Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
“I want to bring continuity to this neighborhood,” says Jerome Jenkins, referring to a stretch of South Florissant Avenue in Ferguson where you’ll find Cathy’s Kitchen, the yearling restaurant that Jenkins owns with his wife, the restaurant’s namesake. Here, he plans to run three restaurants, forming a “city walk,” with J&C BBQ and Blues as the anchor.
Murals connected by ribbons of musical notes line the walls. Grandma claps, girls giggle, kids play, and Jerome and Cathy dance in the background. But the focal point of the 125-seat room is a stage, with images of blues musicians as the backdrop. Plans call for karaoke until the early evening and live entertainment afterward, in the spirit of the restaurant’s theme: “Laughter, fun, family, and good food.”
Lump charcoal (not hardwood) will fire the pits, as it does in many of Memphis’ famous BBQ joints. Jenkins builds restaurants that reflect the African-American community and instructs staffers to mix customer service with interaction. “You only have one story in life to tell,” he tells them, “so go ahead and tell it.”
It should be noted that Jenkins’ restaurants aren’t a result of the events in Ferguson: He shook hands on the J&C property two weeks before Michael Brown was killed. 304 S. Florissant, cjenkinscompany.com.
