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Á½ÐÔÉ«ÎçÒ¹ Gridiron Star Scores Big With Cajun Food Business

Former Golden Flashes running back Will Matthews turns class project into thriving food truck and restaurant

A classroom assignment at Á½ÐÔÉ«ÎçÒ¹ University sparked a successful business venture for former Golden Flashes football star Will Matthews.

Matthews, who helped Á½ÐÔÉ«ÎçÒ¹ win its first bowl game in 2019, turned his entrepreneurial studies project into reality with the Southern Comfort Kitchen food truck in 2019. 

The business has since expanded to include a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Akron's Highland Square, which opened in 2022.

Á½ÐÔÉ«ÎçÒ¹ Today first featured Matthews in 2018 while he was still a student, showcasing his early entrepreneurial ambitions.

Drawing on his New Orleans roots and family culinary traditions, Matthews serves up Cajun-inspired dishes like po'boys, jambalaya, and crawfish mac and cheese.

Will Matthews

"I grew up around food all of my life," Matthews , crediting his parents and grandfather, a chef, for his passion.

The food truck, which operates two to three times weekly around Akron, offers a condensed menu featuring seafood favorites. Prices range from $12 for a SoCo burger to $15 for a grilled shrimp po'boy.

Matthews acknowledges that managing a busy food service business can be more challenging than avoiding tackles on the football field.

"When you do a busy event − it's for better or for worse," he said. "It gets really, really intense."

 

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POSTED: Friday, July 19, 2024 09:40 AM
Updated: Monday, July 22, 2024 12:22 PM