LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Fans of Mary Ellen’s ‘Food for the Soul’ in south Lincoln will soon be able to buy it from grocery stores, rather than out of the restaurant.
Starting Feb. 1, the restaurant hopes to begin manufacturing its meals to be sold at stores across the country.
Owner and founder Charles Phillips says the business began as a food truck in 2017 to honor his late mother and her recipes.
Since 2020, he and his wife Sunya Phillips have also been serving out of their restaurant near 27th and Pine Lake Road, which they plan to keep as a base of operations moving forward.
“We wanted to start getting our product to market because we wanted to make it a household name,” Sunya said.
Once they get USDA approval, the couple said they’ll start off by manufacturing baked beans, collard greens and turkey to be sold in …