Sabina Jules

Restaurant Owner/Chef/Culinary Instructor
Motherland Kitchen
Frederick, MD 21701

Sabina Jules is a passionate culinary entrepreneur, educator, and author, best known as the Owner and Chef of Motherland Kitchen in Frederick, Maryland. With a mission to make healthy, flavorful food accessible, she emphasizes African cuisine, vegan dishes, and nutrition-focused meals free from excessive salt, oil, and additives. Sabina also shares her culinary expertise through in-restaurant cooking classes, including her popular “Cooking with Love” sessions, and her YouTube channel, Motherland Kitchen, where she demonstrates cooking techniques and educates viewers on plant-based nutrition and African cooking traditions.

Before turning to her culinary career, Sabina spent two decades in the IT industry, specializing in database administration. She worked with Fortune 500 companies such as Coca-Cola, ManTech, and Leidos, first as an instructor teaching database systems and later as an Oracle and PostgreSQL database administrator. Sabina holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Kean University in New Jersey and earned multiple professional certifications in database management. Her background in education and technology informs her structured approach to teaching cooking and nutrition, blending precision with creativity.

In 2018, Sabina followed her lifelong passion for food, earning accreditation in food, health, and nutrition in Nashville, Tennessee, and publishing her first cookbook, The Motherland Cookbook: Easy, Tasty, But Not Fast. Today, she balances her roles as a restaurateur, cookbook author, and adjunct instructor at Frederick/Hagerstown Community Colleges, inspiring others to embrace healthy, plant-based cooking while celebrating African culinary traditions. Her work focuses on empowering communities to make informed, nutritious choices and to explore the rich flavors and stories behind every dish she creates.

• Oracle Certified Professional, OCP
• EDB CERTIFIED ASSOCIATE - POSTGRESQL 9.6

• Kean University - BSc

• Our Lady of Lourdes Ex-Students Association

Q

What do you attribute your success to?

I attribute my success to my determination and goal-oriented mindset. I thrive on challenges and consistently strive to be my best self in everything I do.

Q

What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?

The best career advice I’ve ever received is that it’s okay to make mistakes—as long as you learn from them and keep moving forward. I’ve also learned to know my worth and strive to make a positive difference every day.

Q

What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?

My advice to young women entering my industry is to voice your opinion—because it matters—stand tall and proud, and always give your best work.

Q

What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?

The biggest challenge in my field right now is the financial strain on restaurants. These are difficult times—I own two restaurants with five employees, and managing expenses like rent and utilities can be overwhelming. Seasonal factors, like colder weather, also impact customer traffic, making it harder to maintain steady revenue. Over the past five years, I’ve invested in a variety of marketing strategies, including a radio program, blogging, and sharing content on LinkedIn, but the return on these investments has been limited. Like many in the industry, we’re relying on people coming out to dine, which has become increasingly challenging. This is a struggle that affects restaurants across the country, as many are seeking ways to navigate these tough economic conditions.

Q

What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?

My faith is central to everything I do. As a Christian, I pray regularly and believe that God knows our hearts and equips us to handle the challenges we face. My passion for food drives me to continuously educate myself so I can share knowledge that benefits others. I write about food on LinkedIn to help people make informed choices that improve their health. Beyond financial survival, my focus is on empowering people to take control of their well-being—for example, helping them understand that conditions like diabetes can be managed and, in some cases, reversed through lifestyle and nutrition. For me, work isn’t just about cooking; it’s about educating and inspiring others to live healthier lives.

Locations

Motherland Kitchen

7800 Biggs Ford Road, Frederick, MD 21701