You should come on up to Detroit one day and dive into some of the best soul food traditions in the US. It’s different from Louisiana, of course, but authentic in the sense that it’s all about food traditions passed down generation by generation from a nucleus of Black families who settled Detroit during the post Civil War Industrial Revolution.

We do have some gentrification and food evolution going on, but with Detroit being overwhelmingly Black, it’s mostly Black people doing the gentrification, and prices for even “trendy” soul food restaurants remain accessible. And the food is amazing both in traditional restaurants and more experimental ones.

And yes, we do have kale!