For the month of February The Heights will be highlighting Black-owned restaurants and businesses throughout Boston.

Nestled in a corner of Nubian Square, Soleil, a local breakfast-lunch spot in Roxbury, fosters a sense of community alongside its homestyle food. After opening in May 2018, the restaurant, under the leadership of chef and owner Cheryl Straughter, has gained a loyal following within the community.

For years, the area (formerly known as Dudley Square) lacked an actual sit-down restaurant. Cheryl, with a lot of hard work, personal investment, sweat equity, and a small loan from the City of Boston, created a beautiful, thriving restaurant, perfect for individual and family dining. She exemplifies the encore way of life, people in midlife and beyond who do good, feel good and add value. Soleil is located in the Bruce Bolling Municipal Building, which is also home to the Boston Public School Central Administration. It is a historic building combined with new construction featuring a large open foyer on

As part of the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau Neighborhoods Project, we recently spent 2 days in Roxbury capturing scenes and testimonials to create an authentic story about Roxbury as a community and cultural center. We spoke to small business owners, artists, retailers, restaurant owners and neighborhood ambassadors.