When the pandemic hit, Nic Patrizi, owner of the Vortex’s beloved Italian food truck, quickly pivoted: He turned his then soon-to-open Cajun concept in the former Unit-D Pizzeria spot into a soup kitchen, serving gumbo and red beans and rice to anyone who asked. Now the restaurant, an ode to the Patrizi family’s rich Beaumont history, offers those same classic comfort foods, plus delights like fried chicken po’boys, cochon de lait and sassafras rice, and dinner specials. Paying homage and paying it forward, one tasty meal at a time.
This article appears in First Plates 2021 (Supplement) and First Plates 2021.