In the South, food is a love language.
We cook to celebrate good things, and we cook to comfort when times aren’t so good.
For Savannah’s Eric and Veronica Cooper, cooking is a way to show how much they love their community. After losing their restaurant jobs due to the pandemic, they wanted to work for themselves.
“We’ve always cooked. My husband has been a chef for 30 plus years. I’ve been cooking since I was 11-years-old,” said Veronica.
“We were going to get a food truck, and we changed our minds. We didn’t know how the economy was going to go.”
After a few months, they decided to apply for a catering license and simply cook from their home in Savannah’s Victory Heights neighborhood. They named their takeout and delivery restaurant The Concept.
Erica and Veronica work together to put together a menu that tastes good and makes people happy.
They offer tried-and-true favorites like fried chicken and shrimp and grits, but they also offer dishes like crab-stuffed salmon that remind us of pre-pandemic nights on the town with friends.
The star of the menu is their blue velvet cake. Yes, that’s right. Blue velvet. It has a hint of blueberries.
Eric is well aware of the hardships some people are going through right now. He tells me that part of their business plan was to make food that anyone could afford.
“Most expensive thing on the menu is the ribeye steak.”
The care that Eric and Veronica put into The Concept is obvious from the way the food is prepared to the way it’s packaged.
Everything is made from scratch with fresh ingredients.
“People always ask us if our crab meat is imitation,” said Eric.
“I tell them don’t insult me. I don’t do imitation.”
Instead of throwing containers into a plastic bag, every order is neatly packaged in a brown paper bag along with napkins wrapped in paper butterflies.
“The butterfly signifies freedom,” said Veronica.
After years of working for others, they now have the freedom to make their dreams a reality.
Their dreams aren’t done yet. Eric and Veronica are adding more vegetarian options to the menu, and in October, will begin selling whole pies. They also plan to move The Concept out of their home and into a separate building.
If you’re interested in trying The Concept for yourself, you can order by phone or through the DoorDash and UberEats apps.
The Concept 2222 E 43rd Street Savannah, GA (912) 436-5564 Open Wednesday - Sunday
