Community Highlights: Meet Jay Holman of 615 Soul Food

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jay Holman.

Hi Jay, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
This is a story about triumph over adversity and turning pain into success. 615 Soul Food is a food truck located in Nashville, TN at 415 31st Ave N. 615 Soul Food Inc. founded by Jay Holman the Chef/CEO and Barry Moore the Vice President in 2019. We offer a special menu that has everything from authentic New Orleans, Louisiana style Gumbo to the best taco salad you could taste. Jay Holman is the operations and face of 615 Soul Food. Barry Moore is the inspiration that brought about the greatest idea to hit Nashville. How? 615 Soul Food came to be is a journey that must be told. We hope to inspire others to live their dreams no matter what circumstances or backgrounds they come from. The two most unlikely people coming together to build a business that will serve Nashville and visiting tourist for years to come.

I was married for 15 years until my beloved husband passed in 2015. Prior to my husband’s passing, I was living in New Orleans, Louisiana working for the federal government as a Department of Treasury Revenue Officer. I loved working there; it gave me the strength I needed to get through the toughest time in my life. While in Louisiana, I had the best time exploring the city and tasting the wonderful food. I was born in San Francisco, California but my mother and father were born in the South. My mother’s family was born and raised in Louisiana so that is where you can say my passion for food came from. My aunt had me in the kitchen at a young age and so did my grandmothers. My aunt though made the best gumbo you could possibly imagine. I coin the phrase “liquid gold” because if you have ever really had authentic Louisiana gumbo it is unlike anything you have eaten. It is made of crab legs, sausage, shrimp and chicken just deliciousness in a bowl. It is soothing to the soul. I do not have a culinary background I have a business background.

I received a bachelor’s degree in Business from Belmont University in Nashville, TN in 2006 and master’s degree in business management with an emphasis in accounting from Strayer University in 2009. I worked my way up the corporate and government sectors of the business world and in 2013 received the promotion an opportunity to return to my mother’s home state and pursue my career with the federal government and was doing quite well. I was on target but the universe game me a different direction. When I returned to my home in Hendersonville, TN, I had to lay my husband to rest and figure out what the next chapter in my life story was going to be. I was not able to return to New Orleans and left the service. I had no income or plan I had two children and a grandson that depended on me. I knew I had to do something, so I started Millennium Financial LLC my on-accounting firm in the fall of 2015. I grew my clientele and it flourished. But my life would take another turn. I would meet the man who changed it again in April of 2016.

Barry Moore born and raised in Nashville; TN went to school at Hunters Lane. He slid into my dm at the time that was how people met new people back then. I did not pay him any attention at first but because he was persistent, I said OK we could meet. We did and it was almost magic from the start. He just understood me, and I understood him. I usually did not show interest in people one I did not know and 2 that came from a different side of town and for good reason. I was a widow and was not sure I was ready to be dating anyone or anything of that nature it was still fresh to me, but he really did not apply that type of pressure we just became good friends. Our friendship grew and grew. But Barry was not a saint, and I had a past to, so I did not judge him when he said he had just got of jail with a new baby and two other children and was trying to get his life back on track. I lived in the inner city of Nashville, TN my parents moved us here in 1989 and I grew up in North Nashville, graduated from Pearl Cohn High School. Which meant more probability back in those days that as a low-income student you really had little prospects for success. I had friends arrested or went to jail. I even went to jail myself. I knew what that felt like what that experience can do to your life and how you feel like you have no hope no options and the world is against you. I could relate to him on so many levels it was crazy he made me want to live again and so we stayed in contact over the years. We developed a bond that has lasted until this day. He had odd jobs in the kitchen after getting out and I had odd jobs as a youth working for different restaurants. Speed forward to 2019 when 615 Soul Food was born. Barry had life things going on and found himself back in a dark situation again fighting another case. While he was in there this time, we spoke on the phone daily and he started to brainstorm about what would happen when he came home. I listened to him, and he said he wanted to open a restaurant. I said I would be glad to start a business with you and I went to work on getting things done. He produced the vision for the logo. I gave his idea to artwork designer. A couple of days later we had the logo created the big man you see eating the pie in one hand and the chicken in the other. We talked for hours about the menu what he would cook and what I could do on the business end. Yes, he was originally supposed to cook but I guess my food taste better lol. I joked with him about that a lot during the creation phase. But our dream would have to wait. The COVID-19 pandemic hit in the spring of 2020 and all our plans for the brick-and-mortar idea were gone mandatory shutdowns. The codes and regulations that applied to restaurants at the time gave us no options but to consider never even opening. Mr. Moore got out and still had to find work and other things to do because all of our investments went down the drain. I also had to deal with major life health issues during that time and for the entire year of 2020 nothing really took place.

