In Hartford, court will soon be in session in the kitchen at Guilty Kitchen and Lounge.
Destanie Chappell is the judge, getting ready to hold court at her brand new restaurant, hosting its grand opening this weekend.
“We can change guilty...put a spin on it and make it positive. We’re guilty for serving good food. We’re guilty for serving great experiences, great drinks. We’re just guilty. But in a positive way,” said Chappell.
The idea for the court-themed restaurant is years in the making. Chappell is a self-taught chef and decided to open the restaurant following a successful run serving meals she cooked in her home kitchen. She’s proud to represent something positive as a Black business owner in her hometown.
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“Our menu, we have pre-trial, we have verdicts, we have small claims, we have juveniles for our kids' menu.”
The menu is full of soul food favorites that Chappell says she wanted to offer in a sit-down style restaurant, something that’s hard to find in Hartford.
“You can come, you can sit down, you can eat, enjoy drinks and food and listen to music.”
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After operating in soft-open mode for the summer, Chef Destanie’s preparing to cut the ribbon at a grand opening Sunday. She’s hoping the diners will say her soul food creations are guilty of being good.
