Meet Machelle Jackson | Bayou Comfort Kitchen Owner | Pastor | Author | Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Machelle Jackson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Machelle, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?

As a mother, wife, First Lady, Pastor, author, chef, and entrepreneur, I was forced to learn the value of hard work and living your truth. Basically, being born in  a place where poverty was all around, Monroe, LA, and living the majority of my life there and Baton Rouge La, I watched my mother work so hard and not seeing her much affected me much. While my mother worked, I spent a lot of time with my father who was an entrepreneur, as he worked on cars, cooked, and baked. Therefore, I was able to see how running your own business worked. From watching him work, I knew that I would one day follow in his footsteps and I would own a family business.

I also spent a lot of time with my grandmother watching her cook which eventually made me want to learn. My grandmother was an old school God fearing woman who we all nicknamed Big Mama. Big Mama lived by the rule of thumb that “Silence was Power” which became something I lived by. She was the kind of woman who kept all the kids in the neighborhood, so you know she always had to cook to perfection. My grandmother would cook for all 30 of her grandchildren and I would be in the kitchen with her assisting in making everything from scratch. Although we struggled and worked hard for everything, food always brought us together. As I grew up, I recognized that food symbolized family and joy for me. As I got older, I wanted to continue that same tradition by using food to bring people from all walks of life together. I love cooking and it always brings me joy, so I cook to hopefully bring joy to this world daily and to let others know they can do whatever their minds to and bring others joy too.

As time progressed, I found myself understanding that my passion for life became cooking,  faith, motherhood, being a wife, and helping people succeed and accomplish their visions and goals no matter their background of life. Working a 9 to 5 for years has limited my ability to enjoy my passions and truthfully my family. God has opened doors allowing me to go into business for myself and provide a life for my family. I’m working now, not to put money into someone’s bank account, but to build the equity that will one day become the legacy for my children and their children’s children. My legacy is to impact beyond my household, it’s to impact the world! I choose to impact the world through spreading the gospel of salvation, cooking, teaching entrepreneurship, helping others start and grow their business, providing financial services, advocating for human rights and domestic violence victims, mentoring women and business owners, and leading by example. Through my strive to impact, I have launched several businesses that impact lives. Those businesses include; life coaching, career coaching, business coaching, credit repair, business start up and funding, life insurance, tax preparation, book publishing, graphic design, web design and more.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?

I would like to take the time to introduce to you all Bayou Comfort Kitchen. Bayou Comfort Kitchen was birthed from me out of the love for my state, the comfort and likeness of the food I’m inspired to cook, and the taste of passion in every meal. I am Machelle Jackson, the chef of one of the best Louisiana Cuisine stops in the state of Texas. Things that make me different from others is my authentic strive for excellence and my love for people. My daily passion is to exceed expectations and see people smile while doing it. I believe we can all win and make it with the right tools, guidance, and resources for any assignment or challenge. My relationship with God has helped frame how I see business and what is possible in the world. All things work for the good of them that love the Lord. Through Him, I learned to never give up on myself. Getting here wasn’t easy, because I experienced so much turmoil and moments of tragedy from growing up in a low income area, to watching my parents divorce, to surviving domestic abuse, to losing my grandmother, it us to be hard but yet I continued to press my way higher and move toward my destiny.

During those tough times, it was my faith in God that brought me through. I wholeheartedly believe that my purpose in life is bigger than I. It has always been important to me to be successful and break generational curses placed on my family and the desire to break those curses thrust me forward to fight for my dreams despite any obstacles I may face. My brand is purposed toward striving for excellence, exquisite taste, and Southern comfort. I want the world to know that we are about comfort through food. (Bayou Comfort Kitchen) When people see my logo which was inspired by my home state of Louisiana, and the collaboration of a culture that worked together during a time where racism, classism, and sexism was prominent everywhere else but there. I may not be the first to sell Cajun food in the world, but I am a trendsetter when it comes to presentation, taste, and style. There is only ONE Bayou Comfort Kitchen. I combine my ministry with my food, as every dish is made with love, care, and the spirit of possibility embedded in it. God is everything, especially my comfort. I would like the world to know the power of God and through the passion I pour into  Bayou Comfort Kitchen, that’s how I share God’s grace and love from me with the world of today.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Monday – 360 Brunch Mansfield, Texas – Amazing Brunch or Akarii Revolving Sushi Tuesday – Fuzzys Tacos
Wednesday – True Food Kitchen
Thursday – Ocean Prime
Friday – Copeland’s of New Orleans – Southlake, Texas
Saturday – Bayou Comfort Kitchen Food truck Grand Prairie and Fort Worth, Texas – The best Turkey Legs and Cajun Pasta
Sunday – Empowerment Worship Center of Dallas for Sunday morning service at 10:45 AM Bayou Comfort Kitchen Food truck Grand Prairie and Fort Worth, Texas –Cajun, Soul food catering and Meal Prep

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to shoutout my husband. He has been my biggest supporter. There are nights when I stay up late working on different aspects of our businesses and he understands. He is a constant source of motivation and drive when I am running low. He has the spiritual guidance to keep me mentally and emotionally vested. There is never a dull moment when he is around. He is an excellent father, who frees me up to actively work on our dream. Whenever I skip a beat, he is there to catch my slack. I couldn’t have asked for a better helpmate on this journey.

Website: www.machellejackson.com – www.ellehcamsolutions.com – www.bayoucomfortkitchen.com – www.lmecservices.com – www.empowermentworshipcenterofdallas.com

Instagram: instragram.com/ellehcam_solutions

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MachelleJacksonMJ/ – https://www.facebook.com/BayouComfortKitchen – https://www.facebook.com/Ellechamsolutions – https://www.facebook.com/EmpowermentWorshipCenterofDFW