KSHB 41 News anchor Kevin Holmes loves to tell stories about Kansas City. Send Kevin your story idea.
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Sometimes your soul just speaks to you.
Vera Willis is Derrick Wilmore, Jr.’s grandmother. Her soul spoke to her in a dream, which in 1996 prompted her to conduct a survey outside a gas station.
It later fueled a passion for something so much more.
“Asking people what they want to see in the neighborhood. “And she asks about one hundred people. Overwhelmingly, 95 of them say they want to see a soul food buffet,” Wilmore explained. “So, on July 19, 1996, she opened up the original Peach Tree Restaurant.”
Wilmore and KSHB 41 Anchor Kevin Holmes took a trip down memory lane as PeachTree Cafeteria gets set to celebrate 30 years in business.
Fried chicken, catfish, yams, cornbread. For so many, soul food is the backbone and cornerstone of success.
For Wilmore, their wins have to do with more than what they put on people's plates.
“That food is just one piece of it," Wilmore said. "If you walk into Eastwood, you’ll see the words, God did it. We’re real big on being faith-based and just moving through God. This isn’t us this 30 years. We couldn’t do this by ourselves. That was God’s hands on Peach Tree. So that’s why we're still standing today.”
Wilmore says the last thirty years have been rooted in faith, food, and fellowship.
While those prayers have been answered, the restaurant does its best to be a blessing to others. Adopting families for Christmas is one example.
“Last year we fed over 5,000 people for free when it came to that government shutdown,” Wilmore recalled.
They’ve also donated coats to those in need every winter.
“What’s the recipe to success that’s made you all successful for 30 years?" Holmes asked. "A lot of restaurants don’t make it past five."
“Man, we’ve had a couple of struggles, but stayed prayed up,” Wilmore responded.
If you dine at either of the two locations, you’ll notice tributes to faith, as well as historic pictures of 18th and Vine.
“We want to always present and admire the places we’ve come from,” Wilmore added.
Peach Tree is also considering expanding beyond Kansas City into Fresno, California, and Fort Worth, Texas.
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