Jolhea Muhammad-Payton made a vow when she was 15 to learn a new skill, get a certificate, or earn a new type of licensing.

At 35, she has amassed an impressive list:

International hairstylist, phlebotomy, X-ray technician, medical assistant, medical billing and coding, certified nursing assistant, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, class-A truck driver, travel agent, airline ramp agent and trained in hand-to-hand combat. She recently started training toward her commercial pilot’s license.

But the one constant throughout her explorations has been her passion for food.

“Hair and food were always something I could fall back on. Cooking food has always saved my life,” said the single mother of three, ages 16, 2 and 1. “I loved to cook for family and friends. I always dreamed of having a restaurant.”

Colorado Springs’ iconic Michelle Chocolatiers & Ice Cream building getting a rebirth

She found her inspiration watching her mom cook, which she says is her youngest memory.

“She was meticulous about how she cut everything,” said Muhammad-Payton, “taking her time to be perfect and add every single ingredient with love.”

The oldest of three children, she grew up in Guam, Philippines and Hawaii. Her dad was a Navy SEAL and now an entrepreneur. Her Filipino mom is a homemaker and runs their family’s businesses. After graduating high school, Muhammad-Payton started pre-med studies at a community college. At 19, she married her high school sweetheart, an Army soldier, and moved to Colorado Springs. She continued her college education, had her son, and did hair on the side.

When they divorced, she moved back to the Philippines to be near family and relocated to Guam shortly after so she could work and to help her mom, who was ill.

Colorado Springs celebrates the arrival of Palisade’s peaches

In 2015, she married an airman who she had met in Guam and moved back to Colorado Springs for a communications opportunity.

Muhammad-Payton continued accumulating skills in the Springs, but also began to focus on her culinary specialty of making traditional Filipino, Asian and island-fusion foods. She also prepared foods of other cultures and styles.

She has a knack for turning dishes into comfort food. She is particularly known for her lumpia, which she says are perfectly fried, light crispy spring rolls.”

In February, she took a chance on herself and incorporated Lumpia Lheas — The Island Cuisine Queens, a catering, event and personal-chef experience business.

“Lumpia Lheas was built with love, with the intent to not only share food from my culture and many others I grew up in, but to give an experience that in turn creates memories between family, friends, and even strangers,” she wrote in a Facebook post.

She was invited to be a competitor in The Rocky Mountain Health Care Services Chef’s Showcase, held at The Antlers hotel in May. She won the top prize: a gold medal for her island barbecue chicken, steamed white rice and lumpia with sweet chile dipping sauce.

“It was the first time I had ever competed in a cooking contest of this caliber,” she said.

“I had no idea what to expect. I didn’t realize there would be all the best chefs in Colorado Springs competing. They told me to prepare 500 servings. I was so nervous that I brought 1,000 servings. I didn’t want to run out or make any mistakes.”

Colorado Springs restaurant gets new head chef

There was a nonstop line at her table that night. And when they announced her name as the winner, she was so taken aback, she broke down in tears.

“This was confirmation that I made the right decision, after everything we’ve been through and all the hard work and sacrifices, my dedication and determination to perfect my craft was finally paying off,” she said.

After that, the calls started coming in for catering events twice as fast as before. She was getting regular gigs. But just two months later, she injured her back while getting supplies for a catering job and ended up in the hospital with three herniated discs, torn muscles and nerve damage.

She stayed at a rehabilitation hospital for two weeks following a weeklong stay at UCHealth Memorial Hospital North — learning how to manage her life in a walker and wheelchair to rebuild her mobility.

Her recovery might take six to eight months, but with her discipline and determination she says she is going to come out ahead.

“I always have my biggest growth in the darkest of my times,” said Muhammad-Payton.

“I turn pain into profit,” she said. “God provides, and I always figure it out how to make things happen. I’m lucky that my family lives here and helps me with my babies. I owe so much to my mom, Bethlea, the other Island Queen in Lumpia Lheas. I love her more than words could ever explain. She sacrificed so much help me make my dreams and goals a reality.”

She thanked her Facebook followers for their words of encouragement: “I am forever thankful for all the support from the community and can’t wait to return better than ever.”

Her goal when she is able to return to working: owning her own food trailer.

“We will accomplish this goal even with this setback,” she declared.

You can follow her at facebook.com/LumpiaLheas.

Contact the writer: 636-0271.