Boogie Soto
Everyone knows that bartender — or that cook, that server, that host or that barback. The one who asks you about your day and actually cares about the answer. The one who ensures you’re not hungry, thirsty, lonely or uncomfortable. The one who knows your name, and too often goes unsung. With our feature Tip Jar, we’ll profile people in Nashville who are true pros at hospitality — in every sense of the word.
OK, so in our intro, we just waxed poetic about the bond you share with someone in the restaurant industry when you know their name? Well, get ready trolls, because I’m kicking us off with someone who will not tell me hers.
The person I know as “Boogie Soto” has been a fixture in The Nations since 2016. Born and raised in Huntsville, Ala., Boogie moved to Nashville in 2013 to further her career in (what else?) roller derby. Her handle was Electric Boogaloo after the funky ’80s dance style, so naturally, everyone called her “Boogie” for short.
Whether she’s frying green beans and wings at The Centennial or getting me through COVID with cheese bread at Midnight Oil, Boogie’s always cooking something simple and delicious. That makes sense — she started cooking at a small farm-to-table sandwich shop. She sticks with it, she says, because of the accomplishment she feels when she watches people take a bite of her food and smile.
What I notice most about Boogie is that she’s always chatting with someone while delivering their food. With me, she’s shooting the shit about where to find the best pizza in Huntsville (Earth & Stone, in my opinion). With someone else, she’s petting a dog or talking to a baby. (OK … maybe these are all me.) What stands out, though, is that she’s every bit that old cliché about never having met a stranger. Somehow I just always knew “Boogie from The Centennial.” And when your nature is so warm and welcoming that you never need an introduction? You earn the one-name treatment.
To that end, ask Boogie for her “real” name and she’s likely to tell you something like this: “Not even my mom calls me by my government name, so if it’s OK, I’d like to keep that to myself.”
Fair enough. Boogie on. We had a few questions for Boogie. Here are her answers.
Where do you hang out when you’re not at work?
I stay home a lot, but if I go out, I always end up at The Centennial.
Favorite menu item at The Centennial:
Spicy chicken sandwich, no lettuce, extra pickles, with fries. Don’t forget a side of honey mustard to dip your sandwich!
Favorite menu item at Midnight Oil:
White pie — olive-oil base with spinach, San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella and ricotta — with a cauliflower crust. Add garlic and sausage. (Writer’s note: I will henceforth be calling this pie “The Ghost Boogie.”)
Anything else?
Don’t miss out on Nashville’s favorite fake holiday, St. Patrick Swayze Day, at The Centennial on Saturday, Aug. 13!
