New Hollywood restauranteur Natosha Gonzales has gone from the heat of fire rescue work to the heat of the kitchen, opening a restaurant featuring Southern-style cooking in Hollywood.
Gonzales, who retired from Miami-Dade Fire Rescue as a captain, opened Southern Spice in downtown Hollywood recently, in the space once occupied by Runaro's.
Gonzales says her mother came from Harlem, but her grandmother came from Jacksonville, and her grandfather came from Georgia, giving her a Southern connection. Her grandparents brought their Southern cooking to New York, and passed them down to her mother, who passed then on to Gonzales, who is putting her own spin on things.
Among the dishes on the menu are shrimp and grits, sweet potato fritters, fried pickles crusted with cornmeal, and chicken and waffles. Desserts include bread pudding, and a red-velvet macaron, with cream-cheese ice cream filling, topped with a dark chocolate ganache. Southern Spice also serves wine and beer, and wine-based cocktails.
Gonzales serves lunch and dinner every day but Monday, and live music accompanies Sunday brunch. The restaurant is homey, featuring family photos, a blackboard for kids to draw on, and a television showing the black-and-white films that were favorites of Gonzales' mother. Gonzales says she and her mother always watched them together.
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