InTucker Magazine

Business of the Month – Dorothy Mae’s Soul Food Kitchen

Rickey Thomas has spent more than 30 years in the restaurant industry, opening and managing multiple establishments. After helping launch six restaurants, he chose to dedicate his seventh to the woman who taught him everything he knows his mother, Dorothy Mae. She is the cornerstone of his success and the inspiration behind one of Tucker’s newest eateries, Dorothy Mae’s Soul Food Kitchen.

“I was going to call this the Taste of Seafood but I wanted to honor my mom,” Thomas said. “She is 91. It’s the right thing. I was considering putting Ricky but Dorothy Mae’s is what I wanted to do.”

Thomas grew up in New York, surrounded by flavor-packed meals and a bustling household of seven siblings. Times were tough, he said, but eating well never was.

“When she was in that kitchen, I constantly watched her,” he said. “I’d watch her get stuff out of the cabinets. I was always amazed by how much seasoning she had in there.”

Holiday meals were especially memorable. As Thomas got older, he joined his mother in the kitchen to help prepare the family feast. Everyone gathered at a long table, filling up with laughter, warmth, and Dorothy Mae’s cooking.

Eventually, one of his sisters decided the rest of New York needed to taste their mother’s food. In 1993, Thomas and his siblings opened A Taste of Seafood. The restaurant thrived, eventually expanding to four additional locations. Lines formed outside before opening, and the rush never stopped. Thomas remembers days with no breaks from open to close.

The restaurant industry has brought him immense joy and fulfi llment. One of its greatest rewards was meeting his wife, Sandra Thomas. He met her at A Taste of Seafood while managing the restaurant, and together they started a family. From there, they moved to Arizona and eventually settled in Georgia. In 2020, Thomas decided to take another shot at opening a restaurant, launching Boxete Kitchen in Suwanee and it was a hit. Just like in New York, customers loved his food.

“I had a few people come in and say this food reminds them of a place in New York,” Thomas said. “I’d ask, ‘A Taste of Seafood?’ and they’d say, ‘Yeah, I used to go there years ago.’ And I tell them, ‘I’m the one that cooked it.”

After four successful years, Boxete Kitchen closed when the building’s owner made other plans. Thomas pivoted, and his wife found a new opportunity. She discovered the current location while making a catering run for Boxete Kitchen. Thomas saw the space and decided to open shop in the summer of 2025. Now, he’s serving satisfied customers in the Tucker community.

The menu features a variety of soul food favorites and Thomas’s own creations featuring wings, shrimp, catfish, chicken and waffles, and cornbread. One crowd favorite is the mac and yams. Among desserts, Thomas takes pride in his sweet potato cheesecake recipe, he believes no one has perfected more than him. “The sweet potato cheesecake is something special to taste,” he said. The restaurant also offers healthier options, such as vegetables, for those who prefer not to eat fried food.

“A lot of people who want to eat healthy come in and say they don’t want anything fried,” Thomas said. “I go get some baked wings and tell them, ‘Here, taste that.’ Then they say, ‘That’s what I want.”

The new restaurant continues to attract customers craving more of Dorothy Mae’s soulful cooking. Thomas hopes to grow the business and open additional locations across the state. For now, he’s grateful to serve the Tucker community and carry on the passion his mother passed down to him. His favorite part about running the restaurant is doing what he loves most, cooking, just like Dorothy Mae taught him.

Dorothy Mae’s Soul Food Kitchen is located at 1927 Lakeside Parkway, Suite K21, Tucker, GA 30084. You can view their menu and order online at dorothysoulfood.com