From Soul to Soul: West Side Food Vendor Brings Homemade Soul Food, Fresh Produce & Community Flavor to a Local Food Desert

By Leeshia Lee

Food isn’t just something we eat, it’s something we feel. It carries memory, culture, and emotion and sometimes tradition in every bite. The smell of a meal can take you back years, to a kitchen filled with laughter, to hands that are cooked with love and intention. When the food is good, word travels. Before long, people are coming from all over just to see what everyone’s been talking about.

It’s connection. 

The corner of 4th and Florida on Charleston’s west side showcased her ability to reach out and touch the tastebuds of customers, as people pulled up left and right to place orders. One customer seemed heartbroken when she found out that whatever she came to order was gone.  Directly across from a vacant car wash, on a part of Central Avenue that once thrived but now feels desolate, Carol Hines Soul to Soul is booming. Her business is living proof that if you build it, they will come. And she has built a constant base of clientele that has no issue of pulling up to the heart of the West Side to fill their stomachs with a soulful meal. Hines says “they love the food, they keep coming back. And I’m here to stay” 

I asked her how she got here, to the corner with a tent and a smile. She replied ”I was a chef, still am a chef,  at the Civic Center. When COVID happened, I got bored.” That boredom sparked an idea to invest in herself. She took a leap of faith, “ I bought two fryers, started out with wings, fish and fries. That wasn’t enough. I had to add sides.” Not only has her clientele grown but her menu has too. “I went from soul food to Jamaican food to Italian food, a little bit of everything, and I just haven’t stopped.”  

She gives credit to both her family and television for shaping her culinary skills and inspiring her journey.

“I learned it all from watching all the Food Network shows, and I just kept on going and going and going and started just experimenting, and then I just got better and better. Never stopped.”

Her journey reflects a self-taught grind and gives proof that consistency and curiosity can truly build real skill over time.

Being the oldest sibling contributed to experience with cooking. “ My mother has 13 kids and I’m the second oldest, so I cooked for all of them. Started from my mom to my grandma, and I just kept on going.”

Because quitting was never an option; even with the pitfalls of running a small food tent, staying self-sufficient remains the mission.  Although she doesn’t have a building she proudly states “I am the owner, sole owner of this operation. I also buy my own food and prepare it all, I cook it all and I serve it. So it’s just me basically. And I have my grand babies and my family, it’s family oriented, so we help one another, they help me.”

She’s not only building a business but creating a legacy rooted in independence, hard work, and a family-centered foundation where everyone plays a part. The kids help take orders, prepare meals, and greet customers. 

The West Side sits in the middle of a food desert, where residents have long voiced concerns about limited access to healthy options. When asked about working with local farmers, she expressed strong interest, noting that she already takes matters into her own hands by growing her own vegetables each summer—collard greens, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, cauliflower, and onions, doing it all herself to help fill the gap.

Operating a small food tent comes with daily obstacles, for her the most troublesome is setting up, breaking down, and navigating unpredictable weather conditions all add layers of difficulty. Despite these challenges, she continues to expand her presence through catering, pop-ups, and festival appearances. Looking ahead, she hopes to transition into a brick-and-mortar location or food truck, and is actively seeking resources and support to make that goal a reality, one that would provide stability and help with the demands of her growing business.

She is doing something right that keeps her customers coming back to get more of her cooking. Her collard greens have become a must-have item among customers, drawing people back time and time again.  

“They gotta have the collard greens. Collard greens, the wings. I mean, I can go on, but the collard greens, if I come outside without collard greens, really, it’s an issue.”

You can tell she is passionate about what she puts on those plates. 

 ”Because passion is what you really need, and that’s been built in me passion, love.”

She believes you can’t fake the love for cooking. “I don’t want people to think that, you know, you go out and you wanna work somewhere to prepare food if you don’t like what you’re doing, because it’s gonna show on your food.”

Maybe that’s why people have no problem pulling up to her tent in the heart of the West Side because what she serves goes beyond food.

“So I come from the heart, the soul. That’s why it’s called Carol’s Soul to Soul. So it comes from my soul to soul, and I believe in it.”

She’s serving soul food as it was meant to be served, with love and culture. 

If you’re looking for a new twist on foodie favorites, follow Soul to Soul to find up where they will be setting up. 

Pop-It Location Calendar

• April 4 – 4th & Florida
• April 11 – Bigley Field
• April 25 – The Blvd (YWCA Event)

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🎥 Watch this story come to life on Foodie Fridays with Leeshia Watson—now on YouTube.