Inspiring Conversations with LaQuisha Jackson of Soulful Kitchen

Today we’d like to introduce you to LaQuisha Jackson. They and their team shared their story with us below:

Chef Laquisha Jackson is a member of the South Bend Regional Chamber of Commerce, an alumna of the city’s Forty Under 40 list, and is on the catering roster with the top chefs in the city. She is also passionate about helping people become self-sufficient through food education. 

It all started in her grandmother’s kitchen when she was nine years old. 

“When I was a child, I suffered from food insecurity,” she said. “I am the oldest of 13. Our grandmother had heart disease, and she had a lot of us in the house. We would have food at the beginning of the month, and towards the end, we would run out. We had a meal, but sometimes it wasn’t what we wanted, and it wasn’t the healthiest. Sometimes, there was maybe breakfast, but not lunch.” 

As the oldest granddaughter, it often fell to Laquisha to cook the meals. 

“There were no instructions,” she said. “You just had to go in the kitchen and figure it out.” 

She loved it. 

“I knew that I struggled in school,” she said. “Cooking was the one thing that came easy. It just flowed.” 

In high school, Laquisha got pregnant and was sent to the School-Aged Moms program. Her grades were so bad she was unable to return; however, she didn’t feel complete without a diploma. 

She was 16 when she tried to get her GED the first time, but she stopped taking classes to focus on her son. She tried again in her 20s, but by that time she had had a few more kids, and life was busy. 

Meanwhile, she looked for jobs in the food industry, working her way up through the ranks to manager. She eventually wound up working in the kitchen of a retirement home, where she stayed for 16 years. 

“I learned a lot at that job,” she said. “How to puree food and how to modify it for residents with different dietary restrictions.” 

In her early 30s, she again attempted the GED. This time, she worked with both Debra Lane of South Bend Adult Education and a gentleman named Doc, who offered a class through the United Methodist Church. When she was ready to take the GED, the United Methodist Church paid for her test. She passed. 

At her 2014 graduation ceremony, Laquisha was eight months pregnant with twins. In spite of this, she immediately enrolled in Ivy Tech Community College’s hospitality administration program. 

“It took me four years to get a two-year degree,” she said, “and that was only because I took my time.” 

In 2017, she lost her job. As a woman of faith, she felt God tell her to look up how to start a business. She sat down at her computer and found SPARK, a multi-week program through the Women’s Entrepreneurship Initiative at Saint Mary’s College that helps women start a business. The program had an opening for its upcoming session. By the end of the year, Laquisha had launched her catering company, Soulful Kitchen. 

“After SPARK, I just became a sponge,” she said. She joined other entrepreneurship programs such as Notre Dame’s South Bend Entrepreneurship and Adversity Program and Leadership South Bend. 

In 2020, Laquisha both graduated from Ivy Tech and started Hope for the Hungry, a not-for-profit organization that helps combat poverty and build self-sufficiency. 

“We do feed families who suffer from food insecurities, but the goal is to help those who are in poverty to become self-sufficient, whether that is through home ownership or employment,” she said. “I want to do all that through cooking.” 

Coming out of generational poverty herself, Laquisha said she had to be intentional about getting involved in available self-sufficiency programs. She took finance and home ownership classes and learned how to pay the rent and bills without assistance. 

Now, she wants to help provide self-sufficiency education for others. To that end, Hope for the Hungry has offered healthy cooking classes, and she wants to implement diabetes prevention classes. 

Soulful Kitchen also has an education component, where she helps other foodies improve their business skills. She became a ServSafe instructor and registered proctor and teaches classes to people interested in becoming certified. She has a collection on Bendable called How to Start a Small Business in the Food Industry. 

This past semester, she and a couple of other local chefs taught cooking classes for youth at two of the local high schools, where the students earned ServSafe certification. 

So, what’s next for the chef and mother of eight? She says she would love to write her own cookbook and to be a guest on the Food Network or have her own cooking show. 

She also plans to continue to share her story with people who ask her to speak. 

“I just tell my story, which used to embarrass me,” she said. “But I am a strong woman of God. I cannot take credit for my life. So, I tell my story.” 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
My biggest struggle was the lack of resources. It was/is extremely difficult to find a commissary kitchen in the South Bend area. I started my business without money; it was a faith walk. I learned the importance of networking and cultivating relationships. 

As you know, we’re big fans of Soulful Kitchen. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
I first felt inclined to cook when I was seven years old. By the time I turned nine, I was cooking meals. I grew up on a hearty diet of authentic southern food, which inspired my specialty: hot and tasty, gourmet southern cuisine. 

Soulful Kitchen launched five years ago when I started cooking professionally. Prior to starting her Soulful Kitchen, I worked in the hospitality industry for nineteen years at each level: server, prep cook, and manager, to name a few. In May 2019, she graduated from Ivy Tech Community College with her associate degree in Hospitality Administration, and she’s currently a member of the South Bend Regional Chamber of Commerce. 

While cooking is definitely my calling, my heart shares another passion in service in the hospitality industry as well as in her community. I am is certified ServSafe proctor. We recognize the importance of this education, and as a dual ServSafe Instructor and Registered Proctor, I provide ServSafe classes to all foodies interested in becoming certified and potentially elevating their culinary career. 

We also conduct cooking classes, food webinars, and public speaking. 

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I am the oldest of 13, so I was strong-willed. I was the leader in the house. I helped my grandmother with the cooking and cleaning. I as very responsible and caring. 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.soulfulkitchensb.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/soulfulkitchensb?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: Soulful Kitchen
• Linkedin: Laquisha Jackson
• Youtube: Soulful Kitchen LLC