“I want people to know this is a family restaurant,” said Dianne Tillage. She welcomes your whole family with open arms at her new business, D&J Back 2 Back Soul Food Restaurant at North, named for her son Devonte and grandson Jekhi.

“I love to cook. It’s something I’ve been doing ever since I was a child. I’ve always loved being around older people when growing up. When everyone else was outside playing, I was usually in the kitchen watching my grandmother, mother and cousin cook.”

Today Dianne is not doing the watching. She’s doing the cooking, not only at her restaurant but also “every Saturday and Sunday all my family are at my house to eat and I love it.”

A native of Mathews from the Beaverlett area, Dianne began her cooking career at the Mathews Convalescent Center, “where I became assistant cook and assistant dietician. It was there I learned how to do presentation and handling special diet needs.&r...