INDIANAPOLIS — The family behind a near northside business is watching its dreams come true — Friday night, Pa & Ma’s Backyard BBQ will be featured on the Food Network.
At the corner of 26th St. and MLK, you can smell Pa & Ma’s before you see it.
”We like that hickory smoke,” said Kenny Majors, the man on the grill. “Then we got our own little seasonings we mix together.”
The restaurant has long been a labor of love for George and Monica Nelson. Their daughter, Brockelle, has always had a front row seat.
”This is really what he worked so hard for,” said Brockelle.
Any given day you’ll find a plethora of food to eat at Pa and Ma’s — catfish, ribs, rib tips, sweet potatoes, green beans, chicken and dumplings, fried corn and more. Longtime customers know the great taste, but soon, the rest of the world will, too.
”To see both of them kind of step into their glory is going to be exciting,” Brockelle said.
In February, George and Monica’s good food and better customer care caught the eye of the Food Network and Diners, Drive Ins and Dives.
”I called them every day and they were like we’re so tired because they tried to make sure everything was spick and span, everything was perfect,” Brockelle said.
Brockelle said Triple D, as the show is called, had long been one of George’s favorites. She even said he would study it, to see what kind of restaurants were featured on the show and what kind of food was getting great reviews. When it came time for his moment in the spotlight, Brockelle said he knew what food he would feature.
”Chicken and dumplings, fried chicken and fried corn and he was like, ‘These are things that I have made, I’ve perfected these recipes for years upon years,'” said Brockelle.
During the week of the NBA All Star Game, the man himself, Guy Fieri, came by Pa & Ma’s Backyard BBQ to film an episode of his hit show.
”It was fulfilling,” Brockelle said. “It was rewarding. And he was like, all of this hard work I’m doing is just paying off.”
After months of anticipation, their episode of Diners, Drive Ins and Dives is finally set to air, but Big George won’t be here to see it.
In August, George was shot and killed outside of his restaurant over an unfinished job and money.
”Sometimes I look at myself and think, ‘Why aren’t you somewhere in the corner losing your mind? You lost your dad,'” Brockelle said.
In the weeks since, the Nelson family and the staff at Pa and Ma’s Backyard BBQ have pulled together to keep what Big George worked so hard for alive.
”I want people to know the taste is not going to go away,” Brockelle said. “The quality is not going to go away, and the affordability is not going to go away.”
Kenny Majors now runs the grill in the literal backyard of Pa & Ma’s Backyard BBQ.
”I got the grill going,” Kenny said. “I got his recipes, his seasonings for his food. He taught it to me, so I’ve got to keep it going.”
Kenny said it’s an honor George entrusted him with this, even if he didn’t expect to be here with him.
“We got ribs, brisket, chicken,” Kenny said. “Then on the inside we got all of our fried food. Fish, pork chops, meat loafs, cabbage, green beans, sweet potatoes. All fresh, no cans.”
As they learn to live without the patriarch of this BBQ haven – they’re excited to see him once again in their episode of Diners, Drive Ins and Dives.
”It was fun shooting it, but just to see him again and how we were, it’s the best thing,” Kenny said.
Brockelle said the Food Network team reached out to express their condolences for George’s death. The Nelson family hasn’t seen a preview of the episode so they’ll be watching along Friday with the rest of the world.
”To hear his voice, to see that whole dynamic, that is really going to be a bittersweet moment,” Brockelle said.
You can watch Pa & Ma’s Backyard BBQ on the Food Network at 9 p.m. ET this Friday.
