We recently connected with Ida Benson-Jaja and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Ida thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
The mission is in the name. “Home Kitchen”, strives to be a home to those without a home. Food brings family, connection, safety and belonging. Whether you are rich or poor, breaking bread together connects people from all walks of life. A lot of our mission aims to help those in the community without homes by having days of service of cooking for those who are hungry in food deprived areas. Our mission also strives to build family culture with our food. We want our food to bring comfort and foster good family memories!\
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I got my start in the industry over a decade ago working as a baker in a vegan/vegetarian restaurant. My family is from Nigeria, but we grew up in the south in the beautiful city of Savannah, Georgia. This offered a natural fusion of lifestyle and culture. Much of the food that I cook today is a Afro-Soul fusion. One of the things that set us apart is doing in-home private dinners, and recreating a small space in your own home to make it a intimate dinner date or event at the convenience of being in your living room. Not only do we meet the small party or 2 needs, we cater a large parties and gala’s.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Resilience for me would have to be journeying through a time of my life of great loss. Losing a parent at a younger age was definitely a season of testing. It was a time when I grew in my spiritual connection with knowing God through Christ all the more. It was a season of isolation and separation and I wondered if things were going to get better. The more I learned to pray during my weakness, the more I felt understood and cared for by God as he would send subtle signs and encouragement from people to specifically show that he was listening to my prayers. At that time in my journey I was working as a baker. Baking became an avenue of worship and meditation. When I was making cakes, brownies and more, I would meditate, reflect and process what I was experiencing. It allowed me time to pray and center myself on God. Because of this, today baking and cooking our tools that I don’t just use to serve others but are restorative in my own life when I need to be grounded or centered.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
I made a pivot in life when I moved from my hometown of Savannah, Georgia to the cold, hilly city of Worcester, Massachusetts. I had grown so comfortable with the city I grew up in, family, having my restaurants and spots to go to, friends and clientele. Moving up to the North was a great experience because it opened my mind to so much more outside of what I had seen in Savannah. I learned to connect with a diversity of cultures and people groups. I also experienced falling in the snow for the very first time and sledding down a hill. I will never take for granted again the wealth of knowledge you experience from having people who do not see the world the same way you do or from the same background or lense. There’s a level of growth that happens when you are allowed to see things from a completely different vantage point. I believe this also inspired the open-mindedness of my food and the way I cook.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://instagram.com/homekitchenatl?igshid=MzNlNGNkZWQ4Mg==
- Instagram: @homekitchenatl
- Email: ida.bensonjaja@gmail.com