(224) 407-2188
481 Bluff City Blvd. Elgin, IL 60120
About us
Who is Chef MaKween?
What’s the inspiration behind the name?
Short answer: My parents.
My late father was known as ‘Big Red’ and my mother is ‘Sugar Baby’.
MaKween stems from my Red Sugar Babies who after sampling my signature sauce nominated me as the Queen of Seafood.
If you know me then you know I like to spice things up and make it my own so I incorporated my first name and came up with MaKween Red Sugar.
My Love For Seafood
My southern roots come from my parents. My father is from Kosciusko, Mississippi and my mother’s from Memphis.
Before opening Red Sugar Crabs, I lived in St. Petersburg, FL for 5 years, which is where I was introduced to seafood on a deep level. While living down there, a dear old lady taught me all about seafood, from cleaning the seafood thoroughly to cracking the joint of a snow crab leg to get that sweet succulent piece of meat.
This is where my love for seafood started. I began to create my own seafood boils, exploring a variety of herbs, spices and seasonings to perfect a unique taste and most importantly an irresistible sauce.
I’ve traveled across many borders to taste and find the best seafood recipes to share with you!
The Restaurant
In 2020 we were hit with the covid-19 pandemic which really propelled me to think about how I would survive in the event my job was to shut down. I prayed…and stepped out on faith following the voice that told me to start my seafood business. I was hesitant because I had tried this in the past and things did not go according to plan. It resonated that I was in a different mindset then, I was surrounded by energies that did not allow me to succeed and that now this was my time.
I had a clear mind and was focused on elevating myself and my business.
I got back in the kitchen and went to work on that sauce!
After working out of my home for over 2 years, my business outgrew itself and here I am today operating out of my very first restaurant location.
It’s Red Sugar Baby!!