KeAndre' Jordan

A Southern Creative

"Make your life a masterpiece; imagine no limitations on what you can be, have, or do."

- BRIAN TRACY

Engineering My Way through Life

I’m KeAndre’ Jordan, a southern guy through and through! In fact, I'm extremely proud of my southern roots and from where I come. I’m from a small town in the Black Belt region of Alabama called Eutaw, which is about 30 minutes southwest of Tuscaloosa. Raised mostly by my maternal grandma with added rearing by my aunts, my mom, and my paternal grandparents, I was nurtured into a southern gentleman with Christian values and morals. Growing up in the country, my childhood was average. I was a geek and loved studying maps and researching. I was very passionate and intuitive, which led to successful grade school years; I was the Valedictorian of my high school class and attended college on an academic scholarship. Also, thanks to family, I didn’t want for anything, but I definitely dreamed big and had every plan to move away from my small hometown.

I graduated Summa Cum Laude from Alabama A&M University, the best HBCU in the land, with an engineering degree. Then after, I moved to Houston, the best city in the world besides my hometown, and started my career as an engineer in oil and gas. However, the oil industry had not been the best to me; I'd transitioned from job to job due to the oil downturn. As a result, I'd found myself dealing with a lot of depression and anxiety; my emotional issues initially started to take a toll on my spirit after losing 15 family members within an 8-year time-frame. During my down times, I channeled my feelings into writing, and I began to focus on my passion: FOOD; not only did I focus on one passion, I had discovered another one: HELPING OTHERS. 

Through it all, I've found happy places in my life. One of these happy places include my creating this website/blog, which is meant to be authentic and transparent.

Enjoy.

"God comes to the hungry in the form of food."

- MAHATMA GANDHI

About My SOUTHERN Brand

“How can I reach people through food?” This is the initial question I had asked myself. One can cheaply and literally travel the world via Houston’s bustling food scene. Being that I’m in Houston, a diverse city, I decided to include my dining experiences in a blog; my experiences are all about inexpensive minority-owned restaurants that offer outstanding food and serve large portions.

“How can I connect with the world?” This is another question I had asked myself. Food is comfort for the soul, so why not add positive vibes and messages to the blog, while people search for restaurant reviews? It all made sense. Not only did I want to help others, I wanted to connect with people on a more personal level through other types of conversation that aren't directly related to hardships and pain.

“How do I keep sane when life gets overwhelming?” Besides writing and depending on my spirituality, I enjoy what life has to offer. Yes, my life, like everyone else's, gets out of control at times, but I ensure that I stay active and have fun.

“What does ‘Engineering My Way through Life’ symbolize?” This tagline is literally my life's motto. After experiencing a multitude of deaths and job losses as an engineer, I'd found myself hitting rock bottom and trying to understand what life wanted from me. Emotions ran high and highs turned into lows, but yet, I still somehow managed to conqueror the path ahead of me by making lemonade with the lemons that life had thrown at me along my journey. Engineering itself is challenging, but the result after solving its problems by oneself and with help is grand; this is how I view life. 

“Why name the blog ‘My SOUTHERN Brand?’” As mentioned, I’m very southern. My accent, my way of life, my personality, etc. are very reminiscent of my southern upbringing. Since moving to Houston, everyone knows me by my accent or the fact that I'm from Alabama; everyone calls me “country,” despite their not realizing that Houston is a true southern city. Yet, I remain humble and true to my authentic self; I have to OWN my brand. As a result, choosing My SOUTHERN Brand as the name of this blog was fairly easy.

* "My Story" Professional Photos Courtesy of Young Urban Professionals
* Logo Graphics Courtesy of This Is Myne

Special Thanks to:
* Mark Matthews of The Libations Guild
* Ashley Cockrell of My Living Spree
* Kyle McClue of KJ Presents
* NSBE Houston Professionals