Chekesha Rashad has been passionate about cooking since childhood, inspired by PBS cooking shows. A fifth-generation Washingtonian, Rashad’s diverse career includes roles as a project manager, catering manager, adjunct professor, Kymone Freeman campaign staffer, and personal chef. Recently, her focus has shifted to her culinary venture, ‘Eatopian Eats‘.
As the caterer for The 2024 BRIDGE Earth Day Creative Salon, Rashad shares her journey of overcoming a traumatic brain injury and her attempt to launch a café in a now-closed LA Fitness in Rockville. Despite the setback, she’s bringing ‘Eatopian Eats‘ to Ward 8 after the failed café launch.
Can you tell us about your background and your experience with plant-based and sustainable food?
I am a fifth-generation Washingtonian who grew up on the waterfront in southwest Washington D.C. and graduated from Woodrow Wilson Senior High School. Raised Muslim in the city, I grew up vegetarian. It wasn’t until I attended Grambling University in Louisiana that I first experienced meat and processed foods.
Later, I became the director of catering for National Geographic, managing a $3 million account for Sodexo. This was back in 2008, when sustainability was just gaining attention. At that time, National Geographic was still privately owned (before its 2015 sale of media assets to Fox News), and the board wanted a fully sustainable catering program. This mandate covered everything from the utensils and takeout containers in the cafeteria, which we also managed, to the sourcing of linens and food for special events. They required us to remove all non-sustainable items from the menu.
Finding reliable sustainability information was challenging then, as many of the organizations that provide this information today didn’t exist. This was particularly difficult for special events—imagine having to explain to a client that shrimp and crab cakes were off the menu in the mid-Atlantic area.
However, this period was also exciting as we had the opportunity to create something new with limited information. For example, at National Geographic, we were among the first to test Gardein before it became available in grocery stores. It proved to be an excellent product. During this time, we explored other new products like seitan and tofu. I was involved in the kitchen, assisting chefs with recipe development, focusing on the texture, mouthfeel, and flavor absorption of these new ingredients.
While vacationing in Bali, you were involved in an ATV accident which unexpectedly led to inspiration and opportunity. Can you explain?
Last year, while in Bali, I was involved in a serious ATV accident that resulted in a brain injury. After returning home, I struggled with severe sleep disruption, only managing about two hours of sleep a day, and found I had lost my ability to read and comprehend mentally. However, I could still look at pictures, so I spent a lot of time on Instagram and Pinterest, looking at food images. This became my main activity for months, and during this period, all my thoughts—even when I couldn’t speak—centered around food. It felt as if I was being downloaded with a wealth of food-related ideas.
As my speech began to improve through therapy, the name ‘Eatopia Eats’ surfaced in my mind. Curious about its meaning, I researched and discovered it signifies both the pleasure of eating and consuming your way to a state of holistic wellness. It struck me as the perfect name for my food business.
Amidst my recovery, a friend informed me of a restaurant space available inside an LA Fitness in Rockville, looking for a healthy food concept. I contacted the corporate office, presented my concept, and they were enthusiastic. We went through the paperwork, and I prepared to launch. Unfortunately, the gym closed permanently before I could open the restaurant.
What are your future plans for ‘Eatopian Eats’?
Although the café in Rockville didn’t open, I saw it as a valuable opportunity.
Since then, I’ve explored other opportunities, including a promising new location in Ward Eight. Friends recommended this spot, and I’ve had productive discussions with the developer. They’re sympathetic to my current challenges and have been supportive in finding ways to make it feasible for me to move into their new space. However, financing remains a hurdle. The restaurant industry is volatile, and banks are hesitant to loan money to new concepts. I invested $80,000 of personal and family money, along with a $10,000 grant from the Greater Washington
Urban League’s Black Restaurant Accelerator Program, into the Rockville venture.
With my resources stretched thin by the now-closed LA Fitness location, securing additional funding is challenging. To address this, I’ve started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to bring plant-based offerings to an area of the city in desperate need of fresh food options.
To support Rashad’s efforts to bring Eatopian Eats to Ward 8 donate to her GoFundMe here: gofund.me/bcb65442
