Soul Mama will serve African, Caribbean and South American food.
London is filled with amazing restaurants, from street food stalls to MICHELIN Starred venues. Now, the musician YolanDa Brown is mixing things up, and swapping the stage for the kitchen. She is opening the new Afro-Caribbean restaurant, Soul Mama. Located on Upper Street, Islington, it has an inspiring origin story.
Soul Mama has been created with the help of Kickstarter. YolanDa raised £248,000 for the project, which is the highest amount ever raised on the platform. She is partnering with Adetokunbo' T' Oyelola, who is the founder of the management company, Black Grape Global.
Soul Mama will serve food inspired by Africa, the Caribbean and South America. The restaurant will be a hip hotspot, and aims to attract local creatives. The venue will host live music nights covering jazz, gospel, reggae and soul. Plus, it will support local as well as new artists.
YolanDa hails from Barking, Essex. She was born to Jamaican parents and is best known for being a saxophonist. In 2008, she won a MOBO Award for best jazz performer. Over her career, she has worked with Beverley Knight, Billy Ocean, Lemar and Jools Holland.
YolanDa explained: "Throughout my career I have always had to think out of the box, innovate, find creative ways to be heard and seen, change perspectives all for the dream. My dreams are big, to add joy, light and laughter to as many lives as possible using music, education, food and more."
Soul Mama is scheduled to open in autumn 2023.
GO: Visit https://soulmama.co.uk for more information.
Images: Provided