Press Kit
soulPhoodie
Blessed and Highly Flavored
Nashville, TN · soulphoodie.com
The Brand
Black food culture built American food. It shows up on menus and in cookbooks constantly, and almost never gets the credit or the shelf space.
soulPhoodie makes kitchen goods and apparel that put the story back on the object. An apron named for somebody's grandmother. A tee that remembers Mahalia Jackson opened a fried chicken franchise in 1968 and called it Glori-Fried.
The line launched in November 2025 out of Nashville. Aprons are the flagship, cut from 9.5 oz cotton canvas with double-stitched seams and oversized pockets, built to be used and not hung on a hook.
The Founder
Derek Kirk has spent nearly a decade curating Black food culture news daily, and 20+ years before that marketing national restaurant chains. He holds an MBA from Wharton and a BBA from North Carolina Central University.
That daily habit built an audience of more than 125,000 people who show up for the stories first. soulPhoodie is what happens when that archive becomes a product line.
Fast Facts
- Founded: Nashville, TN. Store launched November 2025.
- Community: 99K on X, 21K on Instagram, 6K on Threads.
- Line: five aprons, tees, hoodies, wine bags, canvas totes, and Afromuses tea towels featuring licensed artwork by Chris Ofili.
- Pricing: Aprons $49 to $59. Tees $35.95.
- Fulfillment: ships from Nashville.
- Audience: 92% cook regularly. 84% women. Core age 45 to 64.
The Line
Family Collection Aprons. Each apron carries a name and a person behind it, the people who ran the kitchens most of us grew up in.
Mahalia Jackson Glori-Fried Chicken Tee. In 1968 the queen of gospel launched a fried chicken chain. Most people have never heard the story.
Afromuses Tea Towels. Licensed watercolor portraits by Chris Ofili, printed on cotton and made for the kitchen, not the wall.
Wine Bag and Canvas Tote. Built for the thing you bring when you show up to somebody's house.
Press Contact
Derek Kirk, Founder
derek@soulphoodie.com · 407-758-8318
soulphoodie.com · @soulPhoodie
Samples available on request.
