Restaurant Week Features: JJ Mama’s seasoned with tough love and sweet soul
Davidson Local will feature local restaurants during Eat. Drink. Restaurant! Week. Our team will share their stories that highlight our dedicated restaurant workers. This week, we pay homage to staff and owners who work long hours to support and serve our culinary cravings.
Seasoned with a sweet soul and spicy goodness, Maryland native Chef Tyleata Jones moved to Lexington five years ago by way of an Atlanta flavor that will bend your ear. Jones says it’s important to be patient with local restaurant workers. After COVID her staff of 17 is now four workers at JJ's Mama's Soulfood & More LLc | Lexington NC | Facebook at 601 W 5th Ave, Lexington, NC 27292. The small but mighty crew is referred to as Q., Kristie, Dontressa Duncan and Spencer.
Left to right Kristie, Tyleta and Q
“I never thought I would own my own restaurant,” Jones confessed. “I was serving food from my kitchen before I found out that wasn’t legal and had to do the right thing for my son.”
It was all a dream for Chef Jones, who found herself working from her kitchen to support her home and one-year-old son. Her first job was at Wendy’s, then she moved to selling soul food plates from her kitchen. People loved her style, consistency and price points. “I learned that I couldn’t do that anymore, so I worked two jobs. I have three degrees.”
Contributed Photo
Jones currently holds degrees in criminal justice, culinary arts and music. She describes work that still didn’t come. The savvy entrepreneur spent more than 10 years working on the music scene in Atlanta, including a stint as a Missy Elliott impersonator before moving to Lexington.
She shared, “I didn’t choose Lexington; God chose Lexington,” For Jones, restaurant work wasn’t easy to find five years ago. She decided to establish JJ Mama’s, which mirrors that of grandmothers, mothers and a tradition that some say can’t be measured by a cookbook. “It’s a trip down memory lane.” The look and the feel of her restaurant is built around a mother’s or grandmother's living room. It represents love. She will “tell you like it is” but wants people to “feel at home…That is what I think of in my grandmother’s representation of love. She came from a tradition where tough and love were united. She offered free lunch bags through Soulfool Foundations quickly noting that it was an offering for those who were truly in need. After a few times, they could be asked to ‘sweep the parking lot or something to give back.’”
Jones is proudly a sojourner. With a taste for improving life for others.
Vote Here!
