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How did it all
start? Well, like many
African-American business owners, Charles and Lorraine started from very
humble beginnings. Growing
up in Louisiana, they didn’t have much by way of material possessions,
but they always enjoyed the abundance of loving family and flavorful
cooking.
As
a child Charles was taught by his mother, who was a cook, the
importance of self-reliance and among learning how to do other household
chores, he was taught Southern cooking.
When Charles
and Lorraine married over 34 years ago, they moved to Pontiac, Michigan
were Charles worked in an automobile parts plant and Lorraine worked in
a bank. They had two
children, Lisa and Charles, Jr. and life was good.
Charles would sometimes cook on the
weekends, which was a big treat for the family. Fried Chicken, Bar-B- Q Ribs, Spaghetti, Catfish and his
famous chili were favorites. As
we were enjoying every bite, we would frequently compliment him telling
him how great the food taste. The
kids would constantly say, “Mmmmm, Daddy you could sell this!
Well as the saying goes, be careful what you say, because in 1983 Charles
and Lorraine opened Chuck’s Coney Island.
In
the beginning, Chuck’s Coney sold mainly hotdogs,
hamburgers, and fries, but soon the public demanded home-style cooking.
Chuck started with a little meatloaf and mashed potatoes here and
some baked chicken and macaroni and cheese there.
Lorraine would make a couple of lemon pound cakes and her famous
peach cobbler.
Before you knew it, Chuck’s Coney Island became Chuck’s Coney
& Soul Food offering such delicacies as fried pork chops and catfish,
collard greens and candied yams along with grilled cornbread.
When
Chuck’s Coney & Soul Food was sold in May 1999, it was a sad
day for all.
The only hope was that one day soon, the doors would re-open and
Chuck’s would once again excite the public with its New Orleans style
cooking. That day came.....August 1st 2002....Chuck's on
the Boulevard opened it's doors to the public at it's new location:
Chuck's on the
Boulevard
2105 South Boulevard
Auburn Hills, MI 48326
(248) 210-7995
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