Savannah Soul food truck, owned by Fort Wayne native Bridget Jones, delivers on her promise of southern comfort food with a menu that hasn’t changed since its 2016 first year. “And I better not take [an item] off,” said Jones. Her offerings are headlined by chicken, fish, and shrimp, with sides of collard greens, dressing, and fried okra. Her peach cobbler and chicken with waffles remain the most popular choices.

What has changed now are the venues where Savannah Soul parks. The summer would have meant working at concerts and festivals, including the annual Arts United’s Taste of Arts festival, but COVID-19 has substantially impacted Jones’ work. Thanks to an aggressive ad campaign, Savannah Soul has seen an uptick in corporate clients and (maybe longing for some togetherness) family reunions.

In the early 2000s, Jones began as a food entrepreneur and owner of a storefront restaurant named BJ’s Seafood Heaven, out of a strip plaza on Fort Wayne’s southeast side. One of her employees, an “excellent chef” as described by Jones, was none other than Phresh Laundry himself, artist Theoplis Smith. (He provided some art, of course.) The store closed its doors in 2005.

After several moves around the country, Jones returned to Fort Wayne with the intent to re-enter the cooking business, but without a physical location. With a loan from Brightpoint, Jones bought her first trailer.

Jones still works full-time at Lincoln Financial; her Savannah Soul weekends sometimes start on Thursday. She plans to team up with delivery companies, like GrubHub and open new revenue streams with a digital approach. savannahsoul.org