And although meaty options like its spicy jambalaya and popular gumbo (packed with chicken, shrimp, crab and crawfish) are still available, Chief’s Creole Cafe recently added a variety of vegan options to its menu as well.
The Creole restaurant now offers a plant-based version of its gumbo, in addition to red beans and rice with vegan sausage, meatless meatball subs and "shrimp" po-boys on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Its full menu—which includes boozy beignets, crawfish fritters and seafood boils—can be browsed on chiefscreole.com. The restaurant also still offers its “Soulful Sunday” dinner, complete with baked ham or fried chicken, collard greens, mac and cheese, candied yams, corn bread and dessert, all for $15.
Elihu and Carolyn Brayboy opened the southside restaurant in 2014 in honor of his late mother, Mary Brayboy.
Join the next St. Petersburg Black History Bike Tour ride to learn more about the city's rich African American history, where Mr. Brayboy himself shares food, as well as anecdotes of his family.