I first heard about Jimaine Miller, aka Tha Def Chef, in this article by Larry Mizell Jr. and Andrew Matson about local rappers who cook. At the time, the only sure way to get chicken and waffles and Jamaican beef turnovers made by Tha Def Chef, who also raps as Maneack in the group Tha Stahi Bros, was to place an order directly from him. Over the last few months, Miller’s been holding breakfast buffet pop-ups at the Central District’s Lake Chad Cafe, but now he’s found a permanent kitchen at Good 2 Go Grocery, the corner store at 18th and Yesler.
It’s a good corner to be at: across the street from Pratt Park and affordable housing projects like Bryant Manor, whose courtyard is always filled with the sounds of children playing, and Kawabe House, which is home to mostly Asian senior citizens, and just a few blocks from the local Boys & Girls Club. The corner sees a steady stream of diverse neighbors of all ages.
At Good 2 Go, Miller is serving up daily menu of fried chicken, sandwiches and burgers, along with fried catfish and cod, and sides like collard greens, red beans and rice, cornbread, and potato salad. Depending on the day, you might also find rotating specials like jerk chicken, barbecue chicken and ribs, and rib tips.
Last Friday after work, when it was 80 degrees out, my husband and I picked up six pieces of very good fried chicken—super moist, with a salty, slightly spicy, crackly crust—and headed to Lake Washington. (We would have picked up some sides, too, but Def Chef was sold out of those well before 5 p.m.) Paired with a growler of kölsch—light, bright, and crisp—from nearby Standard Brewing, it made the perfect impromptu picnic. I foresee many more meals like this in the months ahead.
