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Dawn Reed hopes to serve Syracuse University students “a home-cooked meal away from home” when she opens Winnie’s Soul Delicious next month.

The opening of Winnie’s, planned for early September, will mark a major milestone on Marshall Street: the restaurant will be the only Black-owned restaurant to currently operate on the Hill. Winnie’s soul food will join a diverse range of cuisines on Marshall Street, including Indian, Middle Eastern, Italian and Vietnamese restaurants.

While the excitement of serving the SU community grows for Reed, Winnie’s is not her first cooking endeavor.

Born and raised in Syracuse, Reed knew as a teenager that she had a gift for the craft when her family and friends would rave about her cooking. Reed, who learned to cook from her mother, would chef up meals like smothered pork chops and collard greens.

Since then, she has sold her food from her home, ran her own catering business in Syracuse and catered for the Ramada Inn at Carrier Circle. But her goal has always been opening up a restaurant in the SU area.

“I always knew that this is where I wanted to be, and I never gave up. This is my dream and it’s what I wanted,” she said.

She’s built a strong following for her catering company of the same name. For years, catering clients and friends asked Reed when she would open a restaurant. She always responded, “Not until I’m satisfied with the area.”

Reed called the racial tensions she noticed throughout the city a “turf war.” For a while, she felt that certain Syracuse residents were not safe in other parts of the city.

But after finding a location for a restaurant on Marshall Street earlier this year, she pounced on the opportunity.

“I want to be able to feed everyone,” Reed said. “I want everyone to taste my cooking.”

As most things go in Reed’s family, opening and operating Winnie’s is a family affair. She’ll be joined by her youngest daughter, Shante Lewis, in running the restaurant. Lewis is a registered nurse at Crouse Hospital, but since accepting the co-owner role with her mother, she’s decreased her hours at the hospital.

“I’m nervous, but, at the same time, I’m really excited because I know we will be very successful and do great,” Lewis said.

Dave Jacobs, Reed’s landlord and the owner of Shirt World on Marshall Street, is excited about Winnie’s. Reed and Lewis will bring the “total package” to Marshall Street: a strong business plan and vision, good food and “dynamite personalities,” he said.

Winnie’s owner Dawn Reed wants everyone to taste her cooking. Sarah Lee | Asst. Photo Editor

Winnie’s menu will draw in many students, faculty, Crouse employees and, especially, gameday fans, Jacobs said. Customers can expect a wide array of options at Winnie’s, including barbecue ribs, barbecued pulled pork, oxtails, fried chicken and baked turkey wings.

“It’s not like she’s getting something frozen and thawing it out. She’s actually making everything fresh,” Jacobs said. “We think she is going to kill it.”

Reed and Lewis have been working with a team this summer to renovate the space. They painted the walls purple, black and white, which Reed said were her mother’s favorite colors. The team also installed a hot table near the entrance that will hold entrees and appetizers behind a glass window, allowing customers to see exactly what is being sold that day.

Before they can open next month, the renovation team has to complete the kitchen and raise the restaurant’s outdoor sign, which will include a graphic design of Reed’s mother, Winnie, who passed away nine years ago next month.

Reed wishes her mother were still alive to see her open the restaurant.

“I know she would be so happy,” Reed said. “She’d be right here giving me orders even though it’s my restaurant.”

Published on August 26, 2020 at 12:36 am

Contact Louis: louis@dailyorange.com | @JBL__98