Opening a restaurant is a daunting task and Soul Fire Tacos founder Dana Dumas feels it. She’s moving into a new home and preparing to unveil her third eatery at the same time.
Her hard work and diligence will pay off, though, when the public walks through the doors of her Scottsdale Airpark-area Soul Fire Tacos. She will celebrate the opening at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Located at 15111 N. Hayden Road, Suite 120, the 900-square-foot, fast-casual Soul Fire Tacos fuses “Southern soul with Southwest fire.”
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Soul Fire Tacos was a two-year project for Dumas, whose restaurant falls under the umbrella of her recently formed SJ Concepts LLC. She also founded the nearby 5,000-square-foot brunch spot SugarJam The Southern Kitchen and an earlier cookie company.
“Soul Fire Tacos is a brainchild of mine,” she said. “I’ve always loved tacos and burritos — especially being a transplant from the East Coast now living in the Southwest.
“But it’s a fusion of us: People of culture coming together and fusing what people know of me from Southern flair cuisine to Southwestern cuisine. The two styles of food together make wonderful flavor profiles.
“It’s a combination that also speaks to what’s going on in the world. We need to be in a place where we should come together, not be divided. That’s what this really stands for. Just like SugarJam, everybody has a seat at my table to have food and fellowship.”
Soul Fire Tacos’ dishes are made from scratch, with Dumas quickly adding, “We don’t have any microwaves in house. Everything is done fresh. We’re very cognizant of where our ingredients are sourced from.
“We work very closely with our food providers that we have coming in house. This is ‘flavor town.’ The birria to the chicken adobe birria tacos, the carnitas, the pork tacos are all very savory with a great flavor profile. We’ve got some flavor in here, so I’m very excited.”
That flavor runs through the expansive menu, which includes appetizers, soup and ceviche, sides, tacos, Soul Fire salad bowl, bowls, big burros and desserts. Daily specials abound: Taco Tuesdays; mole chicken Thursday; Fish Fridays and Soul Roll-changa Saturdays. Sundays are reserved for chicken and waffle taco with hot honey as well as shrimp ceviche.
Chef Johnnie Dixon helped curate the menu with creative dishes like beer-battered catfish tacos drizzled with housemade chipotle remoulade and topped with Southern slaw; picadillo burro layer inside with maduros (sweet plantains); and Cuban black bean soup with Caribbean-seasoned, slow-cooked black beans, a scoop of cilantro lime rice and topped with cilantro and avocado crema. Soul Fire’s hot sauce and other merchandise are available for purchase.
Dumas and Dixon have different ideas on Soul Fire’s signature dish. Dixon votes for the short rib birria taco, while Dumas chooses the Soul Roll, a deep-friend changa filled with mac and cheese, candied yams and collard greens, atop seasons cilantro-lime rice.
“They’re so tasty,” said Dumas of the Soul Roll. “They are addictive.”
Dixon learned about Mexican dishes from his wife and — like most folks — social media videos during the pandemic.
“I thought I would give it a try a few years back,” Dixon said. “Over the years, I’ve been trying perfect the short rib birria taco the best I could. It starts with a short rib. Then, we’ll throw a blend of spices, herbs and other stuff that we make in-house over the top of that. We’ll let it go for about four or five hours.
“Once it’s very tender, we’ll pull it apart and let it sit in that juice for a little bit. That’s when we put it in a taco with cheese and give it to the people.”
Dumas said Dixon was a logical choice for chef after witnessing his strong leadership skills and work ethic at SugarJam.
“That was really important,” Dumas said. “When I was really brainstorming this concept, I looked at what type of person I would want to be at the helm of the leadership. I knew Johnnie from SugarJam, and him being on the line with me.”
“He really caught on. I thought, ‘This Florida boy could throw down a little bit.’ For him to be at my hip now at the very, very, very beginning of Soul Fire, he can be a part of and witness what it really takes to get something to become successful. I think it’s very important. It will be a true ode to his background as a diligent athlete, too.”
A top recruit out of high school, the Riviera Beach, Florida-born Dixon was a receiver for The Ohio State University team and former NFL wide receiver, whose career included stints with the Arizona Cardinals, the Houston Texans and Dallas Cowboys. He was the starting wide receiver for the New Orleans Breakers, of the USFL, in 2022, and became a free agent after the 2023 season.
“My career was up and down,” said Dixon, who penned the book “johnn(y)ie: A Memoir of Conquering the Modern-Day Goliath.”
“But I think, at the end of the day, I did what I wanted within the sport and walk out on my own [terms]. I never take any moment I had in my football journey for granted.”
A Hamilton High School football coach in Chandler, Arizona, Dixon wants to be known for his plethora of skills, on and off the field.
“I have been a captain of a football team,” he explained. “Now I’m transitioning to something different in my life. I don’t give up. I push through the tough times, which, I think, can translate to our team.
“We all want days to be easy. But we all know some days come with certain challenges. I want to be able to lead these people; lead our guys and women to push past the tough times.”
Dixon said the heart and hustle of restaurants mirrors that of a champion athlete.
“I always preach about being different and being more viewed as more than just an athlete,” Dixon said. “When Dana asked me to be a part of Soul Fire Tacos, I couldn’t resist. I enjoy seeing people [enthusiastic] when they eat something I made, and I hope to bring many smiles to the Arizona community.”
Born in New York, Dumas was in corporate America in Manhattan before moving to Scottsdale, Arizona. She started her culinary career selling cookies at local farmers markets in 2011. Two years later, she moved her operations into shared space and became a commercially licensed baker.
The brick-and-mortar SugarJam opened in January 2021, and now she’s expanded to Soul Fire Tacos.
“Being a leader in this industry can be very ruthless,” she said. “I’m a minority in this industry. You don’t find a lot of women, No. 1. No. 2, being a minority-owned business is really few and far between. To me to be standing where I am right now, in this awesome state of Arizona and then in Scottsdale, I think I’m breaking ground and making history. Opening a third concept in North Scottsdale/the Airpark really, truly makes history.”
Soul Fire Tacos is located at 15111 N. Hayden Road, Suite 120, Scottsdale. The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays to Thursdays; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. From Feb. 21 to Feb. 28, diners will receive one free chicken or carnitas taco, with the purchase of any taco, burrito or bowl.
Information: soulfiretacos.com
