UNLEASHED QUESTIONNAIRE

IQUE GOUDA R E ED

EDERIQUE GOUDIA HAS MORE THAN 20 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY AND IS THE CO-OWNER AND EXECUTIVE CHEF OF GABRIEL HALL, A NEW ORLEANS-STYLE RESTAURANT, BAR AND MUSIC VENUE IN WEST VILLAGE. SHE ALSO CO-FOUNDED IN THE BUSINESS OF FOOD, A FOOD SERVICE-BASED CONSULTING AGENCY THAT CREATES CURRICULA, FACILITATES WORKSHOPS AND CONSULTS FOR WOMEN- AND POC-OWNED OR -LED FOOD BUSINESSES AND NONPROFITS. EDERIQUE’S COMMITMENT TO A MORE FAIR, SUSTAINABLE AND EQUITABLE FOOD ECONOMY IS THE CORNERSTONE FOR CREATING TASTE THE DIASPORA, A CELEBRATION AND SHOWCASE OF THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA TO AMERICAN CUISINE HERE IN DETROIT. SHE ALSO SERVES AS PART OF THE DETROIT FOOD ACADEMY TEAM AS PROGRAM MANAGER, WHERE SHE TEACHES AND INTRODUCES DETROIT YOUTH TO THE CULINARY ARTS, BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP. MOST RECENTLY, EDERIQUE WAS ONE OF 20 WOMEN ACROSS THE COUNTRY SELECTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE JAMES BEARD FOUNDATION WOMEN’S ENTREPRENEURIAL LEADERSHIP FELLOWSHIP FOR 2020 AND WAS CHOSEN AS ONE OF 10 CHEFS NAMED AS PART OF THE INAUGURAL CLASS OF THE DETROIT FREE PRESS 2021 FOOD FIGHTERS FOR HER WORK IN AIDING THOSE IN OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH THE PANDEMIC. SHE IS A PARISHIONER AT ST. AUGUSTINE AND ST. MONICA’S.

WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? Hitting a Straight Lick with Crooked Stick: Stories from the Harlem Renaissance by Zora Neale Hurston

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR? Dying without leaving a lasting positive impact on those around me.

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST PET PEEVE? Inconsideration. WHO DO YOU ADMIRE? So many people! But basically those that are intentional about how they live their lives and how they treat others.

IF YOU HAD UNLIMITED RESOURCES, WHAT WOULD YOU DO? Help people through food and through mental health resources.

WHAT IS YOUR BEST QUALITY? Ensuring people feel heard and seen.

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST RISK YOU’VE TAKEN? Leaving a lucrative career to open a restaurant.

WHAT IS ONE OF YOUR EARLIEST MEMORIES? Growing up in Louisiana, my grandparents lived right across the street. My grandfather had three gardens and was always in the garden shucking peas or corn or picking strawberries. He dried and ground his own peppers, made his own wine and raised hogs so we would have fresh ham and pork chops; he would go fishing and shrimp hunting. So my earliest memories are of really living off of the land, helping him in the garden. I didn’t go to a grocery store until I was 16, after he passed away, because we ate what we grew.

WHAT VIRTUE DO YOU MOST ADMIRE IN OTHERS? Empathy.

WHAT WORDS DO YOU USE TOO MUCH? Yes. LOL.

WHAT GIVES YOU THE MOST HAPPINESS? Seeing people happy (especially if it’s because of my food! LOL).

WHAT TALENT OR SKILL DO YOU WISH YOU HAD? To whistle.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF? Valuing myself and understanding my own self-worth. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB? Baby-sitting.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE HOBBY OR PASTIME? Bike riding.

WHAT DO YOU VALUE THE MOST IN YOUR FRIENDS? I value that they continue to work on becoming their best selves.

WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE AUTHOR? Michael Twitty.

WHAT KEEPS YOU UP AT NIGHT? Anxiety around not being good enough. Imposter syndrome.

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE MOTTO OR MANTRA? “Risk is the tariff paid to leave the stores of predictable misery.” - Chef John Folse

HOW DID YOU DECIDE TO PURSUE YOUR LINE OF WORK? I hope and pray that everything that I do is impactful and intentional. I have a love for people. If I didn’t become a chef, I was going to become a psychologist. And, I love food. And so the work that I’m doing is a combination of both. I get to help people through food and that’s the reason why I do this.

HOW DOES YOUR FAITH IMPACT YOUR WORK? I’m hoping that it shows up in the work that I do and the food I create and the community I’m a part of and try to create. It definitely runs very deep within me. It’s the basis of everything that I do.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT YOUR PARISH? St. Augustine/St. Monica is a beautiful church. I love the people. Father Dan is amazing. He really preaches the word. I was introduced to it through my business partner, and when I first moved to Detroit, I would drive half an hour to church every Sunday because they are such a strong community.