Lena Mae Peters was born April 15, 1935 in Wharton Texas. She spent most of her childhood days growing up in and around the Houston, Texas area. At the age of 16, she migrated to Sacramento, California, where see lived with her aunt and uncles that had already moved there from Texas.

 

Like most young girls from the south during that time, Lena learned at a young age the ways of the kitchen. Lena learned to cook anything, but she particularly learned the style of southern cooking, also known as Soul Food. Lena became an outstanding cook and it would come in handy as she began to start her own family.

 

In 1955, Lena married Fred Henry Andrews and later they moved from Sacramento to the Bay Area. From their union they gave birth to 5 children-Fred Jr, Mario, Cynthia, Angelo, and Calvin. With seven mouths to feed, being able to cook was essential. Each night Lena would have to make massive meals to feed her family.