Who we are

Meet Our Founder, Katie

The founder of Soul Food to the People, Kiana "Katie" Muschett-Owes, grew up in Brooklyn, New York, just a few blocks from our brick and mortar location in Crown Heights. From the beginning, Katie was raised to believe that FOOD IS LOVE. She grew up spending hours in the kitchen with her late Grandma Peaches, cooking for their family and neighbors, making sure that everyone in the neighborhood was fed. 

It was in this spirit, rooted in love and inspired by the memories of her late grandparents, Peaches and Papa, that Katie opened our sister restaurant, Katie O Soul Food. In the nearly 10 years since the restaurant opened, Kate O's has gained a reputation both for their delicious home-cooked soul food and the warm, loving community you'll find there. In 2020, as COVID-19 halted normal operations for the restaurant, Soul Food to the People was born.

Our story

Soul Food to the People was born in 2020, when Katie O’s closed its doors during the New York government lockdown. As thousands of New Yorkers suddenly found themselves without the means to afford basic necessities, Katie sprang into action, turning Katie O Soul Food into a food bank, food pantry, soup kitchen and meals on wheels, preparing home-cooked food that she delivered by any means necessary. In the years since, Soul Food to the People has provided food insecure New Yorkers with 218,386 and counting FREE, HOMEMADE meals. Since the lockdown, Katie O Soul Food Restaurant has reopened during weekends, using a portion of their sales to help fund the operation of the nonprofit.

For over four years now, we have provided FREE home cooked meals to Brooklynites experiencing food insecurity on a weekly basis, and every week, our supplies run out. We know that the level of need here is great, with 1.5 million New Yorkers are struggling to feed themselves and their families right now. There is much more work to be done in the fight to END HUNGER in NYC, join us today!