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SANFORD, Fla. – Shantell Williams rides a big, red Harley, often with a puppet version of herself occupying the back seat of her bike.
She’s got a big personality and big smile to match that big bike.
Williams also has a diverse resume.
She’s a chef, a business owner, a mother of ten and holds a Harley Davidson world record for visiting all 48 contiguous U.S. states in only 27 days.
Williams is the chef and owner of Shantell’s Café in Sanford. She bills her cuisine as healthy, comfort food.
The idea was born out of necessity: one of Williams’ daughters is diabetic.
A doctor advised her to change how she prepares her meals to help regulate her daughter’s blood sugar. That put Williams down a path of exploration.
[WATCH BELOW: Williams’ serves up some soul on News 6 at Nine]
She started growing her own herbs and spices.
That led to an attempt at selling her own seasoning, but the food she cooked to draw attention to the seasonings ended up taking over the business, eventually leading her to open Shantell’s Café.
Williams sees Shantell’s Café as more than just a restaurant.
It’s a gathering place, a social hall and entertainment venue all rolled into one. She hosts comedy nights, music nights and “Biker Brunches.”
Her biker friends know her by the handle “Hen.”
She was inspired to jump on a motorcycle by another woman of color, Bessie Stringfield.
Stringfield was known as the “Motorcycle Queen of Miami.” Much like Williams, Stringfield wore a lot of hats.
She was a nurse practitioner, a motorcycle courier for the Army, the founder of the “Iron Horse Motorcycle Club” and would also perform stunts on her motorcycle for crowds.
Williams wanted to see Stringfield get more recognition.
So, she asked Harley how to get the “Motorcycle Queen” inducted into the Harley-Davidson Museum.
The response was for her to collect 1.7 million signatures, according to Williams.
Shortly thereafter, she hit the road on her bike. She had only been riding a few months after a crash on an early ride sidelined her with several broken bones.
Five days into her journey, she wanted to call it quits but was inspired to keep going by Stringfield, who had completed 8 solo trips across the U.S. during the 1940’s.
While on the road, Williams, again, called Harley to tell them she was traveling solo across the U.S. to raise awareness about Stringfield. The company agreed to meet with her and hear Stringfield’s story.
After completing her record-setting ride, hitting all 48 states in less than a month, Williams saw Stringfield inducted into the Harley-Davidson-Museum on September 15, 2016.
[PODCAST EPISODE: Florida Foodie-- Shantell’s Cafe inspired by daughter’s diagnoses]
Williams serves up her brand of healthy soul and comfort food seven days a week at Shantell’s Café.
She likes to give customers big hugs and watch guests share meals and conversation. If you come on the right night, you might even find her singing with a jazz ensemble.
On top of it all, she’s also pretty good at beatboxing.
Williams is a woman with a lot of layers and a lot of love for her family, her customers, her Harley and her community.