Connect
To Top

Meet Brittany and Wanda Hill of Lady J in Buckhead

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brittany and Wanda Hill.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Brittany and Wanda. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
The Story Behind Lady J:

Lady J, LLC was named after the matriarch of our family, Judith Z. Stratton, born and raised in Washington, DC, on October 2, 1947. Lady J was a single mother of two children, a grandmother of six, and an all-around amazing woman who loved ladybugs and cooking. One thing for certain, Lady J made sure our family had the best of everything, even if she didn’t have it, no matter how hard she had to work; she provided for all. Lady J never met a stranger, she had a huge impact on others whether she was in the kitchen whipping up some of her amazing original dishes, or at work living her best life and having a blast preparing meals for her coworkers.

Unfortunately, on February 19, 2010, she passed away from Ovarian Cancer, in Maryland. However, before her untimely death, she made sure we knew that her spirit will live within us forever.

Lady J’s motto was to “pay it forward” and that’s what Lady J, LLC exudes.

Lady J was the best cook ever! Her secret in every dish was “Love”, she catered for fun, and she had a vision. She developed and enhanced a secret family sauce that everyone grew to love!! This secret family sauce was frequently requested every time there was an event, cookout, get-togethers, etc. Even until this day! After she passed, people would mention the sauce or say something to the effect of, “Man I wish Ms. Judy was still alive, the sauce she used to make was a bomb.”

Her daughter, Wanda V. Hill, inherited the cooking gene and when she remembered the recipe, we started making it often to perfect it and it was on and poppin from there! It became a staple at functions, AGAIN! We started receiving many compliments and questions for why we haven’t gotten it out on the market yet and that’s when we knew we had something golden and it was time to get to work!

We then came to the realization that she was still paying it forward and we needed to ensure her legacy lived on. Seven years later with this realization, Lady J, LLC was established, and Lady J Sauce was born. Lady J Sauce is sweet + spicy like grandma! It can literally be put on ANYTHING, from wings to mac & cheese to give it that special kick!

It’s a highly favored sauce that will be remembered forever!

Has it been a smooth road?
The initial obstacle we had to overcome was the fear of becoming actual business owners. However, we had to focus on “WWLJD”, (What Would Lady J Do) if she had this opportunity? We prayed and actually remembered she always reminded us that, faith and fear cannot live in the same place.

With that being said, we chose “Faith!”

The other challenges were, managing our day jobs and our business; what keeps us motivated is knowing one day we will be able to do what we love full time.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Lady J story. Tell us more about the business.
We are a family business who specializes in sauces, catering and meal preparation; with one secret ingredient in every recipe; Love.

We are known for our “Lady J Sauce” and our down-home cooking!

We are the proud descendants of Lady J, who have come together as a company to keep Lady J’s Legacy and motto alive, “Paying it Forward.”

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
In the next 5 – 10 years, we see big things happening in the food industry in its entirety. Starting with the way people are more conscious of what they are putting into their bodies and the importance of longevity.

With that being said, our vegan sauce is the next item to hit the market. We believe we are just at the beginning of where Lady J will go; we bring our own unique flair to the sauce game.

Pricing:

  • 1 – 5 oz bottle for $6
  • 3 – 5 oz bottles for $16
  • 12 – 5 oz bottles for $62

Contact Info:

Suggest a story: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.

2 Comments

  1. Bev

    August 13, 2019 at 6:37 pm

    I absolutely Looooooove it, and after reading the story I now learned that you and your family have been working on a company I knew nothing about. I’m sooooo proud of y’all and so is your mom ❤️

  2. Bev

    August 13, 2019 at 6:39 pm

    ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More in