Collard Green Festival Headliner Chef LaKisha Harris: Soul Food Is a Mindset

One of our favorite events of the year is back. We’re talking about the Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival. It takes place on Valentine’s Day in South St. Petersburg. (Be sure to stop by the WUSF Public Media booth at the festival to pick up some swag.)Chef Harris will also be in conversation with Dalia at Collards After Dark on Feb. 12, 2026.This year’s headliner Chef LaKisha Harris from Muskegon, Michigan. She is the owner of Soul Filled Enterprises, which includes a restaurant and catering business.She’s also a decorated member of the American Culinary Association and became the first African-American woman to receive the Presidential Medallion from the organization in 2025. She is also a collaborator on the James Beard Award-winning documentary film Coldwater Kitchen, which follows the culinary program at the Lakeland (Michigan) Correctional Facility and explores themes of rehabilitation.Chef Harris recently chatted with Dalia. In this conversation, she discusses how following her own path helped her cook up success. You’ll also learn the surprising origin of fried chicken and why Chef Harris says the most authentic form of soul food is actually vegan food.