HEY Y’ALL!

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Driven by Impact. Powered by Spirit. Building Community—One Fork, One Breath, One Story, One Experience at a Time.
Always with Love. Always on Purpose.

Joyful pint-sized tour de force best describes Jayda Atkinson. Hailing from New Orleans, she embodies a life rich with abundance, hospitality, purpose, love, joy, and the relentless pursuit of happiness. Her journey from humble beginnings to becoming a visionary in the food, entertainment, and community service sectors is a testament to her resilience and commitment to creating Heartful experiences.
 Kiara Akita

From learning to cook as a child in the kitchen of a shotgun home in Uptown New Orleans to feeding communities, festivalgoers, celebrities, and those in need across the globe, Jayda Atkinson has always been on a mission to nourish both hearts and stomachs with love.

A chef with service at her core, Jayda began by selling supper plates from her home and has since expanded her culinary career to include local and international catering, recipe development, brand activations, food-centered events, and the creation of innovative concepts such as Po’Babies.

Her culinary expertise and authenticity have earned her national recognition, including appearances on Chopped, The Dr. Oz Show, and other media platforms.

At the heart of her work is The Success Café (formerly The Love Lives Foundation), the purpose-driven organization she founded in 2007. Born from her personal rebuilding journey following Hurricane Katrina, The Success Café is not a physical café, but a living concept—a place where dreams are brewed and people are empowered to rebuild, reconnect, and thrive.

Grounded deeply in New Orleans culture, Jayda remains an active force in the city’s vibrant traditions. Together, she and her partner in pink, Kourtenay Roberts, founded the NOLA LOLAS—a Mardi Gras dance sisterhood rooted in service, connection, cultural engagement, and the celebration of sisterhood. She also proudly second-lines with The Lady & Men Rollers Social & Pleasure Club, honoring the city’s rich traditions and enduring spirit of community.

Beyond food, Jayda’s work has always centered on creating spaces where people feel welcomed, cared for, connected, and seen. Whether through wellness, mentorship, literacy, or cultural preservation, her mission has remained the same:

To nourish the whole person.

As an author, she continues to celebrate New Orleans culture and encourage meaningful conversations through her children’s books, Red Beans and Rice for Dinner and Sunshine in the Big Easy, using storytelling to connect generations through food, tradition, family,kindness, and love.

Today, that mission has evolved into Big Eas’e Wellness, a collection of thoughtfully curated wellness experiences where the Big Easy meets well-being and ease.

Drawing from decades of hospitality, culinary arts, community leadership, and service, Jayda blends intentional breathwork, gentle movement, meaningful conversation, nourishing meals, and mindful rituals to create experiences that help individuals and groups pause, reconnect, and return to themselves.

Her offerings include private wellness experiences, group gatherings, corporate wellness events, retreats, and free community initiatives such as Outdoor Therapy: Take a Seat. Be Eas’e., where people are invited to simply pause, breathe, rest, and reconnect with themselves and the beauty of nature.

For Jayda, wellness isn’t separate from hospitality—it is hospitality.

Whether she’s preparing a meal, guiding a breathwork session, facilitating meaningful conversation, or gathering people around a table, her purpose remains unchanged:

To create spaces where people feel welcomed, nourished, and a little lighter than when they arrived.

As a wife, mother, grandmother, chef, community servant, and founder, Jayda continues to build community through food, culture, service, and intentional experiences.

I’ve spent my life feeding people. Today, I nourish them in even more ways.

Always led by love.

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