Chef Nick Aikens has spent much of his life in the kitchen with his family. He got his start working for his aunt in 1952. Since then, he’s served meals to Muhammad Ali and Elvis Presely, but, above all, Aikens says he is “cooking for the people.”

He now runs his own restaurant with his wife and his daughter. Over the last 20 years, Nikki’sPlace has become a staple of Orlando’s Parramore neighborhood. Aikens started the restaurant in 1999, naming it after his daughter Shannea “Nikki” Akins, who will eventually take over the business.

The restaurant’s standing in the community is a fact that is not lost Aikens. He and his daughter know the business would not be around without their customers, especially through the hard times brought on by the pandemic. They say people regularly stop by for a meal, saying they are coming in just to make sure their business can stay open.

Nick and Shannea join us to talk about what makes their soul different from what people might expect and how they are giving back to the customers who help keep them going.

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