DRAPER, Utah — Just off 12300 South in Draper, Chef Julius Thompson's restaurant, Sauce Boss Southern Kitchen, serves rich soul food and culture.
"Food is one thing that connects everybody, there's a lot of differences in culture, religions, and beliefs, but one thing we have in common is we all like to eat, we all have to eat, and we all appreciate good food," Thompson said.
Thompson's self-created recipes, which include catfish, blackened pork chops, mac and cheese, collard greens, and more, are inspired by his heritage.
"This is the food that I grew up on," he explained. "My grandma was a single mom of 10 and she raised her kids on it and grew up on it."
Growing up between Chicago and Utah, life for Thompson was anything but easy. At 12 years old, he and his brother had to sell drugs to get money for school supplies and food.
"Both my parents were drug addicts, they got caught up in the crack epidemic of the 80s," shared Thompson. "My mother, to save money for drugs, she'd only buy bread and baloney, but not have any electricity to keep it cold, I'd have to rinse the rot off the baloney, and pick the mold out of the bread."
Over the years, Thompson turned his hardship into inspiration.
"Since food was something I never had in a home or scarcely had in a home, I wanted it to be the focus of my career so that I could show it the appreciation I've always had for it and show others the appreciation I have for them for coming in to taste the food of my ancestors," Thompson said.
For the past six years, Thompson has been doing just that at Sauce Boss — and customers love it.
"This food is very near and dear to a lot of people," he said, "so they come in with high expectations and a lot of them give me hugs, a lot of them cry, a lot of them are very happy when they leave and that makes me proud."
Outside the kitchen, Chef Julius just celebrated his 40th birthday with his wife and six kids. He also enjoys writing books, but there's even more he wants to accomplish.
"I'm going to try and find an investment partner to help me put a few more Sauce Bosses up," Thompson said. "I have my autobiography and children's books that I want to publish.
