About Us

Cooking started when I (Candie)  was a little girl. While sitting at the kitchen table, I would watch my mother and Big Momma (Grandmother) cook.  I would ask questions and soon after that I was inspired to cook. I begged my mother to buy me an Easy Bake Oven.

It took some time before I got the oven, but oh boy, when I got it, I felt like I was on top of the world! I got great enjoyment cooking for my brothers and sister.  So that zeal and energy transition into wanting to learn more about comfort food cooking. Time went by and I got older, like my mom and Big Momma, my Aunt Vernice and Aunt Juanita would guide me and even teach me some wonderful family recipes that taste so good that people would ask for over and over again. 

My Parents had a restaurant and I would soon be spending my summers and days after high school working in the restaurant.  It got too hard for my parents so they sold it.  Now here I am using the Southern comfort food infused with creole flavors that I grew up on. This is a different approach from my parent’s BBQ restaurant and I am enhancing the food that I grew up on and combining it with my husband Booker T Pannell (Chef Booker T) expertise.

He has been cooking practically all of his life.  His dad was the cook in the family and seeing this at a young age gave Booker the inspiration to pursue cooking.  Booker attended Greystone Culinary institute of Napa Valley. He has competed at different competitions and even won a few. With his 28 years of experience of working in a restaurant we put our history together and out birthed Chef Booker T Catering and Now Candies Kitchen.

With Candies Kitchen you will find comfort food that comes naturally to both of us.  Allowing you to taste the deliciousness that we have enjoyed with our families for years.

So come and taste our food you will feel right at home.