In May 2020, Huey’s Nashville Hot Chicken, owned by Nashville native Hughes Brown and his family, will open at 1173 Edgewood Avenue in Jacksonville’s historic Murray Hill neighborhood. The storefront was previously home to the Murray Hill Taco Bodega, which closed in October 2019. Huey’s menu will include a variety of hot chicken dishes, including classic hot fried chicken as well as grilled and entrée salad versions, along with traditional Southern sides.
Spicy fried chicken has been associated with Nashville’s African-American communities since the 1930s. Legend has it that a woman scorned doused womanizer James Thornton Prince’s fried chicken with cayenne pepper as an act of revenge. Her act backfired – he actually fell in love with the spicy chicken, so much that he made it the specialty of Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack in 1945. Since that time, the dish has become widely popular in Nashville and has expanded well beyond the city.
The Brown family has years of experience in the restaurant industry. Prior to coming to Jacksonville, they owned the Watermark Restaurant, a fine dining restaurant in Nashville for more than 10 years. According to the Browns, that experience, plus their love for Southern cooking and their family connections in Jacksonville, inspired them to develop Huey’s.
“When we decided to leave Nashville and return to my wife’s hometown of Jacksonville, we started to consider that now was the time to turn our concept into a reality. We are very excited to be coming to Murray Hill, a neighborhood where you can feel the community support. We love this area and can’t wait to share a taste of our home with all of you,” said Hughes Brown in a press release. “There’s nothing like Nashville hot chicken, and we look forward to bringing that authentic flavor to Jacksonville for everyone to enjoy.”
The Browns say that Huey’s will feature local ingredients and free-range chicken in all their options. Remodeling is expected to finish soon, with the opening scheduled for May 2020. When completed, the 3,100-square-foot space will have a family oriented fast casual atmosphere and seating for 100, with patio seating out back. At opening, Huey’s will operate at 25% occupancy in the indoor space to follow CDC guidelines for social distancing.
To contact Huey’s Nashville Hot Chicken, email hughes@hueyshotchicken.com or find them on Instagram and Facebook.
Article by Bill Delaney. Contact Bill at wdelaney@moderncities.com.