Restaurant owner who has served presidents gives back to Miami one plate at a time
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Black business month
The Miami Herald interviewed Black business owners and entrepreneurs in South Florida about their journeys and inspirations.
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Every morning, Overtown native Shirlene Ingraham wakes up at 4 a.m. to make biscuits from scratch at Jackson Soul Food II restaurant in Opa-locka.
Ingraham, 61, has owned the Jackson Soul Food enterprise since 1990, after working in her family’s business since she was seven.
Ingraham’s parents Jessie and Demas Jackson opened the first location in Miami’s Overtown neighborhood, where it remains operating, in 1946. The restaurant added the second site in Opa-locka in 2015.
The food has drawn many fans from the area and well beyond. The restaurants have served prominent politicians, such as President Joe Biden and former President Bill Clinton, as well as soul music legends like The O’Jays who stop in to dine every time they visit Miami.
In December 2022, a third Jackson Soul Food will open in Miami International Airport. Being a Chick-fil-A franchisee, the eatery will have the branding of Jackson Soul Food and the popular fast-food chicken chain on it. And the airport restaurant’s menu will feature foods from both the family-run enterprise and Chick-fil-A.
Ingraham talked to the Miami Herald about her journey as a Black businesswoman in Miami and the importance of helping others in the community. The interview was edited for brevity and clarity.
▪ Question: How did you get your start in the restaurant industry?
▪ Answer: My parents had a restaurant in Overtown since 1946. I went off to college in Gainesville at Santa Fe College to study criminology and then came back home. I started working in the Miami Police Department. One day I decided I didn’t want to work in law enforcement anymore.
▪ Q: Why did you open a second Jackson Soul Food location seven years ago?
▪ A: I was passing by one day when there was a “for sale” sign on the building in Opa-locka. I reached out to the guy who owned the property. We came to an agreement and I bought the building, which wasn’t in good condition. It was a restaurant at the time, but it shouldn’t have been. We had to gut everything, rebuild it and put on a new roof.
▪ Q: What are some of the biggest things you’ve learned during decades in the restaurant business?
▪ A: In the early days, I used to stand on a crate to take customer food orders. Then I ended up in the kitchen cooking. After I took over the business, there were new responsibilities like doing the payroll and paying government taxes, that I had to learn. I learned from a lot of mistakes I made. Since I never went to school for those things, I learned through experience.
As a restaurant owner, you’re going to go through some things. You just have to stay strong and have plenty of faith because that’s what kept me going during challenging times. And it’s not always what it appears. You really have to just want it, because it took me this long just to get to the second location. You really have to have your heart in it. That suited me ‘cause I’m hands on.
▪ Q: How valuable was it for you and your employees to receive training and assistance from Miami-Dade County?
▪ A: It’s very valuable. We had a teacher come to our business to train and certify workers. And a financial grant is always valuable. It doesn’t matter how small or how big a grant is, it always helps. For example, I didn’t have to lay off one employee, not a single person, during the ongoing pandemic.
▪ Q: How important is it for you to employ people from communities like Overtown, Liberty City and Opa-locka?
▪ A: I’m normally employing people that other people don’t want to employ. I’ve always hired people that have been to jail, or have issues blocking them from getting hired. Most of my staff is from the community. I’m a big fan of trying to help people who other people don’t give a chance. That’s just who I am. I love to help people.
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