Small Business Spotlight: Gerard Klass, Co-Owner, B.A.D. Wingz

Article by Becky Fillinger

Gerard Klass is a busy person – running two restaurants, giving back to the community and an involved father and husband. We were lucky to gain his attention to talk about all these topics and ideas for future food creations.

Gerard and Brittney Klass

Q:  Please tell us about Food for Your Soul - how is it progressing? Do you have sponsorships?  

A:  Food for Your Soul started as idea from a good friend of mine Jeff Aguy. When the pandemic first started, there was a lot of food for students and first responders. There was a lack of resources going to the black communities in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Our program allows our customers to sponsor meals for families in need. Funding started with a few churches and then quickly grew to a larger audience. We would take the donations and prepare the meals, sign up families and deliver the meals. This allowed us to serve our community and keep our staff working.

We believe that hospitality is our purpose and not our profession. It was an honor to serve our customers when they needed us. This provides a special relationship between Soul Bowl and Minneapolis that we don’t take for granted. We served over 8000 meals in the span of three months. Currently Food for Your Soul is sponsoring food for local non-profits. We work with a lot of organizations catering for different events all year long. We also used the fund to provide our Thanksgiving baskets to over 200 families this past year. 

Q:  When COVID-19 hit, you decided to focus your charitable work on food insecurity in North Minneapolis. Are you still delivering meals to local shelters for distribution in the community? Do you have partners to help?

A:  We have transitioned from delivering meals to working to sponsor meals for organizations serving the community. We don’t have any partners helping us currently. Our customers donate funds a few meals at time and we field email request for meals.  

Q:  Do you think Soul Bowl has helped to change the narrative of North Minneapolis by bringing people together to celebrate the North Minneapolis culture and community? 

A:  Honestly, that is for the people to decide. Our focus has always been to serve our community with excellent food and service while remaining authentic to ourselves. We hope to humanize North Minneapolis and showcase the wealth of talent that comes from there. We still have a lot of work to do but I pray we are making a lasting impact.

Q:  How are you managing two restaurants, giving back to the community and being a father to your three-year-old son? 

A:  To be transparent - I owe “God’s Grace” to my lovely wife and business partner, Brittney, and my amazing team. There are a lot of people that help make everything possible, and to them I’m grateful. We close our restaurants on Saturdays to practice work/life balance so that everyone on our team can have a family day.

Q:  What do you and Brittney do for self-care? 

A:  Lots of things! We love traveling, going to new restaurants, and watching movies. We enjoy bible study, hanging with family and friends and resting on Saturdays.

Q:  Tell us about B.A.D. Wingz - what sets your wings apart from your competitors?

A:  First, we are the only locally owned wing joint in Minneapolis. We also provide a wing experience everyone can enjoy with plant-based and gluten-free options. We also house a unique list of sauces with their own sense of nostalgia for cities from across the US. Lastly, we serve fried chicken - something that isn’t found at most wing joints. 

Q:  Do you have other food fusion concepts in mind?  May we have a sneak peek into your thoughts? 

A:  I have a ton of other concepts in my head I hope to be able to bring them to life one day. I’m interested in Afro-Latino fusion and BBQ that serves meat and plant-based options.

Q:  Thank you for your time. How may we follow your news?  

A:  We are on all social platforms at @soulbowlmn and @badwingz. I was also just featured on TPT’s show Relish with Chef Yia Vang! Come visit us and try some wings!