Meet Chef Danni
Dannika Stevenson is a proud Akron native and the CEO & Owner of SIPSAVORSOUL, LLC.
Her culinary journey began at the age of four, cooking and baking alongside her great-grandmother, Pearl. Over the past 30 years, Dannika has held a variety of roles in the culinary industry, including prep cook, beverage and banquet server, chef assistant, culinary instructor, and most recently, public speaker. She is highly regarded in the community as a culinary professional with a strong background in culinary arts, nutrition education, and public health.
Dannika has led more than a thousand cooking classes and demonstrations, and she maintains longstanding partnerships with organizations such as South Street Ministries, The Vincent House, Let’s Grow Akron, Community Health Center, Summa Health, Summit County WIC/Health Department, Wingfoot Church, and the LeBron James Family Foundation, among others. Her culinary talents have been showcased on New Day Cleveland (Fox 8), and her recipes have been featured in Taste of Home, Akron Life Magazine, Voyage Ohio, Canvas Rebel, Hope Magazine, Aurora Magazine, and the Akron Beacon Journal.
In April 2023, she won the 330 Flavor Showdown Chopped Competition, and in November 2023, she received the Golden Fork Award from the Akron Urban League in recognition of her entrepreneurial success. Today, Dannika teaches several after-school cooking programs for children and facilitates healthy cooking classes for individuals and families. Her mission is to combat food insecurity and hunger while promoting health and wellness across diverse communities. She is currently working on a children’s story-based cookbook set to be released soon.
Dannika is a member of Eta Delta Sigma Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., and a graduate of numerous leadership programs, including Leadership Akron’s Diversity on Board Class 3 and Signature Class 41, the Mayor’s Citizens Institute, the Neighborhood Leadership Institute of Summit County, MORTAR, the Akron Community Foundation’s Institute for Emerging Philanthropists, and Love Akron’s JEDI Program.
In addition to her professional and community commitments, Dannika has been a licensed foster parent for over nine years. She finds joy in caring for children, spending time with her beloved chihuahua Monte, traveling internationally, discovering new restaurants, and enjoying classic game shows.
SIPSAVORSOUL Celebrates 11 Years!
Can you believe it, SIPSAVORSOUL celebrates 11 years in business, a milestone that I'm proud of.
In April 2014, SIPSAVORSOUL began as a wine and food pairing business, inspired by my passion for both cooking and sharing the art of wine appreciation. I was fortunate to successfully offer classes to both wine enthusiasts and beginners. In my primary work as a community health worker, I frequently conducted home visits where I encountered clients struggling with limited access to fresh fruits and vegetables or facing food insecurity. These experiences deeply moved me, and outside of my professional duties, I began helping clients assess what food they already had at home. Using my own resources, I would assist with grocery shopping and teach them how to prepare healthier meals.
This work sparked a deeper passion in me to help individuals cook and eat well, especially in underserved communities. By 2016, SIPSAVORSOUL evolved to focus on nutrition education and hands-on cooking support for individuals and families. Since then, we’ve conducted over 1,000 cooking classes for adults, children, and families, making a lasting impact on how our community approaches food. We are proud of the role we’ve played in fostering a healthier food culture and are excited about the future direction of SIPSAVORSOUL as we continue our mission to support health and wellness in the communities we serve.
Our Logo Journey
April 2014
February 2020
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December 2022
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