Living a Badassery Life: From Being Shot and Left for Dead to Serving Celebrities and Opening Her Own Restaurant

Jasmine West is the owner of Muva’s Kitchen – soul food, down home cooking. She opened her restaurant in 2020, amidst the pandemic. The date of her opening is significant and very personal. It falls on the anniversary of the day she was shot at 11 times and left for dead. Her friends were shot and killed. She was 21. When she recovered, she turned to sex, drugs, and partying to take away the pain. She ended up getting pregnant and that changed her life. Her parents were addicts and she wanted a better life for her child. That’s when she got clean and got into culinary school. Today, she owns her own restaurant. But before she ventured out on her own, she spent several years making meals and feeding celebrity athletes, including players from the Indiana Pacers and Indianapolis Colts, many who remain her friends. In this episode, she talks about growing up, the shooting that nearly claimed her life, how her life spiraled out of control during recovery, and how she turned her life around to become a successful chef and restaurateur.