Monique Howery’s soon-to-open restaurant, Moni’s Soulfood Fiesta, is a tribute to her daughter, Sabrina, who passed away in June, Howery said.
Pictures of her are up on the restaurant’s ‘family wall,’ showcasing some of Howery’s immediate and extended family. A larger tribute to Sabrina will go up on a separate wall soon.
“If you could find a picture of Sabrina not smiling, I would like to see it,” Howery said of her daughter.
The 19-year-old died of natural causes. The Elgin resident and Moni’s owner acknowledged she could have delayed Moni’s Soulfood Fiesta launch due to the family tragedy, on top of opening a business during a pandemic. But Sabrina wouldn’t have wanted that, she said.
“It was just a matter of what would she want me to do? She was my right-hand person, she was right there helping me. I heard from her, ‘Come on mom, do this for Elgin,'” Howery said.
Work continues on the soon-to-open Moni’s Soulfood Fiesta, 13 Douglas Ave., which will open in mid-September, Howery said. The downtown Elgin restaurant will offer a fusion of soul food, Mexican, and Jamaican cuisine that some in Elgin are already familiar with.
Howery relocated her restaurant and catering business from DeKalb to Elgin. City Councilwoman Tish Powell met Howery at a local church years earlier and heard people rave about her food.
“A lot of the local people who knew her would drive all the way out to DeKalb to support her,” Powell said.
“She catered (a Kwanzaa celebration at Gail Borden Public Library) last year. And it was all really good,” she added. “She did jerk chicken, greens, she did homemade sweet potato pies, she did joloff rice – she knows how to fix African dishes.”
Moni’s Soulfood Fiesta will have 17 permanent items on its menu, as well as a rotating menu of other items twice a week. Howery said customers should expect traditional soul food/Mexican/Jamaican items like collard greens, mac and cheese, tacos, and jerk chicken.
Howery said the rotating menu will allow for more creativity. Items like pozole, pork, fried corn, and food with a fusion of the different cuisines will appear on the rotating menu.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, tables are spaced apart inside the dining room and capacity reduced; Howery said they may be able to do outdoor seating for a few weeks. The restaurant will also offer curbside pickup, she said.
Howery moved her business to Elgin not only because she used to live in Elgin, but because Elgin reminded her of her childhood in a diverse Chicago neighborhood that influenced some of her cuisine and love for making food.
“The potential is here, people are knocking on the door already,” Howery said.
“I think honestly I truly feel I am here to stay in Elgin,” she added, thanking the support from residents and local business owners.
Powell said Moni’s Soulfood Fiesta adds another type of establishment for residents, workers, and visitors to eat from, potentially attracting more people downtown. Like the soon-to-open BeaUnique Latin Kitchen, Howery’s business also comes in with some established customers, she added.
Since the pandemic’s start, multiple businesses have opened or will open downtown, including Moni’s, BeaUnique, Red Poppy Bistro, and Cook’s Sweet Boutique. Soulful Sparrow, though, closed this summer; BeaUnique, meanwhile, replaced Dog’s Paw Brewing.
Powell admires Howery’s “perseverance” in opening up the restaurant while mourning the loss of a loved one, as well as launching a business during a pandemic.
“A lot of people would have given up, not decided to do something right now while enduring a personal loss,” she said. “I really admire her and think highly of her.”
“She was a comforter,” Howery said as she looked at a picture of her daughter on the restaurant’s family wall. The restaurant includes pictures of her parents, sister, son, even her great-grandmother.
“That’s where the cooking line came from,” she said.
raguerrero@tribpub.com
