Community Spotlight: Gregory Glass brings ‘Sermon Sandwich Bar’ home to Fondren
For Gregory Glass, food has always been more than nourishment; it’s a sermon. Each sandwich, each bite, tells a story shaped by travel, family, and a deep connection to his Mississippi roots. After years of cooking in chain restaurants, experimenting with food trucks in Texas and exploring the flavors of South America, Glass has returned home to Jackson with a renewed purpose to feed both the body and the spirit.
On November 1st, Glass opened the doors to his newest venture, Sermon Sandwich Bar, located in the heart of Fondren Corners. For him, the move isn’t just about opening a business, it’s about homecoming, healing, and hope.
“Fondren has always been an area I gravitated to naturally,” Glass said. “Maybe because I’m an artist, maybe because I went to Murrah. Either way, we wanted to wait 18 months before we tried any business in Jackson. The climate was a little unsettled when we returned from South America in ’23, but my wife saw something changing. We both felt the possibilities. Jackson deserves all the good things, so we wanted to be a part of that.”
That sense of timing and optimism is what inspired Sermon Sandwich Bar, a space where faith and flavor coexist. The name itself carries a powerful double meaning, rooted in both Glass’s spirituality and his mission to uplift the community. “The community needs a sermon,” he explained. “We as Black folks are very spiritual, and often very religious. The name came from a lot of places. Food Sermon in Brooklyn, Victory Sandwich Bar in Decatur. Exposure should breed inspiration. Growing up in the South gives you a special license to tell certain stories. Sermon is designed to evoke trust in the person feeding you. Our Sermon is as spirited and intentional as the Pastor to his congregation.”
And his message is clear. Community, creativity, and connection matter.
Open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., this unique restaurant is designed to be as flexible as it is flavorful.
The menu includes Crab on a Bun, the Turkey Cubano, and the Bologna Muffuletta.
Much of what drives Glass’s approach to food is his emphasis on family. Both the one into which he was born and the one he builds daily through his business. “Family is everything,” he said. “There was a time in my life when I didn’t think that. I was wrong. Foolish. My family is the battery in my back. If you see me there, most likely you’ll see my wife, my daughter, my son, or my mother. Even my dad, brother, friends, colleagues. Family is layered. When you think that way, it’s a whole lot easier to treat every guest well.”
That spirit of unity carries over into how he sees Jackson’s evolving Black culinary scene. To Glass, Sermon Sandwich Bar is both a continuation of tradition and a push forward. “We MUST preserve foodways and what’s very important to me is that we acknowledge different food,” he said. “Black folks are more than what this world calls ‘soul food.’ Our palates are more evolved than we think. My job is to engage those palates and wed them with clean, quality, remembered flavors.”
In a time when Jackson is rediscovering its creative rhythm, Glass’s story is a testament to the city’s resilience and potential. His journey from Texas food trucks to South American kitchens and now back to Fondren, mirrors a larger movement of Black entrepreneurs reclaiming and redefining their narratives through food and community.
“Sermon is for everyone,” Glass said, “but not at the expense of who we are. Community means ‘with – unity.’ That’s what you need to be on when you come to Sermon. After that, just fall back and enjoy the space. It’s all of ours.”
With Sermon Sandwich Bar, Gregory Glass invites Jacksonians to do just that. To gather, to taste, and to be reminded that sometimes, the most powerful sermons aren’t spoken from pulpits but served on warm bread with love.
