I am a Bay Area native, born in Martinez CA. and primarily raised in Oakland. I became vegan at a young age and began developing recipes while pregnant with my son. My career choice was within the medical field before launching Souley Vegan and worked In the Surgery Center-Endoscopy at Marin General Hospital for just under ten years.

Only one prerequisite away from nursing school, I chose to take a chance on a dream I had desired for so long. After the Doctors that I worked with wrote gleaming reference letters for me to get into the nursing school of choice, I felt I had another calling. 

Needless to say, everyone told me I was crazy for leaving the medical field after working so very hard as a single mother, going to school at night and working full time in the day and some nights when on call, however coming from a childhood of lack, seeing my mother struggle on her own with three children was enough for me want more and yearn to have some control over my destiny, not only for myself but for my family as well as youth, women and men. My grandfather hailed from Louisiana and was an entrepreneur.

Growing up I saw him work from sunup to sundown and through his hard work, he was able to take care of so many. So yes, I as a little girl wanted to be like the greatest man I've ever known, my Grandfather James Williams.

It was seeing my grandfather build, watching and absorbing the work ethic of my mother, working for the only black-owned convalescent hospital at the time under Pon Lane, and the efficient systems and behaviors I learned from working with the incredible group of nurses and physicians at MGH, that helped prepared me for my future as an entrepreneur.

I launched Souley Vegan restaurant at 301 Broadway, Oakland in 2009 with under $30 in the cash register and the faith that I would somehow succeed. When I did the walk-through of the location, I knew as soon as I walked in that this was the place where Souley Vegan would grow. Not having the finances to lease the space, not even the gas to get down there for the walk-through, I knew in my heart it would happen. I received the money one day before I was scheduled to sign the lease. The landlord was leary, stern and clearly moved by God to take a chance on this financially unstable young lady who claimed she would succeed here, which I did. Long before veganism became a trend, I was advised by many to serve fish or chicken so as not to limit my clientele being that we were in the middle of a recession,  I did not, as I want my success to be in alignment with my values. It took a lot of teaching and through the community's word of mouth, Souley Vegan grew to a destination for not only locals but also people flying in from all over the world. #faith+work