Robert Spence, award-winning chef and entrepreneur, has a heart for cooking various cuisines that make the soul smile and the mouth water. 

Cooking and entrepreneurial genes were transferred to Spence (affectionately known as “Big Time”) from his two grandmothers. At an early age, he regularly helped his paternal grandmother prepare dinners for their family church in St. Louis, Missouri. Although he never met his maternal grandmother who was a popular cook, bakery owner, and seamstress in Somerville, Tennessee, he attributes his keen attention to detail and business savvy to her. Growing up, he enjoyed hearing his family’s warm stories of her adventures down south, especially the juke joint she ran which was frequented by several well-known musicians, like BB King and Isaac Hayes.