4 minute read
‘FUSION OF FOODS’
Discover Moni’s Soulfood Fiesta, an Elgin restaurant blending Southern, Mexican and Jamaican flavors
By Melissa Rubalcaba Riske Photos provided by Moni’s Soulfood Fiesta and Downtown Neighborhood Association of Elgin
Monique Howery isn’t just cooking up delicious meals for customers who come in search of her legendary dishes. She is serving up her own brew of confidence and support for her fellow business owners through collaborations. Moni’s Soulfood Fiesta is a fusion of cultures and cuisines, meant to be enjoyed together. She loves when people hop around the menu, trying the jerk chicken tacos, fried catfish nuggets, oxtail dinner and sides like greens or macaroni.
“It’s Southern food, it’s Mexican, it’s Jamaican, it’s all a perfect combination,” Howery says. And always save room for her incredible desserts, says customer Karen Kauffman of Elgin. Kauffman and her colleagues work nearby in downtown Elgin and discovered the restaurant during a lunch break last year. It quickly became a go-to spot. “It’s a fusion of foods,” Kauffman says. “It all works.” Howery opened the restaurant in September 2020, mid-pandemic and at a time when many businesses were struggling as a result of restrictions. She launched her first restaurant in DeKalb, serving chicken wings and sweet potatoes to hungry college students, then decided to move to Elgin where she was drawn to the community. Her culinary foundation was in her grandparents’ kitchen, where her grandmother would “call her back” to the kitchen to help prepare meals, meanwhile sharing many of the recipes and techniques. “I come from a huge cooking family. My grandparents had 12 children as well as grandchildren and greatgrandchildren,” Howery says. “On the weekends we used to come together and have massive birthday dinners, holiday dinners. I learned to cook in bulk.” Howery decided to try cooking for others by preparing her family dishes and delivering them on weekends to barbershops and beauty salons she knew. With these businesses, not located near other restaurants, she soon had customers coming in on the weekends and requesting her homemade macaroni and cheese, fried okra and entrees of jerk chicken. After years of cooking on the side in addition to her daily work and raising her young son, she decided to take their encouragement and open her own restaurant. Her food has become something of a legend, with people planning their travels with a visit to her restaurant. “Last weekend I had someone who was on their way to Florida and they stopped in,” she says. “On weekends people drive out from Schaumburg, from Rockford and from the nearby areas too.” But Howery isn’t just preparing dishes for her customers and handling corporate catering assignments for nearby businesses. She is using her cooking skills to build collaborations with fellow business owners too. Kauffman, a partner at DPK Creative in Elgin, says it’s this type of collaborations among businesses that make Elgin a great place to live, work and visit. “There really is a spirit of coming together,” Kauffman says. “And for creative businesses, it is kind of a mecca for creative businesses and arts.” The flavor and diversity of Elgin’s restaurants can appease every palate, and with destinations like Moni’s Soulfood Fiesta, there is always a reason to try something new. Just be sure to save room for dessert. MONI’S SOULFOOD FIESTA 13 Douglas Ave., Elgin 224-268-3197 www.monissoulfoodfiesta.com
You can learn more about Moni’s Soulfood Fiesta and other restaurants at www.downtownelgin.com!
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