Back to the Source

Audrey “Chef Audy” Peeples wears a lot of hats.

She is the chef/owner of Souls Ground Cafe in the Benton Harbor, Michigan, Arts District, cooking up chicken, tacos, quesadillas, bowls and more on a grill outside (while waiting to install a hood for inside cooking). Her signature dish, the Falaco, is homemade falafel in a taco with its own vegan sauce, pickled onion and pico de gallo.

She is an advocate for healthy, lighter, plant-forward meals and sourcing from local, sustainable producers. “Souls Ground foods is not soul food per se, but food for the soul. It’s reconnecting food to its source,” she says.

In her Souls Ground Garden, Peeples grows microgreens, savory and medicinal herbs, and cannabis, for which she is a licensed Michigan medicinal grower and caregiver, helping patients with diseases like cancer and diabetes.

As an herbalist, she offers teas and Tonic Shots with organic herbs and extracts for healing (one is for high blood pressure, one for immunity), along with coffee, smoothies and juice at the bar in the front of her café.

She also plays drums and percussion in Sankofa, an eclectic soul band that has performed in the area for a decade. The name comes from the Ashanti tribe in Ghana, Africa, says Peeples, and means reaching back to your history and bringing knowledge into the future as a foundation to build on.

Peeples has been doing just that since she returned to Benton Harbor—“where I was ‘grown,’ so to speak,” she says—sharing her diverse passions and fostering community in her hometown.

 “You do have to have a passion to want to stand 10, 12 hours and it’s 90° or 100° in the summertime in the kitchen, but each plate leaves a little bit of yourself on it,” she says. “It’s definitely love, there is definitely a passion. And that’s why I’m still doing it.”

Souls Ground Cafe

Benton Harbor, MI

facebook.com/SoulsGroundCafe

M-F 10:30am–6:30pm

Sat 10:30am—3:30pm

Q&A with Chef Audy

What made you want to become a chef?

At around 4 years of age, I used to watch my grandmother cook and can foods mostly grown in my grandfather's garden. My parents worked and my grandparents would babysit me. I laugh as I think back—most kids probably had bologna or peanut butter sandwiches for lunch. I had fried chicken, greens with smoked hocks, black-eyed peas and, depending on the season, a deep-dish fruit cobbler for dessert.

I realized early on that I wanted to professionally cook foods made with the same type of love my grandma made for me.

How would you describe the food scene in Benton Harbor/St. Joe today?

For the most part, it’s still tourist-driven eating establishments. But there is a slow emergence of chef-driven foods. Some are part of the new breweries opening, and others are small local craft food restaurants, including my own, in the downtown Benton Harbor Arts District. The potential is great for a food scene to come into fruition. Benton Harbor has some pretty savvy “foodies” who are attuned to the seasons, farm-fresh fruits, produce, meats and sustainable seed-to-table cuisine. 

What are some of your favorite local restaurants?
My favorite breakfast/brunch spot is also in the Benton Harbor Arts District: The Mason Jar Café. They use organic and local foods on their menu. The meals are always consistent, fresh and seasonal. My favorite dish is their Smoked Salmon Scramble. It’s served with homestyle potatoes and a choice of fresh breads for toast, or a pancake for a small upcharge. Their Bloody Marys are a perfect accompaniment. 

I also have to mention my favorite local restaurant for Sunday dinner: Dialos Cafe, some of the best soul food around. When I don’t feel like cooking, I love getting dinner from there. They have dine-in but are mostly take-out, so you can enjoy your dinner at home.

Favorite music to cook by?

Usually it’s a choice between “Jazz House” “Chicago House” or “Soul/Funk/Chill.”

Go-to meal at home?

A nice simple bowl of “real” ramen with kimchi or mixed green garden salad topped with sardines.

Lisa Barnett de Froberville is a French teacher and translator and the managing editor of Edible Michiana.