As a young girl growing up in Spalding Jamaica, Veron Banks said her family didn’t have much.
“But we had each other, and that was enough,” she said.
Banks said she and her brother lived with her single-parent gather in a two-room house in a rural area on the outskirts of town. Despite her humble beginnings, Banks said she knew she was destined for greatness.
When she was young, she split her time running track and cooking.
“I remember being young, around 10 or so, and all the kids in the area would get together and race, and I was able to beat not only the girls but the boys as well,” Banks said. “If I were not outside running, I would be in the kitchen watching my father cook. He would try and run me off and say, ‘Go play,’ but I would just sit and watch.”
In 1994, Banks was offered a track scholarship to Meridian Junior College in Mississippi, before attending Tiffin University in Ohio, based on being able to run 2:12 in the 800-meters.
“It was such a blessing to get the opportunity to run on a college team, and I made the most of it,” she said. “I was blowing the other girls out my first few weeks on campus.
“I was used to running in the worst conditions, with little to no real equipment. Most of the time I raced barefoot on dirt tracks.”
Banks excelled on the track, and in the classroom where she focused on liberal studies.
“I was a great student, kept great grades through school and ran on the track team where I eventually found the love of my life, Corey Banks,” she said. “We fell in love and got married after graduation and moved around until 2013, when Corey got a job offer in Beaumont and we have been here ever since.”
After settling down and raising two children, Banks said it was time to pursue her true passion.
“I knew I wanted to cook, and I was not going to let anything stop me,” she said. “So, we saved and bought a truck in the summer of 2022 and renovated it into ‘V’s Kitchen, Jamaican Style.’”
“It was a lot of work and sacrifice, but in the end, I could not ask for anything better. I am truly blessed.”