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Ralph Mann wants his Waffles and Soul restaurant in Bellport to be the spot where hungry people go to unwind and reconnect with themselves and others.
The tone is set by the classic R&B and soul music that plays in the dining room.
“We want you to feel a feeling when you come in here,” said Mann, 42, of Brentwood.
And “when you hear the old-school music, we want you to connect to a time when it was simpler in life. Music like this resonates with everybody, good times, good vibes, good energy.”
Customers can order ahead, take out or sit inside and and soak in tunes from the likes of Marvin Gay and Al Green, the same music that played on loop in Mann’s childhood home as his mom, aunt and grandma cleaned the house on Saturday mornings.
Of course, family traditions pervade the palate as well. Mann’s grandmother passed away in February 2021, but he works to honor her memory at Waffle and Soul with her recipes.
“This is the time to keep her legacy going,” he said. “When I think ‘Waffles and Soul,’ I don’t think about soul food. I think about connections to something deep in your heart and your soul.”
Mann quietly opened the business at 461 Station Road with a partner on June 27. GreaterPatchogue paid a visit Tuesday.
About the menu
Mann has twisted and combined many of his grandmother’s recipes to satisfy both the older and newer generations.
This is perhaps most clear with the Soul Tower.
The waffle itself is made from house-made mac and cheese that’s covered in candied yams, and topped with fried chicken tenders and drizzled with candied yam sauce.
The dish is rooted in Mann’s childhood.
As a kid, he would mix his grandmother’s candied yams and mac and cheese together in his plate for a salty and sweet delight. And he is certain others will enjoy the combination.
Classic chicken and waffle fans can order up, well, The Classic. That’s a buttermilk waffle, four wings and two sides.
Those looking for something with some different colors and flavors might gravitate toward the Red Sea, which is a red velvet waffle topped with a fried lobster tail with two sides.
Mann is currently gearing up for Waffle and Soul’s grand opening party slated for July 30.
Among other deals, the restaurant will offer $1 wings from 2 to 5 p.m. and $5 wing or tender boxes. Mann will also offer free ice cream for kids 13 and under, a crowd for which he hopes to create some new childhood memories.
“Everything is homestyle, the way we were cooking on a Sunday,” Mann said. “That’s from my mom’s potato salad she makes fresh here, to everything down to the Nana’s Iced Tea and Pop-Pop’s Lemonade. That’s my mom and dad, what they used to make for us. It wouldn’t be all the time, but it was something I remember.
“I want to taste that, so now I sell it in my store.”
Top photo: Ralph Mann at Waffles and Soul on Tuesday, holding a red velvet waffle with fried lobster, which is called the Red Sea. (Nicholas Grasso)
