Sweets shop aims for July opening at Metro Eats

Layered dessert jars will be the focus of an upcoming venture inside the food hall portion of Metro Eats.

Raushanah McShane said she’s targeting a mid-July opening for her business, Ella’s Soul Kitchen, which she named in honor of her grandmother. McShane first registered her business with the Missouri secretary of state’s office as Ella’s Soul Kitchen Presents, with the thought of opening at Metro Eats, 2463 W. Sunshine St., upon the venue’s launch in 2022.

“I definitely wasn’t ready to pursue it full time,” McShane said, adding she was scared to transition from her work in health care. “So, I kind of closed myself off to the idea, but not this time. This time I want to go all the way.”

McShane said she plans to at least initially balance her work at Copper Rock Healthcare, a full-service nursing facility in Rogersville, with the new venture. She estimated startup costs of $25,000, adding she signed a 90-day lease for an undisclosed rate with Metro Eats owner Christina Shellhart.

Noting her heart has always been in the kitchen, McShane, who was born in Chicago but has lived with her family in Springfield for around 25 years, said she got the idea for crafting dessert jars a few years ago while on a trip in Arkansas. She loved the idea but not the finished product, which was a mix of Oreos and cheesecake bites.

“I could do this, and I could actually do it better,” she said, remembering the unsatisfactory dessert. “And instead of doing frozen cake bites or frozen cheesecake, I can make the cake fresh, and I can make the cream fresh and just build flavors on flavors.”

Upon opening, Ella’s Soul Kitchen will serve nine standard flavors of the dessert jars, which she dubs “junk-n-a-jar.” Flavors of the jars, sold in 8-ounce and 16-ounce sizes, include strawberry shortcake, s’mores galore and caramel turtle, which consists of fresh baked chocolate pecan brownies, creamy marshmallow vanilla fluff, additional pecans and caramel drizzle.

“All of my ideas come from me. Every flavor concept was either something that was a dessert that I was brought up on and I deconstructed it or was something that I just made up on my own,” McShane said, adding she initially will be the sole employee. “It doesn’t have to be limited to these flavors. These are our staples. Based on those ingredients, if you want to switch things out and make it your own, you absolutely can.”

While waiting on final state licensing before beginning operations, McShane said she’s hopeful that her dream and goal to be a business owner will eventually expand beyond baking sweets.

“I also love to cook. It’s not just about desserts,” she said. “But for right now, this is good.”