For the Rev. J. Henry Buck Jr. of Grace Baptist Church of Germantown, creating his eatery, Southern Flames BBQ, was a way of giving those who have persevered through hardship “the taste of a second chance.”
Founded in 2018, Southern Flames BBQ is a barbecue eatery that specializes in recipes passed down through Buck’s family and centered on the ideas of comfort and community.
Of particular importance to Buck is the business’ practice of hiring citizens recently returned from incarceration in order to help them readjust and find ways to heal as they move forward with their lives.
“We hear a lot about the violence. We hear a lot of that. We see a lot of that. But we believe that the more that people hear about our story, the more opportunities that we’re able to present our food, we can share with others, and let them know that there is the opportunity for the taste of a second chance.”
According to Buck, the inspiration for Southern Flames BBQ was his college dissertation, which he views as crucial research that eventually led to the formation of his business venture.
“Southern Flames BBQ came into fruition as a research project for myself. The title of my dissertation is ‘The Reduction of Recidivism of African Americans through a Community Based Program’. (So) my dissertation was the research, and also it was the idea of looking at what could be done here in the city of Philadelphia to address violence, to address economic opportunities for returning citizens, for troubled teens, and for disabled veterans. So my wife and I, our original idea started out as looking at doing a barber shop. (One where) we would take those people who are transitioning out of the institution, young persons who need to learn a skill or a trade, and we would look to train them.”
Buck said that after some initial trials, the barbershop iteration ended up not working out for him, but the concept continued to weigh on his mind. It was in 2018 at a family barbecue that Buck’s children first brought up the idea of shifting his business concept into a barbecue restaurant.
Following a trial run at his home, Buck said he gained the confidence needed to pursue the venture and he opened the first outpost of Southern Flames BBQ in his front yard where he would hire neighborhood kids who needed a break to help staff his home-cooked eatery.
In time, the business grew in popularity and Buck said word-of-mouth eventually reached the point that he was invited to open a physical location at a Chestnut Hill space that continues to house his restaurant to this day.
With his business now firmly planted in the community and focused on growth, Buck says his vision for the restaurant is one that involves outreach to the most vulnerable populations in the city.
“My vision for the restaurant is first and foremost, as I say, to employ what is considered to be three of the most vulnerable populations here in the city of Philadelphia that’s once again troubled teens, disabled vets, and returning citizens. That’s one of the first things. The second thing is to be able to provide quality barbecue for our community.”
“But the larger goal is to create a product where we can franchise here, not only in the area with the story of taking some of these stores nationwide, but also taking those persons who need an opportunity for a taste of a second chance, which is what we consider a redemption story. And so if you have a person who has had I call it, they have been street pharmacists, have been drug dealers, or whatever the case may be, here’s a great opportunity to buy into a franchise where you don’t have to sell drugs, but you can make the kind of money you can provide a quality life for family. You can do all of these things by owning your own business the right way.”
In order to make this vision a reality, Buck said he has been having conversations with the local jails to create a incarceration-to-employment pipeline for people recently released from jail.
“We’re seeking to work with them if they have some people that are being released. We put together a curriculum of teaching. It’s a 12-week curriculum to teach returning citizens or persons about barbecue, the comfort food, the equipment that we use. So we’ve created this kind of academy classroom education console behind it with the curriculum. But the idea is to bring this to life and create this in a space where, once again, there are opportunities for persons to invest, but also being able to create or participate in a franchise that’s African-American-owned first and foremost, but to also contribute back to our communities as we see persons who are in need of a second chance.”
Read the complete article at: Philly Trib
