JaNae WilliamsThe Oklahoman
The saying goes "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen."
The Crimson Melt, 2100 N Eastern Ave., Suite 10 in Moore, owner Ashontay Owens knows a lot about heat, having spent 20 years being tested by actual fire as a former United States Air Force fire captain.
In many of the things he's done, Owens has stood out as a first or a leader in fields where he didn't always see himself represented. Now a business owner, that continues to drive him to achieve more for others like him.
"It means a lot to me because there are some people out there that don't think that African-Americans in general can be business owners or can do things and everybody in this world has a different background and a different walk of life," he said.
Now retired after 20 years in the Air Force, but still working a full-time job at Tinker Air Force Base while owning a restaurant, the idea for Crimson Melt came to Owens as a way to combine his reverence for his time as a firefighter, experiences he had while enlisted and his passion for helping other first responders.
"When you're a firefighter, your business is people. You're in the business of customer service and you really want to serve. I had the added advantage of serving in the fire protection capacity, but also serving my country," Owens said.
And holding dual master's degrees in clinical counseling and human services means Owens understands people. He attempted work as a counselor after retiring for the military, but after 20 years of the stress brought on by firefighting in the military, he realized he wanted a different path.
And like many others in the food industry, he met roadblocks along the way.
"When it came to here, I didn't get a lot of support, with the loan or anything, and I was on my last leg.Even though I had the collateral, a lot of people they didn't want to touch me because the restaurant industry in general is just volatile, especially after COVID, and it's fickle and it's high and low," he said.
An inspiration for gourmet grilled cheeses — and addressing mental health
Still, Owens had frequented a grilled cheese bar in Washington, D.C., called GCDC, and memories of that restaurant and inspiration from his military experiences led to the concept and menu at The Crimson Melt.
"Everybody knows in the fire department when the chief stays at night, the chief cooks.So, it was one of those things where it's like, I have a little bit of a niche here with these grilled cheese sandwiches, and there's nothing around here that's like this," Owens said.
"I came up with all the flavors just based on past experiences in the military. I've been stationed at eight different military bases, six different deployments so, I've seen a lot, and I've come across a lot of different things."
Knowing he was going to bring gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches to life, Owens decided to pair them with equally decadent milkshakes inspired by a visit to Nashville's Legendairy Milkshake Bar.
With a menu sorted, Owens then moved to the second part of his goal: Addressing mental health — especially among first responders.
"I had the food aspect down. The food is going to be good. The food is the food, but on the other side of it, we need to shed a light because our first responders, they don't get a lot of love," Owens said.
"So my business, other than food, is trying to put them on the forefront. We want you to come home healthy, but at the same time, if something should happen, because suicide is real and it is a thing, after the fact, how are we taking care of the families?"
Owens offers discounts to first responders and also created an organization called the Folds of the Flame, which raises awareness and funds for first responder suicide prevention and postvention.
"I felt like being a clinician myself and having those degrees, that there wasn't a lot of light shed on the PTSD that first responders go through, because there's programs out there and whatnot, but the issue with those programs, in my personal opinion, is that a firefighter doesn't oftentimes want to talk to a person that's not a firefighter or a first responder, because that person can't relate," Owens said.
How you can help first responders in your community
Oklahomans also can easily show their support with simple acts like sharing baked goods with their local first responders and checking in on them, especially after particularly tough calls, Owens said.
"It also helps with mental health when they know that what they're doing is making a difference in the community," he said."I know it would have helped me tremendously when I was a young airman, a young firefighter, if somebody would have came in and just said, 'Hey, thanks for what you're doing, here's some brownies, how are you?'"
With a vision in mind for the business, a purpose driving all he does and what he considers a solid, crowd-pleasing menu, Owens hopes to take The Crimson Melt to new levels in the future.
"I want to see us grow.I'd like to see multiple stores.I would like to get out of renting and be my own building owner and give other opportunities to other Black-owned businesses or other business — people that want to come in and help them with their story and help them grow," he said. "Just be my own true, free, business owner."
