{"id":24021,"date":"2024-01-15T20:00:51","date_gmt":"2024-01-16T01:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesoulpitt.com\/main\/?p=24021"},"modified":"2024-01-15T20:04:11","modified_gmt":"2024-01-16T01:04:11","slug":"wilkinsburg-business-spotlight-vickeys-soul-grill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesoulpitt.com\/main\/wilkinsburg-business-spotlight-vickeys-soul-grill\/","title":{"rendered":"Wilkinsburg Business Spotlight: Vickey\u2019s Soul Grill"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo Credit: Greg Sciulli<\/p><\/div>\n

The Pittsburgh region isn\u2019t known for its Southern-style cooking, but Vickey Giddens of Vickey\u2019s Soul Grill is going to change that.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy family is from Crystal Springs, Mississippi, and my father was a chef,\u201d says Giddens. \u201cWhen I was 6 years old, I watched my father, and I let that be my dream, to be a chef like my dad.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today, Giddens has two Vickey\u2019s Soul Grill locations: one at 655 Rodi Road and the other in Wilkinsburg at 807 Wallace Avenue in the Hosanna House. Both offer a menu of items that will make your mouth water.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy popular foods are pork chops fried and smothered, deep-fried salmon croquettes, candied yams, collard greens, black-eyed peas, green beans, and mac and cheese. The oxtails are a number-one hit, and everything\u2019s Southern-style.\u201d<\/p>\n

How did this Mississippi native end up in Pennsylvania? Giddens thought the region would bring great learning opportunities.<\/p>\n

\u201cBelieve it or not, Pittsburgh has a lot of culinary schools. My passion for being somewhere brand-new drew me to love it here, so I went to the University of Pittsburgh and took classes at Katz Graduate School of Business in the Health Department discipline. I was just so eager to learn.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Photo Credit: Greg Sciulli<\/p><\/div>\n

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Photo Credit: Greg Sciulli<\/p><\/div>\n

In addition to Giddens\u2019 talent and drive, she credits her success to the Idea Foundry, a program that \u201ctakes your ideas and brings them into reality.\u201d Founded in 2002, Idea Foundry is a Pittsburgh-based global investor focused on social impact.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey took my vision, dream, and goals and brought them to life. They got me a little kitchen inside the Y in McKeesport, and that\u2019s when it started to prosper from there. They saw that this woman really has something! People were flocking to me like never before.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Idea Foundry connected her with Happy Valley Lunch Box, which also helps entrepreneurs pursue their dreams. She started working with Lunch Box to grow Vickey\u2019s Soul Grill, where she completed six weeks of training \u201cto blossom in the right way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy soul food isn\u2019t fly by night. It\u2019s legit and done professionally. Soul food has a bad rap, that you cook with a lot of fatty things. Not so. I know how to reach your taste buds without all that extra stuff involved. I use the proper seasonings and herbs for each dish. Plus, each one of my items has its own equipment. I don\u2019t want to eat French fries and have them taste like fish.\u201d<\/p>\n

Giddens says she does a lot of food research and even visits other establishments to compare. In addition to serving delicious Southern homestyle cooking, she believes Vickey\u2019s Soul Grill has a lot to offer to the community.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to have real customer service skills and a passion for your food. I aim to please my guests. I\u2019m one-on-one with my customers and love everyone I come in contact with. If something is not right, it\u2019ll be right before you leave this establishment. Your dollar is what makes this place.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Photo Credit: Greg Sciulli<\/p><\/div>\n

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Photo Credit: Greg Sciulli<\/p><\/div>\n

Just as Vickey\u2019s Soul Grill flourished with the right support, the WCDC offers vital resources to help local businesses and entrepreneurs thrive. From developing your business plan to navigating financial hurdles and commercial development, the WCDC provides tailored assistance for every stage of your business journey. Connect with a network of peers and experts, and access valuable workshops and services right here in Wilkinsburg. Visit wilkinsburgcdc.org to explore the many ways that the WCDC can support your business ambitions and contribute to our vibrant community.<\/p>\n

You can find Vickey\u2019s Soul Grill on Rodi Road and the Hosanna House as well as spot it on a commercial airing on Channel 11, MeTV, and PCNC.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Pittsburgh region isn\u2019t known for its Southern-style cooking, but Vickey Giddens of Vickey\u2019s Soul Grill is going to change that. \u201cMy family is from Crystal Springs, Mississippi, and my father was a chef,\u201d says Giddens. \u201cWhen I was 6 … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"xn-wppe-expiration":[],"xn-wppe-expiration-action":[],"xn-wppe-expiration-prefix":[],"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[5,51],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24021","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-business","category-community"],"aioseo_notices":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-12 17:34:09","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesoulpitt.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24021","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesoulpitt.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesoulpitt.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesoulpitt.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesoulpitt.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24021"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/thesoulpitt.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24021\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24027,"href":"https:\/\/thesoulpitt.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24021\/revisions\/24027"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesoulpitt.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24021"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesoulpitt.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24021"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesoulpitt.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24021"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}