We had the good fortune of connecting with Candice Holloway and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Candice, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I started Soul Secrets as an opportunity to connect with my teenage daughter. I was able to teach her recipes that I cooked with my grandmother as a child. It was therapeutic and an alternative way for her to cope with depression and navigate life as a teenager.

At the same time my husband and I recognized that there was a huge gap in soul food in the city and wanted to share our recipes with others. The name Soul Secrets was a play on words: soul food as well as my daughter feeling comfortable enough to open up and share some of her secret thoughts with me.

What should our readers know about your business?
What sets me apart from others is my ability to be true to myself, while maintaining my morals, values and integrity. Every business decision that I have had to make I was certain to consult with the Holy Spirit. I never want to get ahead of God on where He wants me to be.

The journey wasn’t easy. We worked very hard to build the brand. We tested the market for two years, giving away samples, trying to figure out what menu items worked which ones didn’t, standardizing our recipes for mass production and finally figuring out our target audience. We recognized how big Cincinnati was and that everyone wasn’t going to fit our target audience; we decided to focus primarily on Corporate clients, which allowed us to create a more extensive menu. We started participating in festivals and pop-up events in order to establish our brand and create brand recognition. There were some hiccups along the way, but we survived and was able to get a good idea of the makeup of our target audience.

I’m so proud of the brand that we were able to create., the restaurant we were able to design and build n the middle of a pandemic, the people that we lead and employee, the lives that we have touched and changed as an employer, the community that we have been able to serve and the excitement of what lies ahead. We have already added an event space above our restaurant, its pretty dope!

The biggest lesson that I have learned is to stay focused. In business you have to have tunnel vision. People will try to project their fears, ideas and opinions on you. Sometimes it causes you to lose sight of the vision God gave YOU!

I want the world to know that we haven’t even scratched the surface!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well of course I would be sure that my friends stopped by Soul Secrets for lunch or dinner! Hang Over Easy is a fun brunch spot, Lou Vino for weekend brunch. Davis Cookie Collection and a. trip to Findlay Market there’s so much to explore and see-one of my favorite vendors Sweet Mae Cookie company has a booth and we would most definitely have to grab some or their amazing cookies! Visit to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center explore Otr and The Banks.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My grandmother has had a tremendous impact on the success of our business. She was born in 1927, Forsyth, Georgia. The challenges and adversity that she experienced as a black woman in the south and the stories that she shared about her childhood was additional motivation in the creation of Soul Secrets. I grew up watching my grandmother cook for church functions, selling cakes and pies during the holidays, making pans of Mac and cheese for friends and hosting family gatherings; the opportunities that are available to me today could only be dreamed of during her lifetime. When I open the doors of my restaurant and see her picture on the walls it’s a reminder of just how far we have come. For me my grandmother represents Black History 365 days a year, I know that I am living out one of her wildest dreams; which is why we chose to showcase photos of my grandmother throughout the restaurant. Six generations of strong black women line our walls. The inspiration behind this is a quote: Here”s to strong women, ma we know them, may we be them, may we raise them.

Website: www.soulsecretscincy.com

Instagram: soulsecrets.llc

Facebook: Soul Secrets Cincy

Image Credits
Brent Billingsley

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