How does a restaurant capture the flavor of a neighborhood steeped in history that’s simultaneously more in flux than any other part of Sacramento?

Fixins Soul Kitchen went straight to the source: Oak Park residents’ family recipes. When the restaurant opens in St. Hope’s 40 Acres building around the end of July, someone’s grandma’s fried chicken or biscuits will share menu space with creations from executive chef Melvin “Boots” Johnson’s mind, said St. Hope CEO/president Jake Mossawir.

“It’ll truly be family, friends and Boots’ recipes, all mixed together,” Mossawir said. “To have a restaurant that reflects Oak Park culture and all the relationships that already exist here is kind of cool.”

The original vision for 40 Acres included a theater, a bookstore, a coffee shop, a barber shop and a restaurant, Mossawir said. While the others came together relatively quickly, the restaurant concept never quite landed — partially because there was no one to run it, partially because the space at 3428 3rd Ave. hadn’t been designed with a commercial kitchen in mind.