Serial entrepreneur. Visionary restaurateur. Owner of a multi-million-dollar portfolio. During a 60-second elevator pitch, most would hone in on those buzzwords describing Ebony Austin, owner of Nouveau Bar & Grill, Nouveau Noir, and Stir House Atlanta. Austin’s community-driven mission has led to her creating and now expanding her stone ground grits line, Nouveau Creations with her manufacturing partner Socu Kitchen, to over 180 Publix stores across Georgia. Beyondish stole a moment to hear about her business vision and passion.
With such a rich restaurant portfolio, how did your manufacturing partnership with Socu Kitchen come about?
I was introduced to Erica Barrett, CEO of Socu Kitchen. We had a meeting and tried samples of grits [to create the Original, Garlic and Herb, and Jalapeño Cheddar flavors]. I loved everything about it, and from there, we started the grits line.
You make it sound so easy. Can you share the start-up story?
I launched it on March 12, 2022. It took us about six months to get everything figured out, including the bag designs, where to get the bags from, making sure the texture was great for us, etc. [Erica and I] went through everything together. What the flavors would taste like, figuring out how to make it so if [someone doesn’t] know how to cook and wanted to make grits, they would just have to boil the water, put it in there and stir. We wanted to make it extremely simple. And that’s what we created.
Ebony Austin, Erica Barrett, and grits!
For those unaware of the HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) experience, can you talk a bit about how your college years shaped the businesswoman you are today?
I went to Langston University in Oklahoma. College was probably the best years of my life, but also the hardest. It motivated me to be an adult and figure things out with no one else around. Your family is not there. You’re figuring this out with your peers because we were all in the same situation. I developed how to be a team member and care for and look after who’s directly next to me when the field is uneven.
All proceeds of every purchase from Nouveau Creations support scholarships for students at HBCUs through your “Grits that Give Back” program. Will you continue that initiative?
That was a promise that I made to God before I even knew that I was going to have a grit line. I always knew that the assignment was way bigger than me.
There is a memorable scene in the movie “My Cousin Vinny” that put grits on the map for a lot of people. What memories do you have around grits?
My grit line means a couple of different things. I initially came up with [the] concept because of my grandmother. [‘She] raised me, and passed when I was nine years old. That was my grandmother’s favorite thing to eat and one of her favorite things to cook. Once I [created the grit line], I decided from there to make this more impactful. That’s where the “Grits that Give Back” initiative came about. Now, I get to give back every single day. I also get to honor my grandmother. That way, I feel like I’ve paid it forward both ways.
What does it feel like to shape your legacy for yourself and future generations?
It feels amazing. The best way to be impactful is to show the community and students that you care. We’re here to be a service to people and help to build a generation that will be unstoppable.
AUTHOR
Allanah Dykes is a freelance writer whose niche is home decor and food, but she has written in almost every field from mental health to political op-eds. Her favorite pastimes are listening to Biggie and Bach and enjoying New York Italian ices and slices
NEXT ON THE DISH
