After losing her son, Chicago area woman turns pain into a thriving soul food restaurant
HILLSIDE, Ill. (CBS) – Sometimes, pain and loss can be the push one needs to get up and chase their dreams.
That's the case for one west suburban business owner after she lost her son to gun violence. Years later, she's the owner of a thriving soul food restaurant called Vari's Southern Cuisine and giving back to her community in Hillside.
"Everybody is inquisitive about how they fry ribs," said Nanetta Dancy-Matthews, owner of Vari's Southern Cuisine. "Everybody wants to know that."
For Dancy-Matthews, the answer is simple.
"Like you fry chicken," she said.
There's nothing complicated about cooking because it's her favorite outlet. She does it when she's happy and when she's sad.
"Cooking really brings everybody together," she said.
In fact, her restaurant was born out of pain and out of a need to heal. About 10 years ago, her oldest son was shot and killed.
"I got a phone call from my son-in-law saying, 'He's been shot. He's been shot,'" Dancy-Matthews said. "And I'm like, 'What?'"
Javari was just 18 years old.
"For two years, I was in a relatively deep, dark place in my life," said Dancy-Matthews. "And I'm like, what can I do to bring me some joy?"
She needed some distraction, too. That led her back to a dream she never gave much thought to: owning a restaurant.
Last year, Dancy-Matthews took the leap and opened Vari's Southern Cuisine inside Bobby's Gaming in Hillside with recipes she learned from her grandmother.
"Our specialty is the southern fried ribs and the southern fried rib tips," Dancy-Matthews said. "That's my grandmother's specialty."
Nine months later, she outgrew that space and moved into her own building on Butterfield Road.
"Dreams do some true," she said.
It's been three months and her customers keep coming back for some good soul food.
"I'm from the south," one customer said. "I have to down to go down south to grandmama to get some cooking like this."
But it's not just about the crispy fried catfish or delicious fried ribs. Dancy-Matthews, who is a mother of four, said she's taking things a step further. She's hiring and mentoring young people at her restaurant who are still figuring out how to face their own pain.
"A lot of our kids are not born with opportunities," she said. "Society says you get a felony, that's it. Who's to say how many chances you get before you actually get it right?"
She says it's something her son Javari would have been proud of.
"He would be amazed," she said. "He would just tell me at this point, mommy, please live in the moment. Live in the moment."
For those wondering why the restaurant is called Vari's, Dancy-Matthews said it's named after her late son Javari.
She hopes to one day expand and open several locations under the same name.