Mompreneurs: Kawana Jefferson

This week on the Mompreneurs podcast, Kawana Jefferson offers a glimpse into her life as a serial restaurateur. With a bar and grill, seafood restaurant, and ice cream shop across the New York metropolitan area, Jefferson sat down with Mompreneurs host and New York Times bestselling author Nancy Redd to discuss how she is balancing her growing hospitality empire while raising two boys at home.

From Sweet Brooklyn Bar & Grill to the Lost Borough Ice Cream Shop and her latest venture, Sweet Catch — a Brooklyn restaurant serving up “seafood made with soul” — Jefferson has developed each establishment into a must-visit destination, known for their fabulous flavors and inviting vibes.

Source: Kawana Jefferson / Kawana Jefferson

Jefferson has been working in hospitality for the greater part of her life, working various jobs in the industry from bartending to hosting since college. “I was always in hospitality,” she said. “So the hospitality industry was not foreign to me.”

Something about working in the industry lit a spark that stayed with her. “I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit inside of me and hospitality spoke to me.” Opening her own place had always been a dream. “It was something that I’ve always wanted to do,” she said. “It was kind of like an itch that just wouldn’t go away. So I just took the leap of faith.”

Jefferson became a first-time mom and first-time business owner simultaneously.

In 2016, Jefferson opened up her first brick-and-mortar establishment, Sweet Brooklyn Bar & Grill, in the heart of Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Pregnant at the time of her grand opening, she became both a first-time business owner and a first-time mom. “It kind of happened simultaneously,” she said.

The popular bar and brunch spot is known for its vibrant menu, lively atmosphere, and packed events calendar. With gentrification reshaping the Crown Heights neighborhood where Sweet Brooklyn resides, it’s important to keep the doors open, Jefferson said. “With the demographic changing so rapidly, if we lose our spaces, then a lot of the time they don’t necessarily get reopened by us.”

She continued to expand her hospitality empire.

Lost Borough Ice Cream Shop is Jefferson’s second business venture which she co-owns with friend and business partner Patrick Cruz. Located in downtown Yonkers, the unique dessert bar offers small-batch, hand-crafted ice cream flavors alongside tasty treats like decadent cookies, banana pudding, and boba tea. “It is such a beautiful, family fun concept,” she said.

Jefferson’s newest venture, Sweet Catch, is a “seafood and soulfood” restaurant located on Brooklyn’s iconic Nostrand Avenue. Since opening two years ago, it has earned widespread acclaim, attracting diners from near and far to experience its celebrated flavors. “This concept is dear and close to my heart,” said Jefferson. “I wanted more representation, more ownership, and really a celebration of the food that I grew up on. It allows me to pay homage to our ancestors.”

‘I’m built for this.’

It’s no secret that the fast-paced restaurant industry is tough to navigate. Yet Jefferson does it all with style. “It’s a lot of work, definitely. It’s rewarding, and you have to be self-motivated. It takes a lot of fortitude and dedication,” she said. “But I say I’m built for this, because even when I fall short or feel overwhelmed, I don’t necessarily stay in that space. I give myself that space to take a day, and then I kind of snap out of it and I get goal-oriented. I get out, I create my list, and I just get to it.”

‘I know I cannot do it by myself.’

Jefferson attributes a large part of her success to the community. The former school psychologist actively seeks spaces where she can connect and learn. “I try to tap in and become affiliated with people that are also entrepreneurs navigating through this space, so that I can learn new ways and connect with new people so I can push forward, because I know I cannot do it by myself,” she said.

“I don’t come from a family of entrepreneurs. I’m the first one in my family to have a brick and-mortar. So sometimes it gets a little gray, and I don’t always see the light at the end of the tunnel. So I have to tap in and find that motivation from other people that have lived it.”

Jefferson would advise fellow entrepreneurs to do the same: seek community as well as mentorship. Her own mentor, her former boss and bar owner, “was such an instrumental part of my success,” she said. “Mentorship is really important. You can seek out a mentor. You can be very intentional and find the person that wants to help you be successful.”

“I had to do it from the bottom up,” Jefferson said. “No matter where you’re coming from, if this is something that you want to do, you can absolutely do it.”

“Ultimately (my children) are the biggest reason why I’m pursuing being an entrepreneur, to pass down and leave them some type of legacy. They definitely motivate me.”

Also in this episode of Mompreneurs, Jefferson unpacks mom guilt and shares what she is manifesting for her future.

Catch new episodes of ‘Mompreneurs’ every week.

Every week, we celebrate beautiful Black entrepreneurs who are simultaneously amazing business moguls and awesome moms. Join host and New York Times bestselling author Nancy Redd as these mompreneurs share their life stories and inspiring advice. Catch new episodes of Mompreneurs every Monday on MadameNoire’s YouTube channel. Or listen to the podcast online on the Urban One Podcast Network.