Soul food chefs visit Towson campus

By Kristina Lopez
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer

Southern homestyle cooking came to the Paws Pavilion at Towson University’s Student Union earlier this month.

Reddi2eat  is the brainchild of Shaquella Johnson, DIM Production founder and chief executive, who wanted to debut her new business by bringing a North Carolina dining experience to  Towson students and staff.

“We are creating a fun and friendly atmosphere with hopes of making each customer lifelong fans to enjoy the culture and food that hits the soul,” Johnson told The Baltimore Watchdog in a recent interview.

The Reddi2eat crew set up outside the University Union on Dec. 4. Students selected from Cheesesteaks, cheeseburgers or hotdogs with fresh hand-cut fries for prices ranging from $5 to $10. Other specialties include hot wings and some soul food items. Johnson said the goal is to integrate vegetarian dinner options that cater to everyone they serve and satisfy varying palates of people who want to experience southern cooking  regardless of their culinary preferences. 

“We knew coming into this event that it wouldn’t be like our normal sales. This is considered our ‘down season,’” said Johnson, noting they’re operating in the colder months of the season. “However, we wanted to create and build a relationship with Towson, and that beats profit any day.”

Johnson and her crew hail from Elizabeth City, North Carolina, a town where they all grew up and learned their culinary skills from their parents. The business consists of one food truck that operates out of Maryland. The staff members who work fulltime are Juanita Johnson, Reginald Johnson, Ashley Brown, Danielle James, Tearshia Barrow and LaKiasha Downing. The specialties are southern-style dishes with North Carolina inspired recipes, she said.

 Towson was Reddi2eat’s first college-hosted event. Typically, they cater weddings, birthdays, corporate office and local business functions. Johnson said she tries to combine her knowledge and experience in editorial and commercial photography and videography to bring people and communities together. Reddi2eat was prepared to bring some of the North Carolinian culture and background to the forefront of university life, using Towson as the test case for their one-of-a-kind cooking style and food options.

Though the weather was cold, and they had never catered to a college campus before, Johnson said she felt confident in their sales and was proud to be a part of campus life.

“The staff was so friendly and energetic, and it showed in their food,” said student Alexis Beck. “I got a cheesesteak and hand-cut fries. It was delicious and I could tell these people wanted to serve their best dishes to the students that waited in line.”

Another student waiting in line said he was excited to try Reddi2eat’s menu.

“I saw the line and was kind of intrigued,” Andrew Dougherty said. “It wasn’t the normal truck we see on the side of the street here on campus. I was excited to try something new.”

Reddi2eat works to connect local communities and neighborhoods by traveling all over the state, promoting their business to local establishments that want the experience of the southern homestyle cooking, Johnson said.

One event that Johnson fondly remembered catering was at a local church: “They wanted to create an environment that would bring in different people coming from all walks of life. What better way to do that other than encouragement, music and food.”

“In this business you will definitely need money to survive but that isn’t the goal,” said Johnson, adding “being able to run and operate a business that can last for decades, and be passed down to future generations is the sole purpose.”

Johnson said the crew wants to return to TU but in the meantime, they will expand the business to multiple locations in both North Carolina and the DMV. DIM Productions and Hef Beats are the two partnerships that Reddi2eat has now, she added.