Today we’d like to introduce you to Shawanda Johnson
Hi Shawanda, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Hello, where do I begin. It was A cold night in October and a Superstar was born, me. My name is Shawanda Johnson and I currently reside in Winterville, GA. I am the proud mother of 3 children and 3 grandchildren. When I came back to Athens, living here previously 1987-1995, I knew I wanted to dedicate myself to helping others and teaching what I had learned in life. Back in Chicago, where I’m from. I ran a successful 24/7 childcare in my home for 4 years. When I moved back here I started an after school pantry, (super couponer) where kids would come in the back door get them some snacks out the pantry and leave out the front. I use to have potatoes peeling days when the food bank would be over run with potatoes and we made everything from baked potatoes, to chips, to pancakes. Starts where my passion for cooking really started . Yes, I cooked for my children daily and we ate together, with them inviting friends over to eat as well. I started working for UGA’s EFNEP program, that later turned into SNap-ed where I was going around the community showing and educating families on how to eat healthy on a budget. Then I taught Cooking Literacy at the Library as one of the ESOL programs, basically non English speaking people can to classes and learned recipes and lessons in English. At the end for graduation we always had a potluck and oh my, it was a feast. As I was doing this I got the idea of starting a business doing cooking classes, cause food is a common language and I loved to cook. And that’s how Shawanda’s Kitchen was created. It’s not just about food but its about family gathering together preparing meals, love . I choose the name because growing up, we did most of our gathering around the kitchen table, be in playing monopoly, scrabbling , doing homework, getting my hair pressed for church, even when I had company we sat around the table, but food was always present.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has not been a smooth road, I have to learn how to market myself and I guess charge correctly. I just want everyone to get the experience and everyone can’t afford to be paying an arm and leg, learning how to boil water. Mainly I have been teaching a summer camps, church events and a lot of outdoor neighborhood events. There are lots of free food distributions, here in town and you don’t always know how to prepare some thing. So I might do a class on how to cook eggplant. Or pancakes from scratch, simple but easy recipes, with loads of flavor. Things are definitely better now, still a little slow but God Got me.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I think I might be known for my non-uniform classes, I want people to have fun, not be worried about perfect cuts or being messy, lets just get together cook, laugh and eat. Im most proud of the way people receive me, its kind of shocking at first, but once they take a class, they will definitely be lighter in spirit and heavier in the tummy. Im a really silly person and love to laugh so we would be telling jokes and sharing experiences. What sets me apart is I listen to what type of classes people may want. Some may want to eat all the soul food, but need it changed to fit their healthy lifestyle or any medication that their on. Did you know if you take blood thinner, you should not be eating a lot of dark green veggies. Crazy huh
What matters most to you? Why?
What matters to me most is that every family is able to eat every night. Be in from cooking to delivery. Just be able to sit together and have a meal as a family. Family time is important to me. As my children are getting older, they don’t want to hang out with me all the time, but they will be in that kitchen tasting what Im cooking. Family, Love and Food. I also host FreeMARt where people can come grocery shop for free, just call me the food plug…lol
Pricing:
- $5 Chili bowls
- $5 fruit bowls
Contact Info:
- Instagram: shawanda.johnson4k
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SnicoleJ
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0tS7fQTJELGAyel-_kgkTiYaYxp5HRRy&si=Idn2dc4jma-weuR0
Image Credits
Mainly Table at events,
