Kelly Rowland Revives the ‘Delicious’ Houston Restaurant She Visited with Destiny’s Child (Exclusive)

The Grammy winner discusses her collaboration with Pepsi to promote local restaurants and cracks jokes about the slightly NSFW moniker of her ideal brunch spot in an interview with PEOPLE.

Home is where the sustenance is for Kelly Rowland.

Enjoying meals at Houston This Is It Soul Food, where she felt like a family member, is one of the Grammy winner’s most cherished memories of her childhood in Texas. She is currently collaborating with Pepsi to emphasize the location as part of the beverage brand’s new Local Eats Better with Pepsi initiative.

“This Is It has so many memories in my heart that I share with my oldest son to this day,” Rowland, 43, tells PEOPLE. “Mr. Craig [Joseph], the proprietor, would frequently inquire about the needs of all individuals.” It was the intimate experience that you acquired. It was the fact that this Black business proprietor had this establishment that made people feel so loved, so seen, and, of course, fed them beautifully.

The majority of the “Dilemma” singer’s meals at This Is It were consumed in the company of her late mother, Doris, as well as members of Destiny’s Child Michelle Williams and Beyoncé, as well as Tina Knowles and Matthew Knowles, following their attendance at church together. But despite the fact that all of the members of the “Say My Name” female group were housed together at the restaurant, they seldom utilized the space to engage in professional conversations.

Rowland recollects, “It was more about the camaraderie than anything else.” “We were coming from church, so we were talking about so many different things under the sun, but it was usually about what we heard at church and just silly things and being kids because we were kids at that time.”

The Mea Culpa star is participating in the Local Eats Better with Pepsi program and is encouraging others to savor one of her preferred This Is It meals: peppered sirloin with rice and gravy, green beans, peach cobbler, and a fountain Pepsi. From August 27 to September 4, it is being sold at the eatery’s two Houston locations for $15.

“Everything in This Is It is absolutely delicious, but this particular meal, the green beans remind me of my mother, the peppered steak with rice and gravy just is warm and full of love, and the peach cobbler is an out-of-body experience,” according to Rowland. “You chase it all down with a really cold Pepsi, and it’s just incredible.”

Furthermore, the Pepsi campaign is inviting individuals from all over the United States to nominate their preferred local restaurant on PepsiLocalEats.com until October 31. The winner will receive a personalized advertisement and a signature dish that has been renamed in their honor, which they will be able to order for free for a limited time.

Rowland recently filmed her own commercial at This Is It for the campaign, and the experience brought back fond memories. “When I re-tasted that peach cobbler, I was literally transported.” It has been several years since I last owned it. She states, “My eyes rolled in the back of my head.”

The chart-topping musician, actress, and mother of two has expanded her career to include other aspects of the entertainment industry, such as writing books and judging reality singing competition programs, approximately three decades into her career. Will she ever establish her own restaurant?

Rowland, with a snicker, admits, “I entertained the notion of establishing a breakfast restaurant; however, I promptly abandoned the idea after informing my acquaintances of the proposed name, ‘Morning Wood.'”

“I was going to literally design the whole place in this beautiful wood, and it was going to be gorgeous,” according to her. “They were like, ‘Kelly, no.'” I said, “I’m just pointing out that you have the ability to create really cute, sexy puns, such as ‘bottomless mimosas’ and similar phrases.” They were apprehensive, saying, “Please refrain from executing this action.”

Although Morning Wood may not be imminent, Rowland holds a high regard for all individuals involved in the restaurant industry. “I am in awe of my friends who own restaurants.” She further explains, “It is a significant amount of work, but it also requires a great deal of passion.” “It sounds like a wonderful business.”