Shawnda Moye, Cincinnati-born chef and Cleveland entrepreneur, believes food is beyond what is placed on a plate – that food is about memory, fellowship and making room for others to find their place at the table.

Moye, a Black lesbian and the owner of The Roaming Biscuit, a bakery and breakfast spot in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood, grew up surrounded by home cooking. Her mother and grandmothers made food from scratch, a legacy she happily inherited. She fondly remembers her mother’s light, fluffy homemade biscuits and the breakfast sandwiches she would prepare for her. 

Moye eventually began selling those same sandwiches for $5 each at the bus stop, turning her mother’s homemade breakfasts into a childhood side hustle she didn’t confess to until she was in her 30s.

That $5 bus stop hustle was an early glimpse of what would eventually become a business.  For Moye, cooking and entrepreneurship were intertwined long before she received her business degree from Miami University. The Roaming Biscuit would eventually bring those two parts of her life together.

After living in Richmond, Virginia, Atlanta and Tallahassee, Florida, Moye developed an appreciation for the South’s biscuit culture. When she returned Cleveland, she noticed something missing: a good breakfast sandwich was not always easy to find during the workweek. After experimenting with pastries, catering, and selling baked goods to local cafes, a 2019 trip to Nashville inspired her to take a chance on biscuits, and The  Roaming Biscuit officially launched that April.

For Moye, entrepreneurship means showing up authentically. Her approach to being a Black lesbian business owner is simple: Be yourself and unapologetically so. She wants everyone who visits to enjoy good food and a welcoming experience, regardless of their identity. She also recognizes that the culinary industry has work to do when it comes to representation. 

Moye points to the many talented chefs of color and queer chefs who lack the resources, opportunities and recognition they deserve. Rather than viewing other food businesses as competition, she sees opportunities for collaboration and mutual support.

That philosophy is already reflected in her work. A recent collaboration with Cleveland caterer Okra & Honey grew from a customer relationship with chef Chris, whose sweet potato pies impressed Moye so much that she began selling them at her bakery. For her, these connections demonstrate what food can accomplish.

“I truly believe that food brings people together. People who have nothing in common will talk if you put a plate of food in front of them,” Moye said, describing how strangers strike up conversations while waiting in line and sometimes leave with new connections and collaborative opportunities.

She defines success not simply through business growth, but through the ability to use her platform and influence to help other entrepreneurs take chances on themselves.

Looking ahead, Moye hopes to expand retail distribution of The Roaming Biscuit’s frozen biscuits and biscuit mix while introducing new flavors.

Moye is building something bigger than a food business. She is constructing a place in Cleveland where the community may come in hungry but can leave entirely full. 🔥

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• The Roaming Biscuit is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 1418 West 29th Street in Cleveland. Learn more about them by visiting their website here and following them on Instagram here.