About Us

My name is Derek, and I have worked as a marketing leader in the restaurant industry for most of my career. Several years ago, I found myself in a job position in which I was VERY dissatisfied. During my free time, I would surf the internet, brainstorming new career paths and business ideas. 

In the course of my research, I came across numerous accounts of black people who were excelling and innovating in food and beverage spaces. In all candor, I felt ashamed at how little I knew about many of these people and their tales. It occurred to me that other people would enjoy being enlightened similarly.

To that end, I enlisted my marketing experience and marketing-savvy friends, developed a brand identity (including our logo), launched a Twitter account, and began disseminating these incredible tales. As I suspected, many people started following my feed to learn more about these stories.

Witnessing others' success due to their exposure on soulPhoodie has been the most rewarding experience. A few instances include national publications writing about restaurants users found on soulPhoodie, opportunities for young authors to share their opinions on our food culture with major food pubs, and venture investments in new businesses as a result of exposure on soulPhoodie. 

A few years ago, we decided to open a merch store because people wanted to buy t-shirts with our logo. After that, we decided to try other designs, always with the goal of celebrating our food culture and having fun.

We are grateful to have you as a part of our community.

Love, Peace and soulPhoodie

Derek