“The food that we have is food that I grew up with,” Rucker said. “Soul food for the soul.”
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
Finding her peace in the kitchen
Rucker’s parents, Luther and Minnie, met at the Goody Goody, a restaurant on Salem Avenue in the 1950s. Luther was a chef and Minnie was a pastry chef.
“I guess you could say it’s instilled in me,” Rucker said. “I’ve been in the kitchen all of my life. If I wasn’t in there helping my mom, I was helping my dad.”
She started her own catering business in 2014, but over the years she’s worked as a kitchen supervisor at places such as the Dayton Correctional Institution and the University of Dayton.
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
“I just knew I loved being in the kitchen,” Rucker said. “That’s where I find my peace. That’s where I’m at my most comfortable.”
After her mother died in 2019, there was an opportunity for her to open a café inside the Dayton Metro Northwest Branch Library at 2410 Philadelphia Drive.
When the global COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, “the traffic was never the same, so I ended up shutting it down,” Rucker said.
She has been the director of food services at Richard Allen Schools since 2021.
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
Food with a ‘nostalgic southern feel’
The opportunity to open her own restaurant came about when a family member purchased the property several years ago and redid it with the help of White’s Plumbing Company.
“The rest will be history,” Rucker said.
Customers can expect a rotating menu of made-from-scratch food with staples such as chicken and dressing, turkey ribs, macaroni and cheese, candied yams, mixed greens with smoked turkey, collard greens, cornbread and more.
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
“It is the kind of food that when you eat it, you really feel good,” Rucker said.
“I would say it’s a nostalgic southern feel,” Manson added.
They’re expecting to have a lot more chicken and turkey products on the menu.
“I don’t do a lot of pork because a lot of people are shying away from pork, but I will do pork if I have customer supply and demand,” Rucker said. “If that’s what they want, that’s what I’ll give them.”
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
In addition to entrees and sides, Tricia’s Delicious Catering will offer pastries such as cupcakes. Flavors will rotate.
Family operated
Tricia’s Delicious Catering officially opened its doors on July 16. The restaurant is family ran with Rucker’s daughter, Diamond, and her sister, Denise White, helping out.
Manson, a longtime basketball official for the state of Ohio and owner of a property maintenance company, said he has always been in the food industry, but not on purpose.
He has often followed in Rucker’s footsteps — working at some of the same places.
“I have a love for food just because it’s instilled in me from my grandparents,” Manson said. “Just like she was in the kitchen, I was in the kitchen with her parents.”
“The house was full of love,” Rucker said. “There was never a time that anybody ever came to my parents’ house when they weren’t offered something to eat.”
Manson said he’s grateful for the opportunity to work with his mom.
“It’s a opportunity that a lot of people don’t get to do,” Manson said. “I appreciate it. I embrace it. This is something that we’ve been doing honestly for a long time.”
MORE DETAILS
Tricia’ Delicious Catering is open noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. They have plans to open on select Sundays with dinners such as chicken and dressing and pot roast with potatoes and carrots.
To place an order, call 937-276-4781. Third-party delivery is coming soon.
“I am excited about being able to reach more people than I have ever reached before,” Rucker said. “More people can have their taste buds tickled by my food.”
About the Author
