Founder Of Legendary Soul Food Restaurant Izola's Dies

CHICAGO, IL — Izola White has been described as the "stillness" of the community in Chicago's Chatham neighborhood. She was the owner of Izola's, the popular soul food restaurant in the heart of the neighborhood on 79th Street for more than 40 years.

"She was a person who generally cared about the well being of people," said DeWayne Mason, a retired Chicago police officer who was White's legal guardian for a time after she developed dementia and had to close Izola's in 2011.

White died Tuesday morning at age 95. She leaves a legacy as a pillar of the community in Chatham and one who was "loved by all who knew her for more than 10 minutes," Mason said.

"She could have picked any spot in the city to open her restaurant, but came to an area where she was most needed," he said. "She hired the less fortunate among us. Those who were unsuccessful in attempts to get meaningful employment. She taught them to cook, ring up sales and keep the restaurant afloat."

The restaurant was afloat and thriving at 522 E. 79th St. in an area Mason said has been known more for "violence and underprivileged living."

She was one who would give second chances to those who showed promise, and opened her arms to help anyone she believed to have a good soul.

"If she believed in you and you showed that you were something good for neighborhood, she took stock in you," Mason said.

White was born in Kenton, Tennessee and moved to Chicago during her late 20s to seek better life opportunities. She found herself working in a number of restaurants in the city before opening Izola's in 1967, making it among the first black-owned businesses on 79th Street and herself becoming the very first black female business owner in the neighborhood.

Her restaurant reached prominence through the decades and eventually became a destination for those who would hear about her from other areas of the city and the suburbs.

"People would drive from the north, south, east or west to taste the food and meet her," Mason said. "She would call you her son or her daughter and you would call her mom."

Izola's often hosted benefits and fundraisers for political candidates. It was one of the first stops on the campaign trail for Harold Washington, Chicago's first elected black mayor and hosted Barack Obama when the future president was seeking a seat in the United States Senate. Former Chicago Mayor Eugene Sawyer, former Illinois Senate President Emil Jones Jr. and current 6th Ward Alderman Roderick Sawyer were other regulars.

Early in the 20th century, the restaurant was a filming location for the movie "Ali," starring Will Smith.

"They shut down the whole street and had wires and cameras in the restaurant," Mason, a 20-year veteran CPD officer who worked in Chatham, remembers. "A couple of her cooks were actually in the movie."

But, of course, Izola's wouldn't have stayed open for nearly 45 years had it not been for great food.

"She called it the 'Fine Dining Soul Food Restaurant,'" Mason said. "She made all the recipes herself and taught cooks how to imitate them."

The place had identity.

Mason remembers the wall of photos of Chicago police officers, the trophies from baseball and softball teams White sponsored in the windows and the round table where "you had to be someone special" to get a seat.

Izola's was open 24 hours a day, only closing for a few hours every Wednesday for cleaning.

"She reached a lot of people with her hospitality," Mason said. "It was the place to go anytime of day to get a good meal."

Since becoming ill and having to close the restaurant earlier this decade, White began needing around the clock care and spent much of her final years in a nursing home. Mason exhausted every legal option and planned multiple fundraisers to help keep it open, but it wasn't enough to keep it past March of 2011.

"She was heartbroken," Mason said. "(Closing the restaurant) took a toll on her health and the dementia spread quickly."

The space on 79th Street hasn't been the same since Izola's closed, either. Mason says multiple restaurants have moved in since 2011 but none have been sustainable.

"Others tried to duplicate it, but we all know that spot at Izola's and it's not going to be the same," he said.

Izola White will be remembered at the AR Leak & Son Funeral Home at 7838 S. Cottage Grove for a viewing from 6-9 p.m. on Wednesday, April 19, a wake the following morning at 10 a.m. and funeral after at 11 a.m.

"She had a heart of gold," Mason said. "No matter how much she had, she would always give back to others."

"That's how she was so successful in business and in life."

Photo provided