Sharon Richardson is the founder and C.E.O of Just Soul Catering, which she established in 2015. Friends call her fearless, loving and inspirational; family call her a giver to many.  As a formerly incarcerated individual, who served 20 years in a correctional facility for a Domestic Violence related case, Sharon learned to appreciate what food can do to the hearts and souls of incarcerated people. So why not feed New Yorkers, the people who love to eat, in a city that never sleeps.

There you have it! We are lovers of people and lovers of food! This is how Just Soul was born.

Sharon and Just Soul Catering have been featured in:

Sharon completed four units of Clinical Pastoral Education in accordance with the standards of the College of Pastoral Supervision & Psychotherapy. She also obtained her Associate Degree in Social Sciences and her Bachelor’s of Arts Degree in Sociology. Upon returning to her community, Sharon birthed Just Soul Catering and gained momentum after winning two Business Pitch competitions with Defy Ventures, all while managing the exploding growth of the business. Sharon is not just passionate about the work she does but is also intentional about sharing her story as a survivor and living by the mantra, “if I can do it so can you.” While taking care of others and creating brave spaces for women to design revolutionary approaches to self-care, transformation, and community accountability, she serves as a mentor and role model. Presently, Sharon runs her social justice enterprises; keeping at the core a belief that standing in the seat of justice also means caring for those most marginalized and affirming that they matter.

Sharon has received a Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise Certification and was also awarded a grant from the New York City Department of Correction to conduct a 12-week entrepreneurship program for incarcerated young people interested in starting their own businesses. Most recently, Just Soul Catering was a winner of a $30,000 award through the 2018 Squarespace and New York Knicks sponsored “Make it Awards”. Always using her personal history to inform her professional work; her inspirational narrative and compelling style has also made her an effective speaker and educator. Sharon has presented on issues of domestic violence at Columbia Law School, Criminal Justice Action Network, CUNY Law School Workshops on Domestic Violence, and Public Trainings on the ground breaking Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act with the Correctional Association of NY. She also participated at a public screening of 'Crime after Crime', a documentary dedicated to the life of a fellow survivor-defendant and was even a panelist at Sakhi conference on Domestic violence. Sharon was honored to be a guest on media outreach efforts like WBAI’s Talkback with Hugh Hamilton 99.5FM. Sharon was profiled in Cherry Bombe magazine and delivered a TED Talk for their 2018 Cherry Bombe Jubilee. 

Bringing awareness and activism to the main stream, Sharon has been featured on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” and Defy Ventures panel with Actor/Activist Michael K. Williams discussing reentry, mass incarceration, entrepreneurship after incarceration, and liberation. In 2021, Sharon was a finalist for the prestigious David Prize, which celebrates New Yorkers with visionary ideas for the good of community.

- PLI profile