Stockholm deserves Alabama Soul Food

My name is Darecko, and I'm the proud founder and owner of Reco's Chicken and Waffles, bringing real Alabama soul food to the people of Stockholm.

I've spent half my life living around the world, and all through this international life, soul food has helped me feel at home. In June 2024, I opened Recos to share some of this with the community in the place I've made my permanent home. I did this in collaboration with Louie Louie, the popular restaurant that’s been in this location for more than 15 years.

Within the first 6 months, we served more than 5000 meals to people who already love soul food, and those who wanted a taste of real Alabama home cooking. We introduced even more of my favorites: creamed corn, cornbread, and creamy mac and cheese—and we’re not done yet. We know that this concept works, and we’ve been building momentum ever since.

Today, however, I'm reaching out with a combination of excitement and a heavy heart. I'm excited because Reco's has become a welcoming space for delicious meals, good music, and happy memories. But my heart is heavy because, due to an issue with the housing board, we need to relocate the restaurant to a new building.

A new space is an opportunity to take what we've built so far with Reco's and turn it into something even greater—more delicious menu items, room for more hungry soul food lovers, and more events. We’d also be able to get an alcohol license .(Yep, this concept is so strong that we’ve even made it work without alcohol—in Södermalm!). But it also comes with significant costs. There will be renovations—an affordable turnkey space is very rare—equipment, permits, and moving services.

To make this happen, we need a total of 1 500 000kr. We’re also out pitching investors, since we don’t expect to raise all of that through small donations, but we need our community's help to make this transition possible. We’re grateful for every donation, every recommendation, and every kind word.