How Kelly Rowland And Pepsi Are Reviving Community In Restaurants
![How Kelly Rowland And Pepsi Are Reviving Community In Restaurants How Kelly Rowland And Pepsi Are Reviving Community In Restaurants](https://i0.wp.com/imageio.forbes.com/specials-images/imageserve/66cfa5fc26e0fa9477781ba9/0x0.jpg?format=jpg&height=900&width=1600&fit=bounds&w=780&resize=780,470&ssl=1)
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 09: Kelly Rowland attends the FASHION TRUST U.S. Awards 2024 on … [+]
Kelly Rowland is utilizing her celebrity to boost the visibility of flourishing local restaurants, in partnership with Pepsi.
Teaming up with Pepsi, the 4X Grammy award-winner is set to showcase the most exceptional dining spots across the U.S. The project, Pepsi Local Eats is designed to promote a sense of community, a critical element that is often underappreciated in restaurants that serve as community pillars. In addition to their standout dishes and distinctive environments, these venues often have compelling stories behind their origins.
In our exclusive interview last week, Rowland shared with me memories of a particular Houston restaurant her family frequented during her childhood and adolescent years, especially during her time with Destiny’s Child. This Is It Soul Food in Houston was the place where Rowland and her family celebrated personal and career milestones, praising the effortless southern hospitality that defines the signature stance of the family-run establishment.
“This Is It has been in my family for over 20 years,” said Rowland. “It’s not just about feeding me physically, but also spiritually. After long trips, when I’d come home feeling depleted, I was nourished not only with food but with kindness. Whether it was Mr. Craig coming around, asking, ‘Do you want one more piece?’ or something else, it was just a personal, sweet experience. It’s important to support these businesses because they enrich our communities and fill them with love.”
Kelly Rowland for Pepsi Local Eats
As far back as the 1960s, PepsiCo’s food service division has been partnering with various restaurants, from fast-food joints to casual dining venues, to offer their signature beverages like Dr. Pepper, Mountain Dew, Brisk, Tropicana, and Schweppes. These collaborations have served to enhance menu pairings and strengthen marketing and promotional strategies. Leveraging celebrities for exposure has long been a common strategy for the company, making Rowland’s ambassadorship a prime example of their 2024 efforts.
To help recreate the nostalgic experience, the “Motivation” singer will have her favorite dish—pepper steak, rice and gravy, and peach cobbler—featured as a limited-time combo deal at This Is It.
“The pepper steak, sometimes I used to slice it up really small and mix it with the rice and gravy. Then I’d take my green beans and have that one perfect bite. But the peach cobbler is literally an out-of-body experience,” said Rowland.
Rowland’s new partnership with Pepsi is not only an opportunity to give back to her hometown but also a deeply nostalgic experience, as she fondly recalls dining memories with her late mother, Doris Rowland Garrison.
“Having a cold Pepsi right there to celebrate with my mom, sipping hers—it’s just those memories that make you feel… I don’t know, they humble you. And I’m grateful for them,” Rowland recounted.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 15: Kelly Rowland attends the Netflix’s “Mea Culpa” New York Premiere … [+]
According to a 2017 Oxford study where researchers examined the connection between social eating and individual happiness, they found that those who regularly engage in social eating are more likely to develop positive emotions about themselves and build a strong social stature that fosters both social and emotional support.
“I think about mothers that I’ve seen, women that I’ve seen,” Rowland reminisced about her visits to This Is It Soul Food as she recalled her experiences. “I think about challenges in my life and how I would want somebody to support or show up for myself, my mother, or my father. Now that I have this relationship with him or families that I’ve known, the dynamic is so colorful. I’m a person and a human at the end of the day. Being celebrated is one thing, being human is another.”
A multi-talent in various vocations—singer with her stint in Destiny’s Child, actress most recently starring in Tyler Perry’s thriller Mea Culpa, which created a significant buzz on social media earlier this year with its scandalous plot, and philanthropist through her Pepsi partnership—Rowland is also set to join Nicole Scherzinger and Liam Payne for an unscripted series, Building the Band, hosted by AJ McLean. The show takes an unconventional approach to forming a band, allowing participants to choose their bandmates based on chemistry. Rowland’s tenure as a member of the legendary R&B collective Destiny’s Child provides a valuable lens into her expertise in the field, making the iconic singer the perfect judge.
Source link