“It was like Thanksgiving every day!”

Quiana Rice’s grandfather, Howard Rice, moved from South Carolina to Detroit to find work. He eventually got a job at Ford as a journeyman painter. He then brought his wife Carrie Louise Rice to Detroit, and they started to grow their family. Rice’s grandmother was a homemaker.

Rice’s childhood home was on Detroit’s west side near Dexter Avenue, where she lived with her grandparents. She recalls their house was the only one on the block. Her family used to refer to it as ‘the little house on the prairie.’

In her family, it was important to bring people together over shared meals. One of Rice’s core memories was sitting down and eating with family after her grandfather came home from work. Rice’s grandmother loved to cook. Family dinners included foods such as collard greens, fried chicken, and fried fish.

“She cooked like she was cooking for an army every day,” Rice said of her grandmother.

Gathering over food with family and friends shaped her love of cooking.

In 2019, Rice opened The Kitchen by Cooking with Que in Detroit, which focuses on healthy eating. She describes The Kitchen as a place where vegans and meat-eaters can co-exist.

Rice chose to open The Kitchen on Woodward because her grandma loved to shop the storefronts along the avenue, buying hats and shoes for church.

The Kitchen by Cooking With Que provides dining on Friday and Saturday, plus catering, meal prep, cooking classes, and wellness workshops. Rice’s goal is to make healthy eating accessible for all. She is planning to release a cookbook soon.

“Our biggest thing is showing people how to eat to live,” Rice said.

This story is part of our Destination Detroit initiative, which through a series of interviews shares the rich history of the people who have shaped Southeast Michigan.

Watch more stories at onedetroitpbs.org/destinationdetroit.