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Barbecue Chicken, Mac and Cheese and Greens, all topped off with a slice of cake.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n As a child, Khalipha admired her grandmother, watching the hard-working woman lovingly provide for her family. As the years passed, Soul Food became a way for Khalipha to preserve a sense of culture for her own children and grandchildren, and to keep traditions alive for her community.<\/p>\n Khalipha\u2019s Mobile Kitchen will enable Khalipha\u2019s Katering to reach a broader audience. Since 1997, Khalipha has provisioned area events, like conferences, weddings, graduations, and aqiqahs (celebrations of birth). She prepares food on-site or sometimes works out of her home. As her business grows, Khalipha finds that she needs a mobile kitchen\u2019s space and flexibility. The food truck will allow Khalipha to expand her catering business and service the community in new ways.<\/p>\n Khalipha explained that at the beginning of her career, the majority of her clientele came from the African American community. In 2014, she began participating in Canton\u2019s annual Halal Fest. That event provided a turning point for Khalipha\u2019s business.<\/p>\n At a festival dominated by South Asian and Middle Eastern cuisines, Khalipha\u2019s Soul Food stood out for its American-inspired change to the Halal tradition. Many flocked to her booth to sample Soul Food flavors for the first time. Khalipha gained customers from Bangladeshi, Pakistani, and Indian communities as well as those who trace roots to places like Yemen, Palestine, and Lebanon.<\/p>\n These delighted customers remained in contact with Khalipha, inviting her to cater their events. In a way, Khalipha has become a cross-over artist by connecting communities through her culinary feats.<\/p>\n Maha Mustafa is a community organizer from Dearborn who volunteers at the Islamic Center of Detroit and Hanini Outreach and Community Center in Dearborn. As a fan of Khalipha for several years, she\u2019s seen the growing interest in Halal Soul Food over time.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is very special for the Muslim community to have something unique,\u201d Mustafa said. \u201cSister Khalipha\u2019s food is very tasty, and community members are always inquiring about when the next cookout will be.\u201d<\/p>\n Rashid Mahdi, a long-time customer of Khalipha drove in from Southfield for the fundraiser.<\/p>\n \u201cI contact Khalipha every time I am in Detroit to see if she is cooking that day,\u201d said Mahdi, who was visiting from Ohio and ordered ten plates of food for his family. \u201cThe food was amazing, as it always is,\u201d Rashid reported. \u201cIt is extremely difficult to find halal Soul Food in Ohio. And in Detroit, there are not enough places,\u201d he affirmed.<\/p>\n About three hours into the fundraiser, all of Khalipha\u2019s meals sold out. She served 275 meals to customers who drove in from Detroit, Canton, Dearborn Heights, and Ann Arbor. The money raised will bring Khalipha closer to her mobile kitchen, a dream that anyone who\u2019s tried Khalipha\u2019s cooking will celebrate when achieved.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n