Community Planning & Economic Development

Business Profile: Mama D’s

Mama D's Kitchen
Owner of Mama D's, Destiny Brooks (right) and employee Shamya Williams (left) pose in front of Mama D's restaurant located in the Midtown Global Market. (Source: The City of Minneapolis)

Destiny Brooks, the Owner and Chef of Mama D’s, says she has two loves in her life: cooking authentic southern food and making people happy. As a little girl, Destiny cooked with her grandma and immediately developed a passion for southern cooking. Destiny was known as “the church lady” within her church because she cooked for all events and special occasions. Continuing her love of cooking and bringing joy to others, Destiny started a family-owned catering business in 1996. In 2017, Mama D’s opened a restaurant in the Midtown Global Market (MGM), operating as a full-service catering business and restaurant. The first Sunday of every month, Mama D’s has an all you can eat buffet from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

The City’s Business Technical Assistance Program (B-TAP) partner, Neighborhood Development Center (NDC), assisted Destiny with the move to MGM, providing a loan and lease support. The NDC helped with Mama D’s marketing plan, branding, website and social media development.

Destiny notes that although Mama D’s is a family-owned business, she focuses on offering jobs to youth in her community to help them learn how to cook—mirroring how she developed her passion at such a young age. Destiny will be hosting a Thanksgiving Eve dinner on Wednesday, November 21 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Mama D's in MGM, 920 East Lake Street. All are welcomed.

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