Today we’d like to introduce you to Patricia Jones
Hi Patricia, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started cooking for friends and family at dinner parties I hosted at my home. After rave reviews, I decided to open my first vegan restaurant in 2009 in Chicago’s Southside Beverly neighborhood. As years passed my aspirations grew and I decided to branch out and open a food truck in 2015 in Northern California in the Redwoods, this proved to be one of the best decisions of my life. The people were warm and very receptive to vegan cuisine. Of course being the go getter I am I set my sites on the overseas market and opened my first vegan restaurant in 2021, in the posh neighborhood of East Legon in Accra, Ghana. But something was missing, I longed for home and missed my family greatly. So in 2023 I decided to move back home to be amongst my loves ones here in St. Louis.
Every restaurant I have opened started from the grass roots of the Farmer’s Market whether I was in Chicago, California, or Ghana. I started at the farmers market and built a following. This following always seemed to catapult me and my family to success. Now we are a part of the Tower Grove Farmer’s Market family. Our booth is open on Tuesday from 4:00 pm to 7:30 pm and on Saturday from 8:00 am to 12:30 pm at Tower Grove Park. And we open at the Rockwell Beer Garden on Thursday from 4;00 pm to 7:30 pm.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As any entrepreneur would tell you, life is not an easy road. According to statistics three out of five new restaurants won’t survive the first year. Well we have, in all the locations we have opened. But the challenges are ever present from hiring the right staff, to spending too much money, to keeping up with the trends in foodservice, to having a presence on social media.
All of these aspects of foodservice are challenging as times and require a systematic approach to overcoming them.
One of the challenges I faced was choosing a location. Every time I thought about it I could hear my professor in my ear saying location, location, location. It’s the key to survival in the restaurant industry. Another challenge was financing, which a lot of banks didn’t want to entertain because of the bad success rates of new restaurants. The biggest challenge I faced was trying to reeducate people on “how to eat to live, instead of living to eat.’ This has been my biggest challenge but has produced some of my most gratifying moments.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Big Mama’s House LLC is committed to offering a variety of plant-based foods that are delicious and nutritious. Our products are vegan and gluten free. They are sweetened with agave so they do not spike the Glycemic Index. And they are low in salt. Our Mission is to “Combat chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes and cancer with the essentials of plant based nutrition and diet therapy.” I have been a registered nutritionist since 2001 and a vegan since 1977.
What sets us aside from other brands is the fact that everything we use is made in house from our veggie burgers to our bbq pulled but not pork to our island delight to our fish wish, to our maple syrup breakfast sausage patties. And they are power packed with whole grains and veggies unlike our store bought counterparts. Brand wise I am most proud of that fact we start and end with good wholesome ingredients that could be found in your kitchen pantry or refrigerator that we can pronounce and were not created in a lab.
I want your readers to know the food you are eating, is the same food I cook for my children and grand children’s, It is vegan, organic and mostly gluten free. The recipes I serve have been in my family for over 8 decades developed by my beloved grand mother who we called “Big Mama.’ She was and is my inspiration and she was one of the best southern cooked I knew. What I have done is “veganize” her recipes, like pineapple upside down, bbq pulled but not pork’, and homemade potato salad. That is not only mouth watering but tied into one of our core values “nothing has to die to feed you.”
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
Yes community support is everything. We are family.
Pricing:
- Our Gluten Free (GF) desserts range from $5 to $7
- Our drinks sweetened with agave are $5
- Our GF Breakfast platter is $15
- Our sandwiches are $13
- Our Taco Tuesday Specials range from $11 to $r15
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Bigmamahousestl
