The sign outside of 1741 Martin Luther King Way has promised something would be coming soon. Miss Susie’s Newtown Kitchen, a restaurant venture with a distinctly community-centric business plan, stalled in its progress when funding goals were not met. As recently as last month, the cinderblock husk of the building had weeds growing in the unfinished dirt of the foundation. But behind the scenes, chef Golden Monix and his Tableseide backers have been stirring up interest with a food truck version of the Miss Susie’s project now that construction is back on track.

On Sunday, the bright orange food truck parked just outside the site of the unfinished brick-and-mortar restaurant and offered a delicious, pop-up sneak peek at what’s to come. A hearty beef stew over rice came with all the comfort of an American classic, with a silky gravy begging to be soaked up with the cornbread accompaniment. Sides of collard greens and black-eyed peas made use of turkey instead of pork as the meat base, giving the greens a cleaner profile that still retains the weight of the soul food staple. But the winner of the day was undeniably the black-eyed peas. Smoked turkey was mixed into the stew, making the peas glow with all the primordial joy of smoked meat.

All proceeds of Sunday’s sales went to the nonprofit arm of the venture, and if the offerings were any indication of what’s to come, the whole project stands to be self-sustaining in no time.

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