Then we got a spark and in 2021 decided not to open a retail location but go mobile. The pandemic made it a better option and we choose to purchase a food truck. I drove to East Tennessee and bought it used from a nice couple who owned the BeetRoute Café if you are ever in Mountain City, TN you should stop in and eat there. I hauled it back on a U-Haul I could not wait to tell Mr. Moore we had already purchased the first piece to pull the trailer a Chevy Avalanche. We were both excited, but it needed work and had to be upgraded. So, I wrestled with contractors and budget issues trying to get it done. I still was not able to fully get it completed in 2021 due to more health issues. I was extremely disappointed in myself, but my cheerleader was never too far. He always knew what to say or do to get me back into the game he pushed me once again in August of 2022. I was in a life-or-death situation and was not sure I would make it, but I did, and he knew I would somehow. It is how we survived the worst years of our lives helping each other through major life changes and trusting that universe would provide. It did in a big way on Sept 10, 2022, we officially opened what we affectionately call “Da mustard” 615 Soul Food truck. It was a day I will never forget because I knew all the pain and all the victories that brought us to that day.

We serve the community through our food. 615 Soul Food has good eats made with love. We offer a variety of things from our Firebird wings to our Titan Up burger that has two all-beef patties, double cheese, and double bacon it is a colossal hamburger. When we produced the menu, we wanted it to represent the state of Tennessee and our city Nashville. When you come you feel a part of the Nashville experience. Every menu item references a place or a thing that you can find in Nashville, TN and learn about what we have and do here. We want 615 Soul Food to be a trendy destination spot that people search for when they come to the city. When I travel, I always look for spots that are not on mainstream that you have to ask the locals for directions because that is where the soul of food comes from. We believe that you eat with your eyes and your heart. Food made with fresh ingredients stocked every day and love you cannot ask for a better meal. I do not know why the universe pushed me into to the food business. But I gladly accept. I love to cook and cooking for people having them taste my food and tell me that it is great is the most gratifying experience I have ever had. Yes, I have worked for myself. I love all my clients. When you are eating it is a very personal experience and my biggest fear was that no one would like it. But I quickly learned not only do they love it, but they keep coming back. I want tourist and Nashvillians to find us and eat our tasty food. We want you to remember the smiling lady chef Jay and the phat man on our logo. Most importantly I wanted to help Mr. Moore change his life for the better. I wanted him to finally succeed and be able to tell a story that had a happy ending. He deserved to see his dream come true. He deserved to secure his family and my family for generations to come. He also never wanted to go back to his old lifestyle. He learned the most valuable lesson of all is that teamwork makes the dream work, and I did too. I believed in him, and he believed in me and together we made history.

615 Soul Food “Da Mustard” truck is open Monday thru Friday with the support of family, my father, brother and son. They are why we can run smoothly, and the love of our family is what got us through to this point. They are the reasons why we started this business and why we are successful. It takes a village to complete a dream. Our story we hope will inspire people to look beyond their current life situations and see that you can change your life that your past does not dictate your future and that judging a book by its cover is never the best option. We all have a story, but it is the story that you want to tell about your life that rings true. Mr. Moore and I both have had a troubled past. We made mistakes along the way, but we never let that stop us from reaching our goals. You should not either the only way you fail is by never trying and believing negative things about yourself. You have everything you need within in you to be successful owning a business is just like that you have to put in the work to become what you want. You have to be willing to make the hard calls and put a plan into action. It will not happen overnight, but it will happen eventually. You can do anything you put your mind to become anything you want to be and owning a business is the most rewarding experience you can have in life. It provides you with real world experiences that change your life and the lives of those around you. Most businesses fail because of poor management or poor concepts. The ones that succeed are the ones that no matter what happens they stick to the plan and adapt if necessary to unforeseen crisis. Those are the businesses that last the test of time,

