Little East Street, Brighton
01273 774545 www.mommacherri.co.uk

Open noon-2pm and 5pm-11pm on Tues, Wed and Thurs; noon-2pm and 5pm-midnight on Friday; 11am-midnight on Saturday and 11am-9pm on Sunday.

Review: April 21, 2006

Two years ago it was on the brink of bankruptcy, but thanks to the intervention of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, Momma Cherri's is now setting its sights on world domination.

A second Soul Food restaurant has sprouted, three doors along from the original in the spot where Chinese restaurant Choys used to be. And if things go to plan, there may be more Momma Cherri's coming soon.

Philadelphia-born owner Charita Jones hopes to franchise the business along the same lines as the Hard Rock Cafe.

"I could imagine having Momma Cherri's in Tokyo, New York and Los Angeles," says Charita. "There's a gap in the market for this food and there's no reason it couldn't work, but it would have to be done properly.

"I think it would be a good idea to franchise the restaurant all over England first."

For the time being, however, Charita is concentrating on making customers at the Big House happy. She's also been dipping her fingers in a variety of other Soul Food pies – from teaching at a local college to appearing on Saturday Kitchen with Anthony Worral Thompson and she is planning a trip to Scotland.

"The next big thing is we've been asked to become the restaurant of the Edinburgh Festival. I'm going up there to open a Momma Cherri's just for the month of August," she says.

Charita is the first to admit appearing in Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares has changed her life. The television show, which aired at the beginning of last year, was just the beginning for Momma Cherri's.

"Since the programme went out we have been booked up every weekend, six weeks in advance. That's another reason we expanded. The problem at the Shack was as soon as we had a party of ten people in, and another party of 15, we were full, and we couldn't accommodate any locals, couples or families. I wanted to make it available to more people."

The new premises more than doubles the original restaurant's capacity, seating up to one hundred people.

The old Shack will stay open for large group bookings during the weekend and as a place to teach people how to cook soul food at home.

"We're all really excited about the move," says Charita. "I'm able to do what I used to do and bring in live musicians.

"This is the first time since the restaurant opened five years ago that I've turned over a profit. We were dripping in debt. I think now we're at about zero, making a profit and looking for private backers to finance expansion."

At the heart of Momma Cherri's success is the food – a style of cooking pioneered the by slaves of the American Deep South, who had to create meals out of left-overs.

They used the discarded heads and green stalks of root vegetables like squash, pumpkin and sweet potato, with lots of fresh herbs and spices. While Gordon Ramsay encouraged Charita to tighten discipline in the kitchen, he had no suggestions for improving the food, which he conceded was excellent on his first visit.

As the menu makes clear: "You may come in skinny, but you ain't goin' out that way!" Momma Cherri will appear on ITV's Saturday Kitchen on May 13.

Sample the menu

Starters:
Buffalo hot wings (£4.50)
Cousin Gordon’s sweet potato salad (£4.50)
Catfish goujons (£5.50)

Mains:
Daphne Barker’s Bajan Jerk chicken (£9.50)
Soo’s vegetable gumbo (£9.50)
Brother Brian’s pig feet (£10.50)
Momma Cherri’s Jambalaya (£11)
Soul In A Bowl (£10 lunch/£15 dinner) Includes an assortment of salads, Rev. Daisy’s Southern Fried Chicken, Brother Craig’s BBQ ribs, catfish, goukons, hotwings, macaroni and cheese.

Desserts:
Key Lime Pie (£4.50)
Pecan Pie (£4.50)
Peach or blueberry cobbler (£4.50)

Review by Xenia Gregoriadis

• If you are interested in restaurants in Brighton, Hove and Sussex, visit www.theargusfoodguide.co.uk