side of town. That's the two year plan, he says.
"If I did it, anyone can," Simmons wrote. "I did time in prison (and) came home after almost six years with depression, PTSD and anxiety. I fought that for years and then granny passed away.
"That was my wake up call to get up, get out and get something going, and make her proud of you!"
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