Woods worked as a janitor at Dayton Christian while he took a break earlier this year and looked forward to new opportunities. He recalled a Facebook post on Dec. 29, 2023, asking his friends to “send good vibes to Chazzy's Kitchen in 2024.” He said the owner of Club Evolution commented that the kitchen was empty and the rest is history.
In March, Chazzy's Kitchen reopened inside Club Evolution.
“I'm so grateful that people still remember my cooking after two and a half years,” Woods said.
We offer perennial favorites like Bone-in and Boneless Wings with Sweet Chili Sauce, The Kitchen's Philadelphia, KD Pizza Bites, Chazy's Chicken and Vanilla French Toast, and Buffy's Barbecue Beans. Chazzy's Kitchen offers Southern-style comfort food, with several menu items reflecting Woods' path to owning his own restaurant.
From singing in church to working as Miss America, the Dayton native has been a performer all his life. Before opening Chazzy's Kitchen in Moraine, Woods had been using drugs for eight years and was working hard to make a living, he said.
“I went from being a star and being with Miss America to nothing,” Woods said.
He worked at IHop Restaurant in Beaver Creek before transferring to the Huber Heights location. When the restaurant closed in early 2019, he recalled taking his last check and two quarter rolls to K&R Supermarket and considering whether he could rent kitchen space at the market and open his own restaurant. .
Luis Zavala, a manager at Chazzy's Kitchen, started working at Woods after the pandemic. He described the Moraine location as a beloved hidden gem restaurant.
Woods has been working in the restaurant industry for decades, and some of the clients he currently serves have followed him throughout his 30-year career serving the Dayton area.
“From the regular customers who come in and support us to the new customers, there's something about his personality and the food that draws them,” Zavala said. “There's something special about him. He can light up the whole block.”
Woods said his three sons are an inspiration. Despite the long hours, “I just keep working because my love is making people happy,” Woods said.
Club Evolution is located at 130 N. Patterson Blvd. Chazzy's Kitchen is open for lunch, Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., DoorDash and pickup only. You can pick it up from the back entrance of the building. Dine-in is available Monday through Friday from 4pm to 2am and Saturday and Sunday from 6pm to 2am.
Reporter Natalie Jones stopped by the restaurant last week. Her favorite dish was Chazy's Chicken and Vanilla French Toast. She said it was the perfect combination of sweet and salty. Jones recommends ordering the restaurant's homemade sweet chili sauce to accompany her French toast.
For more information, visit Chazzy's Kitchen's Facebook page (@chazzyskitchen). To order online, visit gotab.io/loc/chazzyskitchen.
