Chad Simmons soul food background anchors new role with Truth and Reconciliation Commission

Do something about it or shut up.

That’s what Carol Cater-Simmons told her husband when he noticed how Iowa City suffered from a lack of black-owned businesses when he returned 15 years ago.

“I must say, she said it lovingly,” Chad Simmons told the Press-Citizen.

The conversation inspired the creation of the Iowa Soul Restaurant Partners, which led to a pair of new businesses − the Iowa Soul Food Market and Sweetie Pie Chicken & Fish Fry.

He also piloted the Cedar Rapids-based Diversity Focus nonprofit and founded the Iowa Soul Festival.

On Tuesday, Simmons was appointed the newest member of Iowa City’s Ad Hoc Truth and Reconciliation Commission. He will fill one of two slots opened by the resignations of Kevo Rivera and Mohamed Traore. Louis Tassinary will fill the second position.

Simmons runs North Liberty restaurant with his wife

Simmons, 57, is a graduate of the University of Iowa's Tippie College of Business MBA program, having worked in human resources for years before eventually leaving the field. His career took him to Georgia, Denver and New Jersey, but Iowa kept tugging at him.

Simmons left his job in Chicago in 2008, returning to Iowa City, jumpstarting his role as a key community voice striving to advance diversity and equity.

He took over the Diversity Focus a few years later, a nonprofit that was focused on “creat[ing] a sustainable, innovative culture of inclusiveness and success…” according to the organization’s LinkedIn page.

Simmons aims to create a welcoming, inclusive environment conducive to helping people thrive.

While he eventually made the difficult decision to shutter his initial restaurant ventures − the soul market and Sweetie Pie's − he said he gained valuable experience, turning mistakes into success at his newest restaurant, Sugapeach Chicken & Fish Fry, a soul food restaurant he runs with his wife Carol in North Liberty.

“Our goal was primarily to create an environment that will make people feel warm and welcome that has very good food,” Simmons said. “We use a lot of generic recipes. Then my wife got thoroughly involved and started to bring her family recipes and things started to take off for us.”

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Sugapeach as integrated Simmons' southern heritage in addition to his wife's recipes to create a menu full of soulful favorites, including cornmeal-battered catfish, beer-battered cod, fried chicken, potato salad, green beans and collard greens.

The Sugapeach name is derived from his original restaurant, by changing sweetie to suga and pie to peach, he told the Press-Citizen.

Simmons and his wife have high aspirations, hoping to see it branch out across the country. Currently, the North Liberty location is the only one, though a new spot in Macon, Georgia, is coming soon.

Simmons said they hope to expand five locations across the country.

The restaurant’s focus is to create a community-based, spirit-minded spot, which Simmons says also applies to his other interests, including his new role on Iowa City’s Truth & Reconciliation Commission. The idea is also the basis behind The Soul Festival.

The Soul Festival was founded with community in mind

The Soul Festival, now known as the Soul & Blues Festival, is an annual culmination of artists from several Black-inspired genres, from soul to R&B.

“We wanted to do something that brought people together,” Simmons said.

The 2022 edition allowed Black business owners and authors to share their voices, showcasing seven artists from around the community in the heart of Iowa City.

“We were trying to create a sense of environment that people will feel good about,” Simmons said.

The same principles align with Simmons’ goals for the Iowa City metro — the people should strive to create a welcoming, inclusive community.

“We are people who are really concerned and want this to be a livable community that people can thrive in,” Simmons said. “Either we can complain about the problem or we can be a solution to the problem. And I think that if we choose to be a solution, we can come up with some concepts and ideas that really move us as a community forward.”

Simmons also circled back to his wife’s words from well over a decade ago — either he should do something to help solve the problem or shut up.

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Simmons hopes to help the community move forward in his position with the TRC.

“I really enjoy kind of helping create something, I'm very much a creative person,” Simmons said. “From a community perspective, [the TRC] will allow me to be able to stretch and to strengthen the muscles that I have. So I'm hoping for the best from this opportunity.”

Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@press-citizen.com or on Twitter @ryanhansen01.

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Sugapeach owner encourages community, diversity in new government role