BATON ROUGE - A taste of normalcy returns to feed the soul of Baton Rouge.

"I'm really excited that it's opening back up," said Melba Braud with Rita's Italian Ice and Creamery.

From sweet to savory and everything in between, hundreds of people showed up for the 4th annual Soul Food festival.

"This food really touches your soul when you know what you're doing," said Jimmie Wilson with Southern De'licioux.

Wilson and many others are serving up food stemming from old traditional African-American roots.

"Soul food is traditional. It comes from back in the day. It comes all the way from slavery on up to this generation now. We're just keeping it going. It gets better and better," said Wilson.

Festivals are starting to make their return after a year-long absence.

In Baton Rouge, the Soul Food Festival is one of the first to hit downtown since the pandemic.

"We've been locked up inside for so long, so it feels good to hang with nice people in a good environment and enjoy life," said Larry Moore with "Yummies This Can't Be Vegan" restaurant.

Moore says there's something there for everyone to enjoy.

"Soul food means a lot with our history. It's different cultures, different tastes, and something new for the city," he said.

Vendors are grateful to see the crowds welcome the festival back after a year off.

The festival is held right in front of the River Center.

It continues Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.