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Getting to opening day was a very challenging time. When in a business partnership everything that affects your partner affects the business. Neither of us had prior restaurant ownership experience we both were learning as we went. When Mr. Moore and I met in 2016, we both were trying to recover from trauma of death in our lives. The same year my spouse passed Mr. Moore’s father passed and our lives had taken a downward spiral. We both were on the journey to recovery. When Mr. Moore was in his dark situation in 2019, it was the catalyst for his final changes. He set his mind to becoming a better version of himself. I was going through my own issues 2018-2022 I went to more doctors than most people have seen in their lifetime. I couldn’t understand why I had to go through all of these painful situations, but I did. My final test came in May of 2022. When I was unable to take care of myself for two months unable to walk or sit for long periods of time literally on bed rest. It was during this time that Mr. Moore also had some personal things going on he had a son graduate from high school and become the first child he had to attend college amazing things were happening for him. But I was struggling with what I had going causing more delays on the opening of 615 Soul Food. We started this business in 2019 and here it was 2022 and still trying to actually get it done. Mr. Moore came to me in August and said this has got to happen you have got to pull through.

The love and help from my children, family and friends I made it through. It was like the universe made everything come together. My health improved every day that I went to the truck and got 1 thing completed. The resources came that I needed to pay contractors to finish remodeling projects. My daughter assisted me with final touch-up work and my son put his sweat equity in. It literally became a family affair. I was determined to get it done. I didn’t let what Mr. Moore had going on with transitioning his son into college, financial constraints or my health stop me from moving forward. We both felt that it was now or never. We just had to push through. A business partnership is like a relationship you have to communicate, build and trust the decisions of your partner in order for it to work. You must build it on a strong foundation because you both live separate lives and they are all moving at the same time but not always in the same direction. It takes compromising; it takes learning to listen, respect and loyalty. These are qualities that we develop in life and no difference when starting a business. They are the tools you use to overcome the challenges you face. It seemed that when we were getting closer to our goal the challenges got even greater. But we managed to overcome each 1 of them with teamwork. We used our support systems and found a way to become successful. Mr. Moore totally changed his life because of 615 Soul Food and has created opportunities for others to learn from his and my story that you can become more than your mistakes. That illness, bad decisions, or financial problems shouldn’t stop you from becoming what you were made to be, This experience has changed our lives restored brokenness within ourselves and repaired relationships that we thought were lost. We made it and everyone played a part in our success, and we thank each and every one of you. 615 Soul Food will be a Nashville destination for years to come. We would love for you to come and get some good eats. So, ask for the “liquid gold” our Music Row Gumbo trust me you will be glad you did…

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
615 Soul Food aka “Da Mustard” is a food truck we don’t serve collard greens and dressing like our name might suggest. We used 615 Soul Food to describe how our food feels. We offer whiting fish, chicken wings, chicken sandwiches, burgers, taco salads, fries and our famous “liquid gold” gumbo. We named each of our menu items after places and things you can find in Nashville, TN; we wanted people to read them and learn about them from our menu. We want it to a be memorable experience. We love the city of Nashville and support the development that is going on around the area. That is why we included a taco salad on or menu. You can’t get southern comfort food like Gumbo and a Latino vibe in the same place with our Taco Tuesdays. We wanted to include everyone in our menu and because we are a food truck located in a high-construction area with many different types of workers, we wanted to create something that was convenient hot and ready to go. We will also cater events and will show up at special events like tailgating at TSU homecoming or birthday parties. We know there is plenty of food trucks in Nashville, but you can’t get the best gumbo in the city on those trucks. You can only get the real thang at “Da Mustard” it is our signature dish. The one that you will remember the most made the way my aunt made it from Louisiana. I use my cooking experience and business background to bring it all together.

Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
You can visit our food truck Monday thru Friday from 1:00pm -7:00pm. We are located at 415 31st Ave N. Nashville, TN 37209. All you need to do is look for the mustard colored truck.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://615soulfood.square.site/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/615soulfood/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/615soulfood/

Image Credits
Photos by Moultry Photography