Sol Sips Owner Francesca Chaney Speaks On the Ultimate Love Language: Food
Some eat to live; others live to eat. The owner of Sol Sips, Francesca Chaney, lives to curate and share healthy food with the world. From juicing to opening a Michelin-reviewed restaurant to going on tour with Oprah, Chaney has built a community focused on wellness and love. Between taking customers' orders and coordinating DoorDash deliveries, we spoke to the young restaurateur about all things Sol Sips and beyond.
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Food insecurity is a big issue in Black communities, especially healthy foods. Did that factor into your decision to start Sol Sips?
My initial interest was in plant-based foods and overall wellness. Over time, I realized that being in a neighborhood with a mixed demographic, like Bushwick (Brooklyn, NYC), meant that I needed to contribute something positive to the community. And when it comes to plant-based foods, there is usually such a high price point that I made a conscious effort to be affordable so everybody can have access to and enjoy healthy foods.
That's very commendable! You're fairly young. At what age did you start this business?
I conceptualized Sol Sips when I was 18, but it was really just a hobby at that point. From juicing to making teas and cooking plant-based foods for the health and wellness of family, friends, and myself. About six months after I started, my cousin allowed me to do a pop-up shop every weekend at his store in Crown Heights (Brooklyn, NYC), which I was also working at. I would sell my juices, and it grew to the point where I got a semi-permanent pop-up around the time I was 21, which is when we officially opened Sol Sips as a brick and mortar in 2017.
Most people are still figuring out who they are and what they want to do with their lives at 21.
Food is love, and I believe that it brings us together. I can think back to family dinners and how interacting over food was such a big part of my upbringing. This restaurant is an extension of that love.
Beautifully said! Would you consider yourself a food activist?
I wouldn't call myself any one thing because I'm not one thing. I wear many hats, but I will say because of all the food deserts in our communities, that I am very mindful of how we utilize my food. We work with different organizations that do food drives and hospitals that do cooking classes. I do feel a responsibility to share what I've been blessed with and to teach as I learn.
So you can't be pigeonholed or put into a box?
Everything I do is so fluid. I'm connecting with food differently now by learning how to grow food, whereas when I started, it was solely based on opening the restaurant.
You mentioned family earlier. Would you consider them your biggest influence?
I've had a lot of influences and mentors throughout my life, whether it be my mom and cousins, who have been plant-based for years, or Black business owners, like the corner store where I grew up, which was owned by a Black woman.
Representation matters! How do you feel about being a role model for young Black women and representing them?
I think what I'm doing and how we've shaped the food scene over the past few years definitely lends itself to a lead by example approach. I'll always encourage people to live out their vision and walk in their purpose.
Following your dreams is easier said than done. What difficulties have you incurred being a restauranteur, an entrepreneur, and doing it all as a Black woman?
The NYC restaurant industry is white-male dominated, so in the beginning, looking around and not seeing people who looked like me was hard. Fortunately, I'm in a community with a lot of Black restauranteurs who have served as mentors, such as Marcus Samuelsson. When I was first starting out, he told me it would be a long journey, but he was very encouraging, and watching him still be motivated after 20-plus years has been very inspirational.
Learning from people who have been where we hope to go is imperative. If this wasn't your chosen path, what would you be doing?
I'd be on a farm or a vineyard. I really like wine, so I'd probably be a sommelier.
Nothing says mission accomplished like a glass of wine. Do you see a route to being a sommelier as your ultimate "I made it" goal?
I want to see our food develop into being on shelves in grocery stores and our products become a household name. Also, learn how to grow the materials to make everything coming out of Sol Sips be farm to table.
How do you make sure the quality doesn't get diluted?
Making [food] in small batches. I'm still very much hands-on with the product and believe in quality over quantity. Even when we're ten years down the line and we have larger facilities, I still want everything to be handmade. Using fresh ingredients, no preservatives, and not processing the food are key steps.
With your focus being health and us being in a pandemic, how has the business changed?
I read somewhere close to 2,000 restaurants closed in NYC during the first year of the pandemic, and that was jarring. Also, our location being on Knickerbocker Avenue in Brooklyn, which is a business strip, and seeing different businesses come and go was scary. So, it's been a blessing that our patrons appreciate and support what we're doing. And we've also had to adapt. We started doing meal kits, started shipping nationwide, and started doing virtual cooking classes.
Not only did you adapt, but you thrived. You were on Oprah's 2020 Vision Tour. How does being recognized by someone of her stature make you feel?
It was a dream come true because I've always wanted to work with Oprah, so when I found out that we were going to be on her tour, I couldn't stop smiling. It makes me blush to this day (laughs). When she came to Brooklyn, she was with Michelle Obama, and I got to be in the space with them, and I got to bring my sisters! It was amazing!
You've said "we" a lot, and I can see your team working really hard behind you. How important is having a team so that you can focus on expanding?
None of this is possible without them. I'm a multitasker but still human, and they are the lifeline of this restaurant. We've become a hybrid model, and their role can't be overstated.
The love you have for the community, family, and your team is beautiful. Do you ever fear being detached from them as you become more successful?
Not at all! My success is our success and always will be.
