Caterer Finds Permanent Home at Sherman Phoenix
Just4U set to open full time in April, offering comfort foods and vegan items.
Site of Sherman Phoenix Marketplace, 3536 W. Fond du Lac Ave. Photo taken Sept. 11, 2023 by Sophie Bolich.
When LaTanya Perine brought her catering company, Just4U, to Sherman Phoenix Marketplace, it was intended to be a one-day gig. But one day turned into two, then three, and soon her unofficial residency stretched across several months.
Now, she’s making it permanent, with plans to open full-time within the business hub at 3536 W. Fond du Lac Ave. The new restaurant, set to open next month, will specialize in comfort foods, including a variety of vegan offerings.
A passionate home cook, Perine learned the craft from her grandmother.
“She cooked, every day, at least a five- to seven-course meal for the family,” Perine said. “When I was younger, while living with my grandparents, I learned how to cook — I learned the love language that was cooking.”
Perine started making cakes and desserts for family members in 2011, eventually expanding into selling dinners. At the time, it was a side project, as she also worked full-time as a store manager.
Though Perine inherited culinary skills from her grandmother, it was her mother who had the greatest influence on the catering business. After receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis in 2018, Perine’s mother told her to keep cooking.
“After she passed — about a year after — my spirit was telling me to just do it. I didn’t even really understand what that meant, but I jumped off on faith and started doing more dinners and selling my desserts,” Perine said.
From there, she took on her first wedding and never looked back. “Here I am two years later, working for myself and not only selling desserts and dinners, but also catering.”
Perine’s offerings are comfort-focused, including dishes like her signature Smack’n Salmon and Smack’n Chicken. She also serves vegetarian and vegan items such as mushroom and black bean burgers, spaghetti squash with vegetables and homemade sauce, fried cauliflower, fried oyster mushrooms and more.
With plans to open by the end of April, Perine said she’s looking forward to continuing to build relationships with fellow entrepreneurs at Sherman Phoenix. “They’ve become like my family.”
She’s also eager to connect with customers, foster community and carry out lessons from both her mother and grandmother. “I love cooking, and I love sharing the love that I put in my food.”
Once open, the proposed hours of operation for Just4U Catering are Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. A license application for the business is pending before the Milwaukee Common Council.
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