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Stacey Little's Southern Food & Recipe Blog

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Big Dreams and What’s New for Southern Bite

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Sometimes our dreams are just so big, we can even dare to dream them.

Ten years ago if you had asked me if I had any aspiration to have a career in anything food related, I would have told you no.  But you know, life has a funny way of throwing us a curve ball.  And sometimes we just have to be ready to swing.

I never imagined myself a writer, but I found myself writing restaurant reviews for the local metro paper.  When they cut those in 2008, I started SouthernBite.com as a way to continue doing those reviews.  I posted a few family recipes and as the saying goes, the rest is history.  After blogging for nearly 8 years, I left my stable, consistent job of 13 years to focus on Southern Bite full time.  It was the scariest thing I’ve ever done.  And I haven’t regretted it for one. single. second.  Which is amazing, because I’m a planner.  I don’t take risks. I never leap without knowing what’s below.  But I leapt.

Here’s the thing, I truly believe that this was God’s intended path for me.  It’s unbelievable how such amazing things can happen when we seek the Lord’s path for us and dismiss the one we think we are supposed to take.

I never set out to write a cookbook.  Or any of this for that matter.  But here I am.  And I am so grateful.  I’m grateful for God’s grace.  I’m grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given.  I’m grateful for the people who believed in me and saw something in me I had no idea even existed.  I’m grateful for people just like you who come back to SouthernBite.com.  You are the ones who’ve made all this possible.

All this to say, I’m super excited to finally share with you the next big thing for Southern Bite.

The space as I found it several months ago.

Two months ago I got the keys on a space that will become the official Southern Bite headquarters and test kitchen.

Look at those beams! Oh, and we added a wall on the left to hide plumbing and electrical for the kitchen.

For the last 6 months or so, we’ve been looking for some space that I could build an amazing kitchen in, use as my office, and possibly even teach cooking classes in.  We found a place that we thought was perfect and when we finally got all our ducks in a row and called to sign a lease, the space had been rented.  I was crushed.  But it was one of those things that made me realize how much I really wanted this to happen.  It had been dangled in front of me and snatched away.  That evening Heather was on her way home and saw another space for rent close to the original location.  I called and talked to the owner for about 20 minutes before realizing it was two friends from high school that owned the space.  The past few months have been proof that this was the space I was supposed to end up in.  They’ve been amazing supporters of this little dream.

A coat of primer does wonders!

It’s an old building that started out pretty rough; it used to be a small motors repair shop.  But the minute Paul and Chad tore out the false ceiling and saw the amazing wooden beams hidden behind, they knew it had potential.

I opted for unfinished cabinets because I wanted a very specific color… Let me just mention. I hate painting.

We’ve been feverishly working on the build out and will be putting the finishing touches on it this week.  My friends at Samsung and Allsouth Appliance will be hooking us up with some AMAZING Samsung appliances (so excited about my induction range!) this week.  Kale Frames with AllSouth also tricked up out with some beautifully amazing quartz countertops that will arrive this week.  Seriously, y’all need to hit up AllSouth for any of your appliance or countertop needs.

Gray walls, painted cabinets, ship lap… it’s all coming together. Did I mention I hate painting? And look at those floors!

I hope you’ll join me on my social channels on Facebook and Instagram as I take you along for all the craziness and excitement that happens in the next few days!  Y’all are going to be amazed at how beautiful this space has turned out and about all the deliciousness that is going to come out of this kitchen!

And don’t worry!  I’ll be sharing all the details from paint colors to light fixtures to appliance model numbers in another post coming soon!

Stacey Little of Southern Bite

Hey, y’all! I’m Stacey…

Feeding people makes me happy. Few things in this world delight me more than my family and friends gathered around my table enjoying a meal. Pull up a chair and join us!

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Comments

  1. Patti Moss

    It just goes to show that when you put God first in your life and stay true to who you are, good things happen. Congratulations, Stacey! Everything looks just beautiful. 🙂

    Reply

  4. Linda

    Congratulations on your latest venture and thank you for sharing your journey to get to this point. I love reading all your posts and cooking your recipes and I look forward to following along on your new adventure!

    Reply

  12. Carol L McCutchen

    Congratulations of having a dream of yours come true. I know you will be a huge success! All the best and can’t wait to see what comes out of that beautiful space.

