D.C. soul food chain gets new life at ghost kitchen near Shirlington

A vegan soul food institution is living on just east of Shirlington, even after its original location in D.C. closed last year.

NuVegan Cafe — formerly Everlasting Life — used to attract long lines in Columbia Heights, with locals and visitors alike lining up to get soul food from an entirely vegan menu.

While the original spot has passed beyond the veil, the business has hung on with a handful of small locations around the D.C. area. One of those, located in a ghost kitchen at 1033 W. Glebe Road, opened last year.

While the only ones waiting inside the building these days are a small army of DoorDash drivers, the menu from the Columbia Heights location remains intact with fan favorites like the vegan crab cake sandwich or Salisbury steak.

Avishadye Williams, owner of the franchise in the Four Mile Food Co. food hall, started with NuVegan back when it was Everlasting Life under the promise that he’d eventually get his own franchise.

Williams said the go-to for NuVegan visitors is the mac and cheese and the garlic kale, but Williams also encouraged visitors to try the chick’n drumsticks. Everlasting Life was renowned for its vegan chicken drumsticks, and Williams said his new drumsticks stand toe-to-toe with the originals drumsticks, if not better.

Williams said NuVegan opened at Four Mile Food Co. in February 2024, but it had a slow start.

“The launch has been… I’m not going to say easy. It’s been tough because of the location,” Williams said. “It’s behind and kind of hidden, that’s the issue. But besides that, I think the community for the support so I can keep the doors open.”

NuVegan is one of several eateries in the ghost kitchen, including Xi’an Famous Foods, which opened two weeks ago. Customers order online and can pick up at the counter or lockers in the small lobby of the building.

But the restaurants are heavily reliant on online traffic rather than street traffic — the kitchen is located behind a Liberty gas station and 7-Eleven with limited signage.

Williams said growth has been slow, but steady.

“The neighborhood doesn’t even know we’re here,” Williams said, “but there’s been good word of mouth. It’s been growing.”