Sep. 18—It's been a dream for Matilda White for nearly a decade to open her own restaurant. In a few weeks, that dream will become a reality.

Sista's Home Cookin Food for the Soul will be opening its doors to the public in October. The business will be located in the basement of the Buchanan County Courthouse in Downtown St. Joseph.

White, who was raised in St. Joseph, said her family inspired her to follow her passion.

"Back in 2013, I was sitting at my dining room table and I saw a picture of my mother and my two sisters, and I was like, 'Look at those sisters.' And that's where the sisters came in. And then 'Food for the Soul' is what connects everybody. Full food makes you happy. I've watched the way people react when they eat my food. And they're rocking and they're humming, and I'm like, 'Food is good for the soul.' So there we have it. Sista's was created," White said.

The style of the food is southern, with a variety of meats, veggies, spices and desserts.

White said this has been something she's been wanting to do for the community for a long time.

"I want people to taste my food. I want everybody to know that I don't just say I can do this. I do this for real. This is not a job, this is a passion. It's been there," White said. "I can go back to when I was 6, pulling chairs up to the table with the stove and watching and looking and tasting. And then I went down south for a number of years and got to experience the food. So I'm bringing some of South Carolina back to the Midwest."

White said her inner child is thrilled at what her reality has become, and she's thankful for God's timing through the whole process.

"She is over the moon. This is a dream. This is a dream that I've always had and I always knew that it would happen. I just didn't know when," White said. "But as I grow spiritually, I have to remember to wait my turn. Everything has a reason, and your time is not God's time. And he had to prepare me within so I could be ready for what's to come. And I believe that I'm ready. And I believe that he believes I'm ready."

White has been doing all the cooking for Sista's in her home by herself so far, but she does have a group of people who are ready to start working with her when the restaurant's doors open to the public.

White said the experience she offers is what's going to make her stand out in St. Joseph.

"You'll be missing out if you don't come and try Sista's food. You've never experienced anything like it. You've never tasted anything like it. Just come and let the food speak for itself. Once you come, you'll come back," White said.

Sista's Home Cookin Food for the Soul will have updates about its official opening on its Facebook page.