    Reply

  13. Carla

    Wow. Wow,. Wow. I’m soooo excited for you. What an absolutely beautiful and fun space this will be for you. Can’t wait to see the progress. Wonderful!!!!

    Reply

  14. Joan Dunn

    You like the SAME colors I do! How amazing is your opportunity. I can’t wait to see the finished kitchen. May God continue to bless you.

    Reply

  16. Glenda Summers

    I’m so happy for your new venture, and with God in the middle of it all, it’s sure to be a huge success! Wish we were still up there, but I do enjoy your newsletters and recipes. God bless you as you continue to listen to Him!

    Reply

  17. Mtbootz

    What a great looking space and so many wonderful ideas on how to use it.
    Congratulations! Much luck and success at wished to you.

    Reply

  18. Ann

    Stacey, I am so proud and excited for you and your family. Best of luck and keep all of us informed on your progress. This will be an exciting time for all of you and much deserved.

    Reply

  19. Jackie G

    Hey Stacey, I have been a big fan for a couple of years and it is always a blessing to see God’s will come to fruition. Your blessing has become a big blessing for those of us who follow you. Congratulations!!

    Reply

  20. Aileen

    Wow Stacey, this is so exciting!!! I’m so happy for you!! Praise God for all these wonderful opportunities for you. I can’t wait for your updates. God bless!! 🙂

    Reply

  21. Judy F

    Wonderful news – thanks for sharing the process of establishing the test kitchen! You deserve all these good things – enjoy every minute of it all.

    Reply

  22. Lucy

    Oh how wonderful! Cooking classes and videos will be awesome! You could do classes on documenting your family history with recipes, a gift for the next generation!

    Reply

  24. Lucy Brewer

    I’m so excited for you! This sounds like a whole lot of work to me, haha, but I know you will do great things with this place. Congratulations on your new adventure and best of luck to you. If I’m ever in your area, I’m coming by there to check out the new office/studio/kitchen! Keep dreaming big and do great things!

    Reply

  25. April

    I love the whole look. Cabinets, walls, and what a beautiful floor. Wish I lived closer for those cooking classes. Might I suggest a children’s cooking class? It’s amazing how many people I know who have never cooked with their parent’s, grandparents, etc. I cook/bake with my grand kids every time they’re over and sometimes with my nieces and they all love it. One Xmas I gave my one niece a recipe box (specially decorated) with all the recipes we’d made up to that point. She loved it and uses it often. Look forward to some awesome eats coming from your direction. Congrats!

    Reply

  28. Bonita

    Congratulations!!!!! It is so amazing how God works in our lives. HE knew what was best in this situation and “He closed a window and opened an even bigger door”.

    Reply

  31. Stacy Jacobs

    I am so excited for you, this is wonderful!!! Also glad you’re posting before and after and taking us on the journey with you. Can’t wait for the final reveal and all the juicy details. Hang in there, it’s all worth it.

    Reply

  32. Sheena

    Stacey, I am beyond excited for you!!! I can’t wait to see all the awesomness that will flow from this amazing space!! Congrats into infinity!!

    Reply

  33. Laurel

    WOW! This is so cool! I admire how you took a risk and stuck with it to make it pay off. that is simply inspirational!

    Love this site but now it is even more special.

    Congrats!

    Reply

  35. Agnes Miller

    I’m fairly new to your FB recipes….I wish you luck in your new venture???????????????? You’re so excited about it, you have all of us. So do keep us allllll posted on every detail????

    Reply

  37. Mary Rubin

    I’m so happy for you and wish you much success, you deserve. I’m sorry I live so far way, would really like to visit! God Bless.

    Reply

  42. Donya

    When’s the party? I’m on the way!
    I am so happy for you. This is over the top exciting and I can’t wait to see all of the goings-on in that beautiful space.
    With much love from the Southern Soul family!
    ~D.

    Reply

  44. Cyndi Pettit

    So excited for you! I love your testimony of God’s faithfulness throughout the process. There’s nothing better than being in the center of His will! Looking forward to lots of delicious new recipes!

    Reply

  46. Susan

    Congratulations , I know it will be awesome. I recently had an Induction cooktop installed and I love it. Hated to have to replace all my cookware but it was worth it. Looking forward to your new venture and know it will be a huge success.

    Reply

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