For sisters Dana King Railey and Connie King Reddington, food was a way of life long before it became a way to make a living. “That’s what we did when our family got together—it was cooking, it was food. Everything was centered around the table,” Railey said. Originally from Louisiana, the sisters relocated to the Spring area more than 20 years ago from Houston’s Inner Loop. Both formerly in real estate, the duo said they had a hard time finding Southern cooking while working in the area and found themselves leaving Spring to eat. The sisters opened Kings Blu Jam Cafe on July 27 of last year. The Southern-style kitchen offers Cajun-inspired breakfast, brunch and lunch options ranging from chicken and waffles and huevos rancheros to shrimp and grits and Creole po’boys. The restaurant prides itself on using locally sourced meat, produce, seafood and even coffee, Railey said. “We go local when we can go local because we are local,” Reddington said. “It’s a little piece of Louisiana in the Spring area.” The sisters offer daily lunch specials during the week and regularly add new items to the menu. “We didn’t go with a franchise because we’d be limited on what we could serve and we’d have to use their recipes,” Reddington said. “So we thought we’d give it a shot with our own recipes.” The restaurant features an outdoor patio and offers catering services. Patrons can also bring their own alcohol to make mimosas on-site. Boasting a kitchen with made-from-scratch dishes, the sisters even make their own jam and are working to obtain a manufacturing license so they can eventually sell it by the jar. “We’re fresh, local and everything’s homemade with love,” Railey said. “It’s a passion.” Kings Blu Jam Cafe 4711 Louetta Road, Spring 713-389-5555 www.kingsblujam.com Hours: Tue.-Fri. 7 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Sat.-Sun. 7 a.m.-3 p.m., closed Mon.