Soul on Shawmut: serving the community with love and great food

Banner Food & Travel Sponsored by Meet Boston

After noticing that there were no soul food restaurants in his beloved Roxbury, Aadam Abdul-Musawwir and his siblings, Mohammed and Iman Lamontagne, decided that they should create their own.

Hence, Soul on Shawmut was born and was officially open for the community in November 2024 at 722 Shawmut Ave.

Aadam Abdul-Musawwir, shown here, and his siblings, Mohammed and Iman Lamontagne, serve up soul food classics and more at their Roxbury restaurant Soul on Shawmut. PHOTO: COURTESY OF SOUL ON SHAWMUT

Some of the food best-sellers include their chopped cheese sandwich, smoked mac-and-cheese and fried chicken.

Abdul-Musawwir, who is the chef of the restaurant, talked about what a blessing the restaurant is for him.

“Our amazing restaurant is a blessing that I didn’t think I would be able to have this soon, but you know, everything is for a reason, and it all falls in place. This is a place, a building, a neighborhood, that I have so much connection to, and spent so much of my life around, so for me to get the space really means a lot,” he said. 

Soul on Shawmut serves up soul food classics and more. PHOTO: COURTESY OF SOUL ON SHAWMUT

He spoke about how he worked on the concept of the restaurant for two years before its opening, after having to travel to different places to get soul food. Aadam said that what makes the restaurant’s food stand out is that there is more intentionality and work behind the food they create.

“You’re going to get a little of the mixture of what’s new and trendy, then you’re going to get a little bit more kitchen techniques in the background. There might be a little bit of a disconnect between your traditional soul food and what we eat right now, but this is what the neighborhood eats,” he said. 

Another factor that makes Soul on Shawmut stand apart is the active involvement and support of the Abdul-Musawwir family. Aadam spoke about how supportive his family and friends have been in making sure the restaurant runs smoothly.

Soul on Shawmut serves up soul food classics and more. PHOTO: COURTESY OF SOUL ON SHAWMUT

“I would say anyone and everyone who could have helped me, I was able to get them to help or play a part in building it. … A lot of people put their hands in it with their own expertise — helping me get it going,” he said. “Having good people around is an understatement … something that I couldn’t put a number value to.”

Aadam said it is important to own spaces like Soul on Shawmut, as a Black entrepreneur, to not only have for our communities but also to represent our communities well to newcomers.

He also spoke about how the restaurant is his conduit for giving back to his community.

“It’s really me focused on giving back to my community,” he said. “To be (at Soul on Shawmut) is an honor … that I got the privilege to serve the people who’ve helped me grow up, and the people who helped me most of my life.”