PA AND MA’S Backyard BBQ opened three decades ago when founder George Nelson started cooking family recipes in the backyard of his home. In 2024, Nelson moved his restaurant from a rented College Avenue location to a larger Martin Luther King Jr. Street space; a visit from Guy Fieri for an episode of Food Network series Diners, Drive-ins and Dives soon followed. But in August, George was fatally shot following a disagreement with a handyman.
The tragedy prompted daughter Brockelle Nelson to return to her hometown. “I moved at 18 to attend Howard University,” she says of the Washington, D.C., HBCU. She stayed in that city for the next 15 years.
Now Brockelle and her mother, Monica, operate the business with the strong support of their trusted staff. “I literally grew up in the restaurant business, where I was responsible for peeling potatoes and cutting corn,” Brockelle says, but just as important to her is finding a way to continue her father’s legacy. George had plans to grow the business that Brockelle and Monica are eager to carry out, and the pair is also committed to continuing his focus on supporting the community.
A big part of that is offering job training and work to people who were previously incarcerated. Many businesses refuse to hire people who have a conviction on their record, “but we still expect them to be contributing members of society,” Brockelle says with a disbelieving laugh. “That doesn’t matter to us. Do you want to do the work? Can you do it? That’s what we want to know.”
Brockelle is still in mourning, but she’s looking resolutely forward. “It’s been hard,” she admits. “But his spirit lives on through me. I am my father’s daughter.” 2621 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St., 317-835-169
