New local restaurant to open its doors, continuing the legacy of ‘love’ in family food

SALISBURY, MD.- “It’s just a dream come true,” said Chef Shy’s mother Dana Williams.

That dream is now reality as Shiesha Blake’s catering service is now Take Your Pick Restaurant. “To know that everybody else sees the passion and they feel the love from the meals they’ve received from me or the events I do for them, it’s very humbling. It’s humbling because I feel like my purpose is being fulfilled,” said Chef Shy.

I’m told, for Shiesha or Chef Shy as she goes by,  her passion for cooking comes from a slew of family cooks and her curiosity around the kitchen. “She always wanted to feed somebody, she didn’t care. Can somebody come over and eat? Can they have dinner with us? Can I fix this? That was her. That was always her,” said Williams.

“And then I’ve always seen when people ate, they always smiled and they were laughing and they were happy. All their other problems and cares were no long there,” said Chef Shy.

Take Your Pick allows customers to do just that, take your pick with a variety choices from Caribbean to Soul Food dishes. The most important thing is that everything is made with love. “You know how some people say that certain food when people cook it you can tell the difference in it if love is in it or not? Well, its always love in this,” said Williams.

That passion and love for cooking continues to get passed down now to Shy’s son, Chef Ja’mire. “We’ve talked about his vision and dreams of opening his own restaurant. He told me he is the manager here and the head chef here,” said Chef Shy.

“I would say in just one year this place will be all around the world, everywhere. Everyone will be loving this. Everyone will be coming from all across the world,” said Chef Ja’Miere.

Chef Shy says she’s excited to bring her own unique flare to the Eastern Shore. “Her, my mom, and my aunt were supposed to start a restaurant before my mom passed away and it didn’t happen. That was a push for her because it’s not just for her, it was grandma too,” said Williams.

“I like to call it the Chef Shy experience because you’re always going to have a good time when you come here. You’re going to leave with a smile. You’re going to be like I’m coming back tomorrow or I’m coming back next week. You’re going to say I need to be here,” said Chef Shy.

And to the woman that inspired her cooking the most Chef Shy says: “Grandma we did it. We finally did it.”

Take Your Pick Restaurant is set to open the week of September 6th.

If you want to find out more about Chef Shy or place an order check out on the Take Your Pick website.

Take Your Pick is located at 923 Mt. Hermon Rd. in Salisbury. It was the old JT’s Grill.