RichmondGRID.com: Mama J’s

More Food Articles

FLOATING RESTAURANT OPENS IN RVA
Along the banks of the James River floats Celebration, a 78-foot-long boat docked near Rocketts Landing. Inside is Flatheads, Richmond's only floating restaurant. Dishing up American cuisine, Flatheads offers views of the RVA skyline, an open-air top floor and bar, and a fire pit on the bow.

EAT GOOD FOOD, DRINK GOOD DRINKS
The mission is simple: Eat food, good food. Drink drinks, good drinks.

THE RISE OF LOCAL BREW: AN INTERVIEW WITH AN "MEKONG" BUI
Nhat Pham, a Richmond-based new media strategist and beer geek, sat down with An Bui, chief beer officer at Mekong, to chat local brew. Mekong recently won national attention as one of the nation's "Greatest American Beer Bars" by Craftbeer.com.

FOOD IS GOOD BUSINESS
Richmonders celebrate their love of food. They share photos of meals, write blogs, attend cultural festivals, are in-the-know about pop-up restaurants, delve into food truck courts, explore the latest hard cider and beer microbreweries, and create events like Richmond Restaurant Week and Broad Appetit.

LOCALLY ROASTED: THE RICHMOND COFFEE SCENE ENJOYS THE INDUSTRY'S THIRD WAVE LOCALLY
"This is my morning, every day," Noelle Archibald says after a cup of espresso the size of a golf ball and a butter croissant is placed before her. "This is why I do this."

URBAN CIDER: MANCHESTER'S NEW BREW
A Richmond cider startup is joining the growing artisan food and beverage movement brewing in Manchester. Courtney Mailey's Blue Bee Cider brews its apple juice and fermented cider in a 4,800-square-foot converted warehouse space next to the Corrugated Box Building and across from the Legend Brewery and features a tasting room with panoramic views of the downtown skyline.

PETER CHANG IS HEADED DOWNTOWN
After leading rabid followers across the southeast for the past several years, the critically acclaimed and award winning Sichuan chef Peter Chang is putting down roots in Virginia. Since opening Peter Chang's China Grill in Charlottesville in 2011, Chang has moved east down the I-64 corridor.

Oysters Come to Town
For the past year Richmonders have been flocking to their Tasting Room, Merroir, in Topping, VA on the banks of the Rappahannock.

Dig In: Kitchensurfing Comes to River City
For Caitlin Kilcoin, living in RVA is all about bringing people together. As the coordinator for the YRichmond program at the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce, Kilcoin connects businesses and organizations with the brightest and most creative minds around. However, her new venture, Kitchensurfing allows her to dig deeper into her passion -- and feed people too.

Casa del Barco Comes to the Canal Walk
You likely don't remember anything from high school Spanish except some basics. But translating "Casa del Barco" shouldn't be too hard once you know who's behind the first commercial tenant of the new riverfront development on the Canal Walk.

Holy Tacos, RVA Has A Food Truck Court
The Richmond Food Truck Court, a cooperative hatched by local food truck operators, has come skidding to rest in the parking lot behind the Virginia Historical Society. Organized by Boka Truck's Patrick Harris, the concept marks the first of its kind to hit RVA.

Slow Food RVA
In 1986, Slow Food started as a protest against the opening of a McDonald’s restaurant at the foot of Rome’s historic Spanish Step. While born out of a reaction to fast food, this movement was also an attempt to preserve local food traditions and people’s interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes, and how our food choices affect the rest of the world.

A Great Time to be a Beer Geek in RVA
Ardent Craft Ales resides in a garage off Jefferson Street in Union Hill. On my Sunday visit, the doors are wide open, as a few snow flurries fall, heralding this winter's big snow. It's a great time to be a beer geek in RVA.

A Pan-Asian Noodle House by Two Southern Dudes
Ejay Rin's menu is inspired by the Far East, and born of a simple concept.

A Trio of New Eateries to Try
Unique Downtown dining options offer stunning sunsets at Rocketts Landing, a sleek wine bar, and a chic, revamped firehouse.

Richmond International Wine Excursion at Historic Tredegar
Featuring wines from more than 12 countries, the "Richmond International Wine Excursion" will take place on October 28-29th at Historic Tredegar (470 Tredegar Street).

Canal Cafe
The Canal Walk and nearby beaches along the pipeline provide romantic settings for a weekday respite at lunchtime.

Play

Food

Mama J’s

Mama J's, (415 North 1st St.) the new restaurant in historic Jackson Ward, is warm and friendly, a distinctly personable location serving food "just like Grandma used to make it."

1/12/2010 1:15:06 PM

Natalie Mesnard

“I came across this space and fell in love with it the moment I saw it,” says Johnson.

Seafood salad, fried catfish, seasonal greens and endless homemade cakes are specialties on a menu based on the family recipes of Mama J, who has been running a catering business in Richmond for seven years.

Mama J and her son, Lester Johnson, were looking for a commercial kitchen for the catering business when they found their current location on North 1st Street. “I came across this space and fell in love with it the moment I saw it,” says Johnson.

The restaurant is decorated to remind diners of a visit to grandma’s house, and comes complete with an electric fireplace and a decorative ‘parlor.’ Warm hues and friendly music invite patrons to sit down and stay for a while.

Many of Mama J’s recipes are her mother’s. She learned to cook as part of a family of 14 siblings, so it makes sense that she keeps things simple. The country-fried steak and pork chops are recommended, as well as the ‘famous’ seafood salad. Side dishes such as candied yams, macaroni and cheese and collard greens are reasonably priced at $2 a piece, and entrees come with a small cornbread muffin.

Sweet potato pie, coconut cake, almond cake, double chocolate cake, apple cobbler and pound cake are examples of the luscious dessert options, all of which lurk temptingly atop the shiny wooden bar.

The restaurant has been open since October 27th 2009, and dinner has been well attended. There is also a rush on Sunday afternoons, when diners get out of church and start looking for a satisfying late lunch. Patrons have been pleased—one even told Mama J, “I feel like I’m at home.”

Article from Issue #3