08/26/2026
We’re excited to introduce a new face you’ll soon be seeing at The Wine Grotto. 🍷
Chef LaKisha Harris recently joined the culinary team at Saint John’s Resort and is currently lending her talents to the kitchen at Doyles Irish Pub. Soon, she’ll make her way to The Wine Grotto, where she will serve as Culinary Supervisor and bring her own Southern-inspired influence to the experience.
LaKisha’s journey into the culinary world is anything but traditional. After studying abroad, attending college and building a successful career in corporate America, she made the decision in 2018 to leave that career behind and pursue her longtime passion for food.
Since then, her journey has taken her to the national stage. In 2024, LaKisha became the first African American woman to present on Soul Food at the American Culinary Federation’s national convention and the first African American woman to receive the ACF Presidential Medallion, all without attending culinary school or receiving formal culinary training.
Before joining Saint John’s, she also owned Soul Filled, her own restaurant and catering business in Muskegon.
Proudly calling herself the “Queen of Soul Food,” LaKisha describes soul food as more than recipes and measurements. To her, it’s “a measurement of love on a plate.” Her cooking is rooted in family, tradition and experience, with influences that began early in life with a grandmother who was a nutritionist and a mother who was a chef.
We can’t wait to welcome LaKisha to The Wine Grotto and see the creativity, passion and soul she brings to our kitchen. 🍷✨
