Neighborhood Angel
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Dwayne Jones, a 54-year-old contractor, had eaten at Plant Based Heat soon after the vegan comfort food restaurant opened in June 2021. He didn’t make much of an impression. Right there, that’s unusual. In the historic Orange Mound neighborhood of Memphis, Tennessee, it seems everyone has a story about Dwayne.
By the time August rolled around, Plant Based Heat’s owner, Ralph “RJ Groove” Johnson, was just hoping to survive. The longtime disc jockey had started with four employees. That Monday morning, the two remaining had called out. Ralph had dreamed of convincing barbecue-loving Memphis that, with the right spices and flame grilling, a veggie burger or hot wings could be lip-smacking good. It wasn’t an easy sell.
Ralph is
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