Meet
Quentin Love
Meet
Quentin Love
Meet
Quentin Love
Restaurateur
Fitness CEO & Founder
Social Entrepreneur
Philanthropist
Motivational Speaker
Certified Success Coach
Author
Quentin Love is a Chicago native, Marine, Desert Storm veteran, restaurateur, CEO, author, and philanthropist who is committed to improving the lives of Chicagoans through healthier food options, fitness, personal development, and economic empowerment.
Love has appeared on the Food Network, OWN’s Super Soul Sunday, HLN and countless national and local TV and radio programs, podcasts and in print including O, The Oprah Magazine, Black Enterprise, ESSENCE, The Chicago Tribune, and Chicago Sun-Times.
“A dream is a dream until you take action. Start somewhere, no matter how small.”
The healing power of food. It’s an ideal that has inspired Love since he first started cooking at the tender age of five. By the time he was eight, Love was baking cakes. Around that time, he became a chef’s apprentice in his grandmother’s kitchen on Chicago’s South side.
Love would watch intently as his grandmother masterfully whipped up traditional southern foods like macaroni and cheese, collard greens and smothered chicken. He was mesmerized and enjoyed experimenting in the kitchen with ingredients and spices.
“When I think about cooking, I think about my grandmother. My grandmother always talked to me while she cooked,” Love recalled.
“Cooking has always been a way for me to clear my head. If I want to brainstorm about how to impact the community, I come in the kitchen and start cooking.”
Growing up on both the South and West sides of Chicago, his grandmother’s kitchen became Love’s refuge from the allure of gangs, drugs and the effects violence and addiction had on the community and his own family.
“My grandmother raised me. I never really knew my dad and my mom battled drugs for over 35 years of my life. I knew that either I was going to get out of the city, or I was going to become a drug dealer,” said Love.
After graduating high school, Love joined the United States Marine Corps to further distance himself from street culture. He was immediately deployed to Operation Desert Storm and two years later, Love was honorably discharged after being injured in the line of duty. He returned to a community that was no different than the one he’d left–impoverished, destitute, and desperately in need of hope and opportunity.
When he first came home from the Marines, Love wanted to provide for his family because he didn’t want to see them suffer. He spent the next several years focused on trying to heal his community by creating economic opportunities throughout Chicago.
He earned a barber’s license and opened two barber shops in his community. Love’s passion for serving others ignited his entrepreneurial spirit, which led him to open several restaurants, a clothing store, dry cleaner, and martial arts studio. He was on a mission to create jobs in poor, underserved communities grappling with double-digit unemployment.
In 2001, he established The Love Foundation (501c3), a non-profit organization committed to supporting and uplifting children and families on Chicago’s South and West sides by providing them with resources, education and mentorship for health and wellness, personal development, and economic empowerment.
Love is the author of two books, “The Motivational Cookbook” and “The 66-Day Objective” an inspirational journal to help people establish or break a habit to accomplish their life goals.
Honoring his lifelong commitment to provide healthier food and fitness options to people living in Black and Brown communities, Love opened Quench on the South Side and then Turkey Chop Gourmet Grill in West Humboldt Park. In 2017, he founded Bikettle, an elite indoor spin cycling and fitness studio, with two locations serving Chicago’s South and West sides.
In 2022, Love opened The SoulFood Lounge, the first and only upscale dine-in restaurant in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood. The menu features globally-inspired dishes curated by Love and is located at 3804 W. 16th Street on the ground floor of the MLK Legacy Apartments, the historic site of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s home during his 1966 campaign for fair housing in Chicago. Chef Love believes all people deserve access to sit-down eateries and fine dining in their community.
“I want our restaurants to be a catalyst for revitalization. So people can get dressed up and dine, celebrate, see live music, shop and support businesses in their own neighborhoods. You shouldn’t have to go downtown for that experience.”
The SoulFood Lounge II debuted on Chicago’s South Side in the Beverly neighborhood in October 2023. It is located at 10701 South Hale Avenue. Both SoulFood Lounge restaurants feature live music with an intimate, soulful vibe and distinct menus. The soul food fusion experience was inspired by Love’s passion for traditional Southern soul food and global spices and flavors that reflect the depth and richness of diverse culinary traditions influenced by African, Asian, Black American, Caribbean, Creole, Italian and Latin American cuisines.
Reservations are required and The SoulFood Lounge is a cashless environment and BYOB, wine and champagne only. Chicago Magazine named The SoulFood Lounge one of the “10 hottest restaurants in Chicago” in 2022.
Contact us for speaking engagements, media inquiries and interview requests.