MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota — Thursday marks the start of Black Business Week in Minneapolis. The city is kicking it off with an event at George Floyd Square. You can find a full list of events here.
Just a half mile away is a Black-owned business that’s become a staple in South Minneapolis.
“It’s been a blessing,” said Sheila Brathwaite, who founded Mama Sheila’s House of Soul in 2016 with her husband, Frederick Brathwaite.
The restaurant serves soul food — buffet style — with made-from-scratch recipes from Sheila.
When Sheila was 15, her mother gave her the responsibility of making dinner.
“She went to school and work and I was the only girl at home and so she told me, ‘When I get home every day there better be a meal.’ And I told her, ‘I don’t know how to cook.’ And her words were, ‘Well you better learn. You watch me all the time.’ That’s exactly what happened,” recalled Sheila, who, after eating dinner at other people’s places, would then go home and try to mimic it.
But Sheila didn’t start off in the restaurant industry. She originally was a hair stylist.
“Never in my wildest dreams that I thought I would be a chef cooking to have my own restaurant. That was never on the table,” she said.
But when her husband, who works in construction, had a client looking to open a soul food restaurant, Sheila stepped in to help and it inspired the couple to open their own spot.
Frederick also has a background as a pastor and Sheila was already used to catering for the church.
Mama Sheila’s House of Soul opened in 2016. They moved to their current spot on the corner of 38th Street and Bloomington Avenue South in 2018.
“People loved us. We were viral. I mean, we were just busy and then COVID happened and we shut down,” Sheila recalled.
But thanks to all the support, they have been able to keep feeding the community.
“When you can feed people and have people come to your restaurant and literally sit in these booths and tears come out their eyes like they’re crying,” Sheila said. She added that she will often have patrons come up to her and say, “It just reminds me of my grandmother, my mother. They passed… and the taste of this food just reminds me of back home.”
Mama Sheila’s not only serves up food but a side of Black history. When you step into the restaurant, the walls are covered with pictures of prominent Black Americans. There are paintings and pictures of famous musicians on every wall.
“Because it’s a soul food restaurant, we have James Brown… he’s a king of soul. So he needs to be prominent in a soul food restaurant,” Frederick said. “Then you have here, the ‘Queen of Soul’ Aretha Franklin. You put a king and a queen together and you end up with a Prince who is an icon of our community.”
The booths feature Black American history from Ruby Bridges to Booker T. Washington.
“We wanted to portray Black history in a positive way,” Frederick said. “In other words, to show our guests the contributions of Black people in America.”
Despite some hard times, Sheila said the community keeps her cooking.
Sheila said, “One lady came up to me and held my hand and said, ‘Thank you. I know what you do. It’s hard but we really appreciate you. And thank you for doing what you’re doing every day.’ That sealed it.”
Mama Sheila’s House of Soul is open Tuesday-Sunday from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.
