Soul food. The heartbeat of the south. A manifestation of love. Southern soul food has a place in anyone who’s tasted a bite's heart. Those lucky enough to be born in the South grew up with all the savor and flavor of cornbread, fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, sweet tea, and everything in between.
As the great Shirley Caesar sang, “beans, greens, tomatoes, potatoes, you name it!” That is what Down South Family Restaurant and Bar, increasingly known as DSF, is bringing to downtown Fayetteville. Located at 106 Person Street, DSF is the newest restaurant to move in downtown. The restaurant is open Tuesday- Saturday from 11 a.m.- 8 p.m. Lunch hours are from 11 a.m.- 3 p.m. and offer all the menu favorites, just smaller portions. Dinner hours are from 3 p.m.- 8 p.m. and offer the full menu. Weekly specials include Taco Tuesday, Wednesday Wine and Wing, and $5 Tequila Thursday.
Owners and Fayetteville natives, Mario Wilson and his wife, Ayanna Wilson, affectionately known as The Wilsons, are excited to bring a new dining experience to Fayetteville. The idea for DSF was born from their time living on the West Coast and the lack of soul food restaurants. “We were in California about 2 years ago. And in California, all you can get is tacos and pizza. There were no soul food restaurants… He started brainstorming,” Ayana said.
“I was like, let’s just open a restaurant. The name just popped into my head. I said DSF, Down South Family. So what we’re going to do is start over here, originally where we’re from, North Carolina. Right here in Ft. Bragg, Ft. Liberty now. We are going to open up one restaurant down south, where we’re from and then we’re going to bring the rest to California and on the West Coast. We’re going to go from California to Utah to Arizona, everywhere on the West Coast. And we’re going to open up DSF,” the Wilsons explained.
DSF is not like any other soul food restaurant in town. The Wilsons have taken great care in elevating the soul food dining experience. Mrs. Wilson is passionate about this, saying,
“A lot of people associate soul food with cheap food and I just don’t agree with that. …Soul food can be elegant, it can be classy. With Down South Family we’re advocating for our food and our atmosphere and our location and our experience. You can go to any soul food restaurant and get some good food. But when you go to a soul food restaurant, you want to relax, you want to hear jazz, you want it to bring back some memories of when you were with your family. When you were down south. We are family oriented… We are here to serve food.”
From the moment patrons walk in until they leave, DSF provides a relaxing experience, free of televisions and other trendy stables, allowing patrons to enjoy not just the ambiance but what they came for, the food. Everything at DSF is made with love and family recipes. Like so many of their fellow restaurants downtown, DSF sources some of their food locally.
“We do have our neighbor here, Mr. Greg. He owns the farmers market right here on Person Street. We source our sweet potatoes from him.” said Mrs. Wilson.
All menu items, including dessert, are made from scratch and to order, a fact the owners are proud of and a standard that allows them to serve up some of the best food in not just the city, but the country.
“Everything is made from scratch. Everything is cooked to order. If you don’t have 15-20 minutes to wait, call ahead…We have the bar. And it does what it does. But nothing compares to the food. People come for the food.,” Mrs. Wilson explained.
Although they are the new kids on the block, The Wilsons have already received massive support from community members and fellow business owners.
“It's been amazing. The Downtown Alliance and the Cool Springs District have welcomed us with open arms. A lot of businesses here on the strip have come in and welcomed us and supported us. It’s truly been amazing. We couldn’t have asked for a better neighborhood, a better location,” Mrs. Wilson said. Nothing would be possible without the support and the Wilsons have a great support system; from family to employees, they are grateful for everyone that makes DSF possible.
“Ms. Pearline, our grandma, she has helped us out a lot. If you’ve ever come to Down South, Pearline's barbeque is her barbeque sauce. Every sauce has the Pearline touch on it. Ms. Taniesha Sanders helps us out a lot with the cakes. And our wonderful staff, they help us out a lot. If it wasn’t for our ladies, we wouldn’t be able to do it without them. Honestly, it’s the team. The family. They make us who we are. If weren’t for them there wouldn’t be a Down South Family.”