Our story is pretty darn sweet Y’all.
Joe and Linsey met in 2012. Both had many different jobs and many different interests. When Joe met Linsey he was working in construction, and Linsey had set aside her year of culinary education and love for food to work in local government. It was through cooking together at home that Joe realized he had a talent in the kitchen.
Joe is a passionate cook who has worked in the kitchens of some of the most notable and recognized celebrity chefs in Chicago. With a love for Southern cooking he founded what started as a cooking blog, named Southernish at the start of the 2020 pandemic. Now Chef Joe is finding a way to bring the restaurant experience directly to diners, in their own homes.
A 10-year Army Veteran, and former construction manager, Joe is not afraid of hard work. With no professional kitchen experience ( that is unless you count his stint at a pizza joint in college) Joe walked in to an open call for cooks with a major hospitality group and walked out with a position as a stage in one of the cities newest and lauded hotspots. Joe’s passion and commitment to learning shone through quickly. Soon cooking became his full-time career. The pandemic has changed the dining experience, but Joe is committed to bringing that urban restaurant milieu into the homes of his clients.
Like Joe, Linsey’s path to cooking has not been a linear one. Despite having a year of culinary school under her belt Linsey never made cooking her career. That is until she and Joe took the leap and founded Southernish. While Joe serves as the primary technician in the kitchen, much of Linsey’s work at Southernish is in desserts or in the office planning and managing day to day operations of the business.
Southernish is a certified “Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business” by the U.S Department of Veterans Affairs. For us, pursuing this designation was an act of pride. Joe has done many things in his life- and serving our country is one he is immensely proud of.
What does Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business mean, exactly?
To qualify the business must meet the following (and plenty more) guidelines:
51% or more of the business is owned by a Veteran
That Veteran has a disability that is related directly to his (or her) military service, confirmed by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense. Disability, defined by the VA as it applies here, is "having a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity".
Many Veterans suffer from physical as well as mental impairment due to the nature of military service/ combat. This designation is just one way that we can show our pride for Joe's service, and for his determination to find his path and passion after completing his Military service. It has not always been an easy route, but Chef Joe has found his calling with cooking and, uses it as another vehicle to serve others.