Charles Stepp is passionate about cooking.

“It's just something I love,” said Stepp. “It’s not a job. It's something I love.”

He’s using that passion to open his own restaurant called Yvonne's House of Soul Food, in honor of his late mother who died from cancer.

"It was always my mother's dream,” said Stepp. “We never had the money, so now I'm fortunate to have something, so I want to give something back."

Still a work in progress, Stepp's restaurant is located on East 20th Street, where he hopes to provide the area with traditional southern cuisine.

But attempting to open during a pandemic, has proved to be a difficult task.

Stepp has struggled with obtaining financial assistance.

“You would think I'm trying to open my own restaurant, and be my own entrepreneur,” said Stepp. “You think they would give me funds. No one."

So Stepp is hosting a fundraiser at Rodger Young Park on Saturday, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

He hopes to raise $10,000 to help put the finishing touches on his restaurant.

Despite the setback, Stepp hopes to open the restaurant on September 22, which is the anniversary of his mother’s death.