Local soul food restaurant teaches teens life lessons

GASTONIA, N.C. — It took some time for Gastonia native Cheryl Littlejohn to find her calling with Smith’s Soul Food Bistro.

“We are really a nonprofit, we’re a ministry in disguise of a restaurant,” Littlejohn told Your704′s Elsa Gillis.

Named after her grandmother, Littlejohn views the restaurant as a culmination of the people who have lifted her up and the experiences she’s had.

“I was fortunate to go to the University of Tennessee and play for Pat Summitt, and so that was awesome. I was on the first national championship team,” she said.

Littlejohn worked in federal law enforcement and then coached at the college level. She was fired twice for breaking NCAA rules.

“I tell young people you get setbacks in life … I made some bad decisions and some of those decisions, there’s consequences,” Littlejohn explained. “When you mess up, you assume the responsibilities and when you do not learn from your mistakes, you become a repeat offender.”

When Littlejohn moved back home to Gastonia, she says it was a humbling experience. “I felt like a failure, and so that gave me a chance to take a look at myself and what do I really want to do.”

That’s where Smith’s Soul Food Bistro came in, which she opened during the pandemic with a mission to help the community.

Littlejohn will feed whoever walks through the doors, and she employs a lot of young people with the goal of teaching them life skills. She says some of the students are there for a regular job while others find their way there to complete community service hours.

“My coach was interested in us winning national championships, but she was more interested in us being champions in life and that is exactly what we’re doing here with young people,” she said.

Littlejohn credits her late mother and grandmother along with other community members for investing in her. Now, she’s trying to do the same for others.

“It takes a village. I’m a part of the village, my sister’s part of the village. Smith’s Soul Food is part of the village.”

Smith’s Soul Food Bistro is at 209 S. Chestnut Street in Gastonia. Click here for more information.

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