The VELISH Story

VELISH is the culmination of a two decades-long journey between three food entrepreneurs on Chicago’s South Side. In the late 1990s, Stephen Martin, Herb Henderson and John Meyer purchased and developed six Popeyes chicken franchises and opened two BJ's Market & Bakery restaurants, an original concept that raised the bar on traditional southern cooking. The partners worked closely with the community and got to know many of their loyal customers. The Popeyes stores performed extremely well. In fact, sales were among the highest in the Chicago area. The BJ’s Market & Bakery stores were so successful, they led to a franchise agreement with a concession operator at O’Hare International Airport. 

Over the years, the business partners came to realize that their success was tied to a troubling trend – the lack of restaurant choices, ethnic variety and, sadly, nutrient rich food options in the black community. That included supermarkets. This scarcity informed residents’ perspectives around food and influenced their decisions to purchase items low on nutrients and heavy on carbs, salt and sugar. Eventually, even BJ’s culinary variety and creativity went unrewarded.

In 2015, the trio started another company, SMH2 Manufacturing LLC, that allowed them to stretch their culinary skills and create and sell ethnic-inspired recipes wholesale in bulk. SMH2’s clients included some of the most successful supermarket chains in the Midwest. 

As the partners entered their fifties and faced health challenges of their own such as excess weight, cardio metabolic issues, pre-diabetes and deteriorating kidney function, a sobering examination of their diet revealed that they, too, consumed too many foods with low nutritional value. For the sake of health, they committed to change and build a retail brand around culturally influenced dishes rich in nutrients without sacrificing flavor. That brand is VELISH.