By Aaron Allen
The Seattle Medium
Long before the first customer walks through the doors of Wally’s NW Soul Experience at 2218 S. Jackson St. in Seattle’s historic Central District, owner Walter Washington is already hard at work preparing for another day.
His alarm goes off at 4 a.m., and by 5:30 a.m., he is unlocking the doors. But before firing up the kitchen, Washington takes a moment to pray.
“Usually when I first hit the door, the first thing I do is make sure I pray,” said Washington. “I pray over the building; I pray over the space. I pray over the day, and then I get that music going and I get to it, you know what I mean?”
With the music playing, Washington begins preparing some of his signature food items.
“I get on the smoked turkey legs, right away I get on the greens, and right away I get on the red beans and rice, and then we go on to the candy yams,” said Washington. “I’m peeling yams. We don’t do anything canned in our spot, so ain’t nothing in our spot canned but a pop. And so, we make sure that everything is fresh daily.”
By the time his team arrives around 9 a.m. to prepare the macaroni and cheese, slice the fish and season the chicken, Washington has already spent several hours in the kitchen. The smell of smoked turkey and simmering greens fills the space as ’90s R&B plays in the background.
Raised by his grandmother and aunties in Seattle and Tacoma, Washington developed an appreciation for the kitchen as a place where food, family and life lessons came together. Those early influences helped shape his approach to cooking and his desire to bring something distinctive to Seattle’s soul food scene.
His menu reflects Southern cooking traditions combined with an appreciation for the fresh ingredients available in the Pacific Northwest.
“I was inspired by the South, but also by the freshness of the Pacific Northwest,” said Washington. “I wanted to give Seattle what I felt we didn’t have, and that was flavor. I don’t use a lot of salt. I use different seasonings to create my flavors.”
That approach is reflected throughout the menu, which includes made-from-scratch macaroni and cheese, hand-peeled candied yams, red beans and rice, jambalaya with Cajun cream sauce, fried cabbage, jumbo prawns, crispy fried catfish, fried lobster, and smoked turkey bowls and legs with meat that falls off the bone.
For Washington, preparing food from scratch is a daily commitment, not simply a description of the menu.
“There’s nothing that we have stored that we cook the next day,” said Washington. “Literally every single day I’m cooking everything.”
Beyond the kitchen, Wally’s has become a gathering place where the sounds of ’90s R&B mix with conversations among customers, longtime friends and neighbors. Visitors from the South find dishes that remind them of home, while regulars are greeted with the familiarity of a neighborhood gathering place.
Anthony Tibbs, who comes from a family of chefs and restaurant owners, said the atmosphere and customer service stand out.
“The atmosphere, I’d say it’s welcoming,” said Tibbs. “Everyone’s nice, you know, that’s the new thing where everybody loves your business as soon as you walk in the door, everybody speaks. It’s a good representation of a Black-owned restaurant. The food’s good, it’s hot, fresh.”
Rev. Terrence Proctor, pastor of Church By The Side of the Road, coached Washington in his youth and remains a community partner. Proctor said customers sometimes have to be patient because preparing food from scratch takes time.
“Some people get a little bit out of shape that the wait is long, but he doesn’t present it as fast food, he presents it as good food, and good food usually doesn’t just fly out fast, so I appreciate that,” said Proctor. “It’s worth it. I experience community, Wally’s atmosphere is welcoming.”
For Proctor, that wait reflects the work happening in the kitchen.
“When you wait for a plate at Wally’s, you aren’t waiting on a heat lamp or a freezer bag,” said Proctor. “You are waiting on raw shrimp to be cleaned and deveined, fresh fish to be battered, and soul food made with intention.”
While the food has helped Washington build a following, his ambitions extend beyond the kitchen. Having grown up in the Central District himself, Washington sees something familiar in the young people who now call him “Uncle Wally.” His commitment to helping them succeed reflects his own experiences growing up in the neighborhood.
Washington has made youth development an important part of his work, using the restaurant and his community relationships to encourage academic achievement and teach practical skills.
His 3.0 or Better Program rewards students who maintain a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher with a free meal, recognizing their academic efforts and encouraging them to continue doing well in school.
Washington is also involved in after-school activities and cooking classes at Garfield Community Center, working with young people outside the restaurant.
“I stay grounded with the community,” said Washington. “I’m constantly doing programming with the kids. We got the after-school stuff that we do at Garfield Community Center. We’re doing cooking classes; we’ve got the 3.0 and Above program for the kids. If they got it every quarter. If you got a 3.0 or better, you could come in and get a free meal.”
Washington’s broader vision includes working with community organizations such as Africatown, Mount Zion Baptist Church and local trade unions to expand opportunities through cooking academies, mentorship and instruction in practical trades and financial literacy, helping young people develop the skills they need to become self-sufficient.
As Wally’s NW Soul becomes this week’s featured restaurant in The Seattle Medium’s Pack the House campaign, Washington’s work offers another example of how supporting a local Black-owned restaurant can have significance beyond the meals being served. The campaign encourages residents to intentionally patronize participating businesses, helping sustain neighborhood establishments that also serve as gathering places and sources of community connection.
“I’m just trying to give our children incentives that doing the right thing is cool,” said Washington.
Wally’s NW Soul Experience is a participating restaurant in the Pack the House campaign, a 10-week community initiative presented by The Seattle Medium, the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, Byrd Barr Place and the Central Area Collaborative to encourage the community to intentionally support local Black-owned restaurants. For more information about the campaign, participating restaurants and weekly schedule, visit PackTheHouseSeattle.com.
