Seattle soul food fans rejoice! Ms. Helen Coleman has re-opened her restaurant, The Rose Petals, in White Center. Ms. Helen’s Soul Food, formerly in the Central District, was where she became famous for her pork chops, oxtail and corn cakes, among other things—but her building was destroyed in the Nisqually earthquake in 2001. More recently, she brought her signature food to The Rose Petals on the southern end of Martin Luther King Jr. Way, but moved out of there when the condo they rented from was sold.

We spoke to Ms. Coleman’s assistant and cook, who’s worked with her at previous restaurants, Betty Gray, this morning. She told us that The Rose Petals has been open for dinner since early December beginning at 5 p.m., Thursday-Sunday but in a couple weeks they’ll add lunch service from 11-3 p.m., as well as expanded days. “We’re working on the kitchen still, and getting familiar with the neighborhood. After that we’ll be open seven days a week,” she said. She confirms that they’ll continue to serve up the soul food they’re famous for, but that she’ll do most of the cooking, rather than Ms. Coleman, who she said doesn’t come in until late.

When asked about the choice to move to White Center, Gray said, “Well, that’s what we found.”

Seattle Weekly once wrote of Helen Coleman: “Helen Coleman’s food isn’t the kind of cooking that you can do in your head, mixing and matching fascinating new ingredients. It’s the kind that takes years to write into your fingers and then incredible focus to do right, year after year. Ms. Helen deserves a restaurant of her own. The least you can do is search her out.”

And that’s just what we’ve done. Find her at 9801 16th Ave SW and 425-830-3396.