June helps mark the celebration of Pride Month, which some LGBTQ+ advocates said looks and feels different this year.

In June 2020, Texas Highways profiled chef and restauranteur Jonny Rhodes of Indigo in Houston. Shortly after the story was published, Rhodes announced on Instagram he would close Indigo for good after one more year of service. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down restaurants in Texas in March, Rhodes temporarily closed Indigo to launch Broham Fine Soul Food & Groceries. Indigo will reopen on July 23 and close on July 24, 2021, giving diners nearly 365 days of chances to taste Rhodes remarkable dishes. I had always told people when we first opened Indigo that Indigo was going to be a stepping stone.

Detailing the struggle it has been to open and keep Indigo in business, the owners announced in an emotional Instagram post that the restaurant will reopen for one year before permanently closing. It has damaged me in every way imaginable, owner and chef Jonny Rhodes wrote. The restaurant was forced to suddenly close in March as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. During the closure, the owners pursued plans to open a fulltime grocery store and farm. Whilst we had plans to work towards a grocery store in the fall, the sudden global pandemic closed our restaurant for public safety concerns.

Over the course of the two-and-a-half-hour meal, chef and restaurant owner Jonny Rhodes explains each dish, as he interprets it, to his guests. Historically, soul food has always been made from leftovers and scraps. Rhodes turns a traditional soul food dish into something that everyone can enjoy. The new venture is called Broham Fine Soul Food & Groceries. Whether in his market or restaurant, Rhodes is challenging what soul food could and should be.