CLEVELAND — The Carnegie Food Hub (3915 Carnegie Ave.) is a one-stop shop for takeout food that features 30 kitchens for small businesses to function out of, including Yanna’s Dough Spot.
Originally from the West Indies in the Caribbean, Ayanna Augustine grew up cooking meals for her family each night. So, she chased her dream of opening a restaurant.
Her one-woman show features a menu that ties back to her roots, with her homemade jerk chicken paired with a secret sauce.
“I’ve got my homemade jerk sauce,” she said. “What’s in it? I’ll never tell.”
There is no limit on the possibilities within the kitchen space, Augustine mentioned.
“Every restaurant can have as many concepts as they can handle,” she said.
One endeavor turned into two, as she opened a side-arm operation named Big Starchy Bihhhh, which tries a potato menu with touches of island flavors.
“I have some big-boned, overweight baked potatoes from an island girl such as yourself,” she said.
One option to choose from is the Wake-Up Bihhhh, which adds a little “razzle dazzle”, that features a breakfast-styled potato with melted cheese, turkey sausage links, and a fried egg.
For an extra $5, customers have the ability to have Augustine call them off work on their behalf. They can also upgrade to the “crying” option, with fake tears to sell the bit for a $2 up charge.
The Big Starchy Bihhhh comes with a warning label on the top of the container, giving a heads up about what is contained inside.
“It’s a first-time customer,” she said. “So we’re going to warn them that this is a Big Starchy Bihhhh.”
Besides the fun food options Augustine’s business offers to customers, there are benefits of being part of the Food Hub.
“There’s a lot of benefits to being in a food hub,” she said. “They have staff that helps you run your food. I just wanted to be able to run my own business with a limited staff. And right now, I am that staff.”
The employee of the month is looking to stay afloat, as she had to close her doors during the lunch hour due to limited orders.
“This is my passion and I am never going to give up,” she said. “When you don’t give up, you never have to start over.”
To order online, you can visit their website and see the various options to choose from.
“I’m just focused on putting up quality food for the City of Cleveland,” she said.
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