What’s cooking? 3 Black-owned eateries to try in Bloomington-Normal

Miss Kim’s Konfections

Miss Kim’s Konfections LLC & Event Planning, a home dessert business, started in 2009 by Kimberly Ward of Bloomington, who was inspired by seeing videos online and various goodies in stores. In addition to her one-woman business, she works full time as an admissions manager in the College of Education at Illinois State University.

“It just started for fun, and I’ve always been creative,” Ward said. “I’ve always been really good at seeing something and being able to recreate it in my own way. So, this is really my part-time, or my side job, so to speak, but it’s kind of taken of life of its own because it’s gotten really busy, especially with delving into more events.” 

Ward is self-taught, as she has never taken a baking class. When she was a student at ISU, she said, she sold baked goods for Valentine’s Day, and she joked she was practically paying people to take them, as they were only 25 cents, but the hobby quickly took off. 

Miss Kim’s specializes in chocolate-covered treats, along with dessert tables and event planning. Her most popular items include taffy grapes, which she makes with salted caramel and pecans; chocolate-covered Oreos; and chocolate-covered strawberries. She also offers seasonal items like s’mores bars, dipped apple slices and more.

“I think that what makes it unique, is I just love being creative. And I don’t see a limit. So, if someone comes to me with a theme, I think my greatest thing that I love to do is just bring their vision to life,” Ward said. “I tell people all the time, if you give me open creativity, that’s when you get your best order, because you just never know… I just let the creative juices flow, and that’s usually where I get my best work.”

Ward has held pop-up sales at various businesses, including AB Hatchery, Retrofit Culture and more. For March First Friday in downtown Bloomington, she will be inside Red Raccoon Games from 5 to 8 p.m. serving Rice Krispies treats and other goodies. 

In 2020, Ward was recognized as one of the McLean County Chamber of Commerce’s 20 under 40 honorees. 

“Community is everything; it is an awesome feeling when I’m able to connect with other Black-owned businesses here and refer them to my clients for various things. That’s part of our strength,” Ward said. “Racism is very real, it’s very real in our community… so, it’s important that there’s not just support from our own in our community, but … I’ve been blessed to have the support  … outside of the Black community. But as a Black woman, it’s just imperative. Like, you know, we already have some things stacked up against us.”

Ward said it’s hard not knowing what biases people may have when she interacts with them, but she does her best to present herself as who she is, adding that her treats are a direct reflection of her creativity.

Ward said in the future, she would consider having a multipurpose space where she can make her treats and store her event inventory. However, she said, she wants to make sure the business always feels like a creative outlet and her passion, instead of feeling like work. 

Miss Kim’s Konfections can be ordered at misskimskonfections.com, by contacting Ward at misskimskonfections@gmail.com or 309-242-6931, or by messaging the “Miss Kim’s Konfections LLC” Facebook page. 

Pickles & Honey

Stephanie and Derrick Woods of Bloomington started a mobile catering business in 2020, naming it Pickles & Honey Soulful Kitchen after their two oldest children out of five: Derrick, 13, and Sariyah, 10, whose nicknames are Pickle and Honeybee. 

Though Stephanie Woods grew up in southern Illinois, the couple met while attending Pontiac High School. They relocated to Bloomington after graduation, and have been in the area for over 10 years. Stephanie Woods said she has always loved cooking and it came naturally to her, as her grandmother would always have a meal prepared every time she came over. 

Stephanie started cooking for her family when she was 16. Later, when she worked at State Farm, she would bring lots of dishes for company potlucks. She started a business meal prepping for others, and it took off during the pandemic.

“We are big on customer service, anyone will tell you that,” Stephanie said. “I’m a people person, so thinking about the customer has always come first to me. But then, aside from that, there’s not many fast-food soul food restaurants in the area … so I would think that’s what sets us apart most.”

Though the catering menu rotates weekly, some staple menu items include the Juicy Lucy, which is a stuffed inside-out cheeseburger that’s traditional to Minnesota, along with baked macaroni and cheese, sweet potato pie, banana pudding, stuffed salmon, turkey loins, caramel cake, lasagna and more. 

The business offers free delivery from 5 to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 3 to 11 p.m. on Sunday; the business is closed Friday and Saturday. They typically fulfill 25 orders a day. Orders can be made by phone at 309-240-9338, by email at stephanie@pandhsoulfulkitchen.com, or through the “Pickles & Honey Soulful Kitchen” Facebook page. Customers will soon be able to order through the business’ website as well.

The Woods created their own business logo, which features an animated pickle character holding a jar of honey, and they plan to sell merchandise in the future.

“We love to give, it’s a big part of who we are,” Derrick Woods said. “But my wife, she’s just to the fullest extent, and a big part of us trying to do this restaurant thing. She always wants to help others, so this is her way of giving back to the world … and she really shows that in our cooking.” 

The Woods said they would love to have a brick-and-mortar location in the future, with their ultimate goal to be the first fast-food soul food chain in Illinois.

“There’s already so many disparities, so many stigmas. A lot of Black-owned businesses, business owners, feel behind, whether it’s business loans, or just not knowing ‘where do I start?'” Stephanie Woods said. “So, allowing people into our space …. showing up with our children, I think it’s important to show them that no matter what, you’re single, married with children, you can do this. It’s important for me to connect with other women, to show them that you can be a mom and a wife, and still have a business that you’re passionate about.”

She added that at home, they like to barbecue as a family while they listen to jazz music, and that’s the same feeling she wants customers to have someday when Pickles & Honey has a brick-and-mortar presence.

Stephanie Woods and Kimberly Ward often support each other’s businesses as well, which Ward said is a testament to how strong and important community is. 

Sweet Sunday’s 

Sweet Sunday’s is a family-owned online bakery founded in 2016 by Markus Maxison of Peoria, serving the Bloomington-Normal and Peoria area with deliveries to surrounding cities. 

Maxison married his high school sweetheart, Florence Jones, and they are now parents to five children, who all help out with larger deliveries as needed. Jones, now Maxison, also owns a hair and makeup salon, MaximizedBeauty Studio Inc., 409 S. Center St., Suite B in Bloomington, which also serves the Peoria area.

“Sunday dinners were special because dinner was often accompanied by a sweet dessert, which made Sundays significant and sweet,” Maxison said about his childhood. “This was the inspiration behind the name Sweet Sunday’s. Sweet Sunday’s is unique in that we deliver fresh, made-to-order desserts locally to our customers.”

The business is known for its cheesecakes, especially strawberry cheesecake. 

Maxison said his customers enjoy the friendly customer service and delivery, but love the taste of the fresh cheesecakes most of all. He said the best part is making desserts for customers’ events, including birthdays, baby showers and other special occasions. 

The bakery also offers pound cakes, layered cakes, parfaits, cookies and cupcakes. 

“We’re passionate about about making every day sweet like Sweet Sunday’s,” Maxison said. “When you support Black businesses, you support hard-working upcoming entrepreneurs who are passionate about impacting their communities across the country, fueled by an ever-growing dream.” 

To order, customers can visit sweet-sundays.square.site, message the “Sweet Sunday’s” pages on Facebook or Instagram, email sweetsundays.onlinebakery@gmail.com or call 309-839-7973. A 48-hour advance notice is required for all orders, as all desserts are made fresh. 

Sweet Sunday’s desserts will soon be available for shipping as well. Maxison said his goal is to distribute freshly made cheesecakes and pastries across North America and beyond.