Today we’d like to introduce you to Jasmine Anderson.
Hi Jasmine, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I am the owner of 1101 Southern Kitchen. I am a private chef, caterer, high school teacher, and culinary arts instructor. I was born and raised in Houston, TX, even attending University of Houston. I have been cooking for as long as I can remember. This passion of mine has truly been a gift from God and I love sharing it.
Since high school, I knew that the foodservice industry was the path for me. I knew at 16 that I would one day have my own restaurant. So throughout my life after high school, I focused on making my restaurant dream my reality. Then at the end of 2019, my reality was right in front of my eyes and the start of 1101 Southern Kitchen restaurant begin. I found a perfect location, put money in, prayed over the place and then… it all fell through. Taking a little stumble, I kept going, found another location, and got back to work.
Then BOOM!!! Covid hit. Like everything else in the world, my restaurant dream came to a crashing halt. This time the stumble was a heavy hitter, but every bit of me knew I couldn’t give up just yet. I was to close to the finish line. Everyday I told myself just keep swimming just keep swimming lol. It took me a lot of extra money and until August of 2020 to finally get all the permitting and everything needed to open. September 2020, my dream indeed became my reality. It was the most amazing thing I have every done in my life. Like to take a high school dream, never give up, and make it happen it’s a feeling like no other. Unfortunately, it didn’t last long and on the last day of January 2021, I had to make the decision to close. This time this setback felt like failure. I had worked so hard and lost it all so quick. I didn’t know nor did I think it would be possible to bounce back from this “failure.” Thank God I have an amazing family, heaven-sent friends, and world-class regulars that wouldn’t let me give up.
One day I received a call from one of my regulars asking when we would be opening back up. After I let her know I wasn’t sure I was, she asked if I would come to her home to prepare a birthday celebration for her husband because he loves my food and had planned on having his birthday dinner at the restaurant. This brought an entire new path into my life that I never considered for myself before. After this one dinner, my private chef service took off. I knew then it was time to revamp. With the help of an amazing marketing company, BDMcreates, I turned 1101 Southern Kitchen restaurant into a private chef and catering company where we now bring the restaurant to you and I LOVE IT!!!! I love being able to go into people’s homes or event space and creating an experience trailered just for them. Whether a romantic dinner for two or full catering for a wedding, I bring the same love and attention I had at my restaurant while serving the most amazing food. I am so glad I didn’t give up and I absolutely love the direction my company is going in. Thank you to everyone that has taking any part of this ride with me thus far!!! P.S. you might want to hang on; the best is yet to come!!!!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
ABSOLUTELY HAS NOT been an easy rode!! The saying “if it was easy, everyone would do it” is never more truer than when you are an entrepreneur. And that’s before you throw in the craziness that came along with Covid. I have been knocked down more than I can count, from deals failing through to complete failure of a business. I have come across so many shady people that don’t have the same spirit or mindset as me. I have learned that there are people that are out for themselves and will burry you to get to the top. Not to mention all of the things that are out of your control that you never see coming. What I can say, however, is that after getting through these struggles, I have learned that I am stronger than I ever thought and now I know that there is nothing that can stop me. I know that there will be more struggles and bumps in the road, but I am confident I will overcome them all.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Ok, so my family is everything to me! 1101 is my dad’s birthday, November 1. This is my way of honoring him as much as possible. I say this to say that my culinary inspiration comes from my amazing family. Although I have been to culinary school and can create a variety of culinary creations, my specialty food offerings are a blend of my two families. You have my mother’s side that is a true southern Texas-raised family and then my dad’s side that has a Cajun creole background through my grandfather.
I love to blend the two to create amazing dishes like my Voodoo Eggrolls, which are my take on the southern classic of baked mac & cheese mixed with a little Cajun love of shrimp & crawfish Etouffee with some andouille sausage tossed in there all wrapped in an eggroll shell and deep-fried to golden perfection. I also have this one-of-a-kind Banana Bread Pudding Cake that is a blend of both of my grandmother’s popular desserts layering homemade banana bread with creamy banana pudding then surrounding it with nilla wafers and topping it off with homemade whipped cream and walnuts. Making these types of items doesn’t feel like work, it feels like family and I love sharing my family meals with the world. I believe that’s what sets me apart.
What’s next?
My future has endless possibilities at this point. Currently, I am looking to open a prep kitchen with a small tasting room where people can come for small dinner parties or cooking classes. I am also looking to expand my brand. Looking to get more into meal preps, selling lunching in my kitchen space, mason jar desserts, more cooking classes, and specialty food boxes. Ooohh, and I can’t forget about getting back to my Oxtail Sundays, maybe even throwing in some Brunch days or Shrimp & Grit Sundays. At this point, I want to try it all.
Pricing:
- Private Chef for two start at $250
- Brunch Catering starts at $25 per person
- Dinner Catering starts at $40 per person
Contact Info:
- Email: comfortfood@1101southernkitchen.com
- Website: 1101southernkitchen.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1101_southernkitchen/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1101SouthernKitchen
Image Credits
Brittany Davis-Morris (bdmcreates) Lady D Photography
