Jamawn woods where is he now

Jamawn Woods , the owner of a small Detroit catering business, won with his concept for a healthy soul food restaurant called Soul Daddy.

As the prize from the show, Woods' eatery opened for business in three locations -- Manhattan, Los Angeles, and Minneapolis in the Mall of America. Some of the investment money for the restaurants supposedly came from the show's judges -- Chipotle founder Steve Ells , and chefs Lorena Garcia , Curtis Stone , and Bobby Flay.

Now, it looks like two of the locations haven't lasted any longer than the seven episode series. America's Next Great Restaurant? Not so great just yet. Woods' healthy soul food cuisine beat out Both the New York City and Los Angeles locations closed forever yesterday, after opening May 1 following the lackluster and low-rated finale of the NBC reality competition.

Jamawn actually learned of the closings late yesterday, and was surprised. It's put a real damper on the day," he.

But the best thing about the series is, it's the gift that keeps on giving. Because at the end of the road the winner received a restaurant chain with three locations, New York, Minneapolis and right here in Los Angeles. And so even before we knew who took top prize, we planned a pilgrimage to the eatery's opening day festivities on Monday morning. While it has certainly been a difficult decision, we believe this is the best approach as we work towards ongoing success for Soul Daddy.

I enjoyed the show, which showed the building blocks of creating a national brand. However the poor ratings in the pre-"Celebrity Apprentice" Sunday night slot, didn't help build that brand. Sort of a case of too many big-name cooks ruining things.

Saturday, with the next six at 3 p. The season finale airs at 10 p. It was a great experience to have a chance to work with these four people. His winning concept for soul food with a twist -- a healthier version of the traditional fare -- hasn't won over die-hard fans who appreciate the flavor of ham hocks and bacon grease. Soul Daddy isn't for everyone. But if you care about what you put in your body, this is the place to come.

And that includes tweaking the menu to please those waiting in line. He noted that the "collards" on the menu -- which right now are actually kale -- will be the real thing in the future.

And he'd like to make the ribs with four, rather than three, bones in the future. But for now, he's a manager in training in a real-life classroom. Now that he's been at all three locations, he can see the difference among clientele. They are crazy fanatics. In Minneapolis, it's more like a family feel.

Jamawn has no qualms about talking about how emotional he was on the show. You are away from your family and cut off from them. There's no outside world, no phone, no TV or computer. I was missing them," he said. Jamawn has stayed in touch with other contestants, but especially Joey Galluzzi of the Brooklyn Meatball Co. Her toughest assignment had her drinking ten martinis and eating ten Caesar salads over the course of 48 hours. She still drinks martinis, but remains lukewarm on Caesar salads.

Contact: Laura Shunk. Follow: Twitter: laurashunk. Instagram: laurashunk. Don't Miss Out. Join Today. Sign Up. I Support Learn More. Latest Stories.