The Comfort Zone

For soul food with a healthy twist, check out the Comfort Zone, located in the historic Royal Esquire club on Rainier. Owner Talya Miller opened up her joint there ten years ago, and has been serving up fresh takes on the classics — like oxtails, mac and cheese, and catfish — to the community ever since.

After stints in Tacoma and Burien, Talya learned the Royal Esquire Club — a nonprofit that opened in 1947 to serve Seattle’s black community — wanted to invite a restaurant into their space. She jumped at the chance to be a part of the club’s revival. “The club is more diverse now than it ever was before, and it’s because they’ve stayed committed to the idea that everybody is invited and included,” she says. “It’s a community hub and a warm, inviting environment, and I feel blessed to be there.”

That environment makes the perfect backdrop for the Comfort Zone’s food — after all, says Talya, soul food tends to bring out “that feeling of safety and comfort in everyone who comes to eat it.”

Her commitment to serving the community goes beyond the soul-nourishing food she and her daughter cook up, too — she’s also served as a foster parent to kids who can’t be placed in traditional foster homes for 27 years. Running a business and foster parenting is a lot to take on, but she says she and her daughter “always make time for the kids we take in so they know anyone who really cares about them will make time for them.”

Talya is excited to be participating in Plate of Nations this year because she loves that the event exposes people to new types of food — she says she’s “not only excited to participate, but to try out all the other restaurants too.”