Yvonne (Turner) Parker began her journey as a child living on her grandparent's farm in Marion , Alabama . It was during her youth that Yvonne began to cook. By age 9, Yvonne could bake homemade biscuits, clean and cook collard greens and even fry some southern catfish. Yvonne's parents owned a “Juke-joint” café and many people came to eat, dance and socialize while listening to the “blind man” play his guitar.

In 1956 her parents left the rural south and moved mid-west to Chicago . Yvonne finished school and meet a young man from Kilmichael , Mississippi named Lawrence Jr. The young family relocated to New York City in 1960 and soon had 3 daughters to follow, Dorothy-Jean, Sharri and Alice-Yukesia. Yvonne continued to work for many years as a nursing assistant and retailing. In 1984 Yvonne opened a clothing boutique and named it “Center Stage.” It was located on Main Street in New Rochelle , New York . She independently owned and operated this upscale fashion boutique for years.

During this time her husband retired from the Catholic Archdiocese after 21 years as a food service director. Yvonne suggested they invest into a southern cuisine restaurant in the Westchester area. Yvonne wanted to bring excellent quality yet cozy environment to the beautiful county of Westchester . They found a nice quaint place in a town called Pelham. Many people thought the location was a bit strange; a soul food establishment in Pelham seemed surreal. However, they were both determined to beat the odds and make it a success. In 1987, they opened Empire Foods, Inc. which had 6 tables and seating for 12 guests. The café soon gained a reputation for good southern food and the reputation continued to grow more with each passing year. Many family members and friends offered their assistance and encouragement which contributed to the restaurants success.

In 1992 Yvonne closed her boutique and worked along side her husband and childhood friend, Susan Oliver, to make Empire Food reputation get out to the surrounding areas. In 1993, Larry Parker became gravely ill with cancer and departed the following year. Larry always encouraged his wife and children to move forward with the business. He knew that the hard work and patience would pay off. As the years passed, Yvonne continued to build with her family and expanded her customer base. Yvonne converted the empty store next door to fulfill her growing clientele. At this time, she made the decision to change the name to Yvonne's Southern Cuisine. This was a risky yet profitable change. Her thought was that Yvonne's Southern Cuisine name would immediately tell people what type of food she was offering and also re-introduce her to Westchester County . Yvonne was correct! The restaurant started to boom. The seating capacity increased to 50 with a sit down bar, pictures of famous musicians covered the walls and she even added live entertainment. Yvonne stayed at this now bigger location for 13 years.

In 2000, Yvonne was introduced to an empty restaurant located just blocks from her original location. She immediately fell in love with the 2 story brick building and decided to move her restaurant to this new location. This would be a dream come true. She opened this now 200 capacity restaurant with determination, patience, perseverance and faith. She could now do more take out and more catering. Amongst those two big accomplishments, her thoughts of growing the dining room area into a jazz haven would now be even more real than before. Susan Oliver, childhood friend of Yvonne, was once an unpaid assistant and cook. Now Susan is along side Yvonne cooking, baking and conversing with new and old time customers. Their youngest child, Alice-Yukesia, was once a thirteen year old cashier. Now Alice-Yukesia is the General Manager and Vice President of Sales / Marketing. Another daughter, Sharri, is now the Coordinator of the “constant flow” Take Out Operation and In / Out House Catering.

After 20 years in Pelham, Yvonne continues to personify her southern cuisine with ambience and excellent hospitality. Yvonne is a proud woman with great faith, tremendous wheel-power, great “southern” persona and never-ending determination. Due to these qualities she has made Yvonne's Southern Cuisine Restaurant a permanent fixture in the restaurant industry.

In the beginning, Yvonne began her life on a farm in Alabama and dreaming of the day she would leave to build her own dreams. In the end, she built her own recipe for success!