Full of soul.

Curtis Moore Jr. and Cecil Kaigler, friends for nearly two decades and coworkers at refinery giant British Petroleum (BP), consider themselves seasoned restaurateurs. They should. As 50-50 co-owners of The Praline Connection Inc., a 3-year-old New Orleans soul food restaurant, they are carving an impressive niche in the $267 billion food service industry.

Funny thing is, neither Moore, 45, nor Kaigler, 40, knew zip about the industry before strapping on their aprons. "Did that scare us? Of course it did," explains Kalgler, Praline's vice president. "For me to go in a totally different direction was very frightening."

Why the restaurant business? Moore, the company's president, says they found a niche in soul food. In April 1990, Moore retired from BP and traded in his corporate attire for a chef's hat. Kaigler, who was still working at BP, and Moore purchased a vacant building for $129,000, using their combined savings to put $35,000 down on the site. It cost them $23,000 to renovate the structure and convert what was formerly a bank into a restaurant. The equipment tab totaled $19,000. To help pay for the remodeling, Moore's brother loaned the duo $40,000.

In August 1990, the Praline Connection, located just outside the well-known French Quarter, opened for business. A month later, Kaigler retired from BP and joined the restaurant full-time.

First year sales were $800,000. Last year, the Praline Connection, named after a popular New Orleans candy, posted revenues of $1.2 million. This year's revenues are expected to reach $3 million.

Moore and Kaigler aren't resting on their laurels, however. In November 1992, they opened a second soul food bistro, Praline Connection II. They also own two candy shops and a mail-order gift basket business.

Future plans include a cookbook, a food products line and a number of franchises.