Growing up, Rojshawn Barrett’s dreadlocks attracted lots of attention, some of which was unwelcomed. So, when he finally had the opportunity to open his own restaurant, he took ownership of those feelings from years ago and turned them into a source of empowerment.
“The reason I call it Nappy Chef is because of my dreads,” explained Barrett. “Coming up, people would always call us nappy heads, so I wanted to take something negative and turn it into a positive. That’s why I named myself Nappy Chef to represent my culture, where I’m from and things like that. When you see Nappy Chef, you automatically know what it is.”
Now open for two-and-a-half years and with a second location now running in Rock Hill, The Nappy Chef on Charlotte’s Albemarle Road is cooking up plenty of tasty and innovative Southern-style dishes.
“Gourmet tacos, gourmet burgers, chicken & waffles, things like that,” explained Barrett, when asked about the menu. “I have a signature dish I created in 2015 called the Jerk Mac. Southern mac and cheese and jerk chicken are two of my favorite dishes. I put them together and it’s been one of our best sellers. Our top seller is our Salmon Cheese Steak. I try to be creative and give things my own twist.”
The pandemic has forced The Nappy Chef to adjust its business mode, although he says for the most part, it’s actually worked out rather well. It’s become just another obstacle that the talented Barrett will undoubtedly overcome.
“I’ve changed everything to takeout,” he explained. “I’ve always wanted to do takeout when I franchised a restaurant. We’re pushing out more orders and it gets busy. Doing takeout, we’re getting people in and out quicker.”
He added, “Keep on shopping with me, keep on supporting and keep on promoting the brand. It’s hard being a Black-owned business. I was going to get my second location and once they found out I was Black, they kept kind of giving me the runaround. Sometimes it’s a little bit harder, especially if you look like me with dreads and tattoos. We’re as equal as everybody else. That’s why it’s important to support Black-owned business, because we have it hard.”
Barrett didn’t get to where he is today without passion and hard work, and now, he’s all about pushing others to get out in the world and accomplish whatever it is that they want to do.
“My mission is to inspire others to chase their dreams,” he stated. “You don’t have to be a rapper or play basketball or football. You can do whatever you want and accomplish your dreams. Be passionate and do everything from the heart – don’t just do it for money. You’re going to have days where you’re happy and excited and want to keep doing it and then days where you’re discouraged and want to give up and quit. Anything you do, be passionate about it. Chase the dream and the money will come.”