By Shawn Nowlin
If you were asked to explain the difference between soul food and Southern food, how would you respond?
Arton “Bram” Williams, owner of the successful family business Caribbica Soul Restaurant at 215 Market Street, explained, “For starters, not all Southern food meets the criteria for soul food. All soul food, however, is definitely Southern. Historically prepared and consumed by Black folks in the South, soul food is ethnic cuisine. Anyone from the South can make Southern food.”
Created six years ago, the eatery is open from noon to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and for an extra hour on Saturday. For $25 or less, practically everything can be ordered off the menu, including beverages. Fan favorites include Whole Red Snapper Fish, Braised Oxtail, the Caribbica Soul Salad and, of course, jerk chicken.
To get a better sense of different cultures, Williams and his family have visited many different countries over the years.
Restaurant regulars like Rodney Saunders say the combination of food quality and atmosphere is unmatched. “Roanoke has no shortage of quality dining options. What makes Caribbica Soul stand out is the love they put into every dish. Their menu caters to almost every palate. I became a fan the first time I walked through the doors,” he said.
Born in the Central America city of Belize, Williams says he learned about tradition and the power of cooking from his mother and grandmother. While living in New York City, he met his wife whose family migrated from the south to the Big Apple. Her mother, Gussie, a kitchen manager at their church, taught her all of the soul food cooking traditions.
“It was important that we mixed both of our family traditions together,” he said. “We took a bit of the Caribbean and some of the South and blended it together to create Caribbica Soul.”
When the couple moved to Roanoke, it didn’t take long before both fell in love with the city. They opened their first restaurant on Patterson Avenue, Millenium, in 2000. That experience prepared them for this chapter in their lives.
“So many lessons were learned at Millenium. There are no shortcuts to success,” Williams said. “Whether a business succeeds or fails often comes down to things out of your control. Adversity is going to happen in life. How you deal with it determines everything.”
He added, “Years later, Virginia Western surprised my wife with a massive billboard when she graduated from the school’s culinary art program. That gave us even more confidence to pursue our dreams.”
Four years ago, when country music superstar Kacey Musgraves was in town to headline FloydFest, she stopped by Caribbica Soul. So impressed was she with the eatery that she arranged for Williams and his family to be VIPs at her sold-out performance.
“She encouraged us to bring some food, especially jerk chicken. It was actually our daughter Artisha who made us realize just how big a deal she was. She was so down to earth and made us feel like family,” he said. “After sharing her Caribbica Soul experience with her 1.5 million followers on Instagram, we received more calls and order requests than we could’ve ever imagined.”
Before opening Caribbica Soul, Williams was working at a job where he felt underappreciated. Asked to reflect on his life journey, he said, “One day, I was informed that I was going to be let go. I took that as a sign to pursue my ultimate goal of being an entrepreneur with my family right by my side. Not one day has passed since that I’ve regretted that decision.”
