Sweet Georgia Brown's
Most mornings will find Walter Williams in the kitchen of Sweet Georgia Brown, the Oak Cliff restaurant he started nearly 20 years ago.
He’s constantly tweaking the family recipes that form the foundation of his collard greens, black-eyed peas and other soul food on the menu.
“I’m looking for the richness, the deep flavor,” said Williams, as he tasted a ladle full of black-eyed peas. “You’re always trying to get better.”
The former NFL player plans to open another restaurant next year at Wheatland and Hampton roads in Dallas. It will be much larger, with a market concept similar to Eatzi’s in Dallas with fish, prepared salads and a deli.
He also wants to expand a 5-year-old frozen food line called Sweet Jeorgia Mae into canned food and more stores.
“I realize that the food industry and how you market food is changing,” Williams said. “You have to have a good flavor profile.”
Williams is one of eight Dallas-Fort Worth entrepreneurs who will receive a Quest for Success award on Feb. 11 from the Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce for business and community achievements.
“Every year, we are reminded of the entrepreneurial story,” said chamber president Charles O’Neal. “Most times it starts with just a dream. These entrepreneurs have provided employment opportunities and given back to their communities.”
Born in the South Bronx, N.Y., Williams (and his five siblings) became wards of the state at age 7. He lived in two children’s shelters, spending most of his time at one in Westchester County, learning culinary arts and playing football.
After high school, he started hitchhiking to California but ended up in New Mexico. He attended New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, where he played football. He was a No. 1 draft pick for the Detroit Lions in the 1970s. He moved on to the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears, playing a total of eight years.
After retiring from football in the early 1980s, Williams started a real estate development company in New Mexico. Then the savings and loan crisis wiped out about 90 percent of his holdings, he said. He moved to Dallas, starting Sweet Georgia Brown in a boarded-up former Burger King on Ledbetter Drive because he thought a restaurant would provide steady cash flow.
“It was hard to get back on my feet,” Williams said.
He initially furnished the restaurant with equipment and items bought at auctions, replacing them over time, he said.
The restaurant has grown from eight employees to 20 today. Williams declined to disclose revenue.
“Their brand has just about become iconic,” O’Neal said. “It’s just a testament to his commitment to his product and serving people. He’s in that store every day making sure SGB is a great experience for everyone who comes through that door.”
The other Quest for Success winners are:
Jill Darden, publisher of the Fort Worth Black News.
Ben Miller, owner of BMR Janitorial & Pressure Washing Service in Dallas.
John Battle, president of Dallas-based JBa Land Management.
Royalyn Reid, chief executive of Consumer & Market Insights in Dallas.
Donald Vestal, chief executive of Vestal Builders Inc. in Arlington.
Donna Joyner, president of Joy Promotions Inc. in Dallas.
Huelon Harrison, principal of Legacy Resource Group in Dallas.
THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS
to read original article click here
He’s constantly tweaking the family recipes that form the foundation of his collard greens, black-eyed peas and other soul food on the menu.
“I’m looking for the richness, the deep flavor,” said Williams, as he tasted a ladle full of black-eyed peas. “You’re always trying to get better.”
The former NFL player plans to open another restaurant next year at Wheatland and Hampton roads in Dallas. It will be much larger, with a market concept similar to Eatzi’s in Dallas with fish, prepared salads and a deli.
He also wants to expand a 5-year-old frozen food line called Sweet Jeorgia Mae into canned food and more stores.
“I realize that the food industry and how you market food is changing,” Williams said. “You have to have a good flavor profile.”
Williams is one of eight Dallas-Fort Worth entrepreneurs who will receive a Quest for Success award on Feb. 11 from the Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce for business and community achievements.
“Every year, we are reminded of the entrepreneurial story,” said chamber president Charles O’Neal. “Most times it starts with just a dream. These entrepreneurs have provided employment opportunities and given back to their communities.”
Born in the South Bronx, N.Y., Williams (and his five siblings) became wards of the state at age 7. He lived in two children’s shelters, spending most of his time at one in Westchester County, learning culinary arts and playing football.
After high school, he started hitchhiking to California but ended up in New Mexico. He attended New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, where he played football. He was a No. 1 draft pick for the Detroit Lions in the 1970s. He moved on to the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears, playing a total of eight years.
After retiring from football in the early 1980s, Williams started a real estate development company in New Mexico. Then the savings and loan crisis wiped out about 90 percent of his holdings, he said. He moved to Dallas, starting Sweet Georgia Brown in a boarded-up former Burger King on Ledbetter Drive because he thought a restaurant would provide steady cash flow.
“It was hard to get back on my feet,” Williams said.
He initially furnished the restaurant with equipment and items bought at auctions, replacing them over time, he said.
The restaurant has grown from eight employees to 20 today. Williams declined to disclose revenue.
“Their brand has just about become iconic,” O’Neal said. “It’s just a testament to his commitment to his product and serving people. He’s in that store every day making sure SGB is a great experience for everyone who comes through that door.”
The other Quest for Success winners are:
Jill Darden, publisher of the Fort Worth Black News.
Ben Miller, owner of BMR Janitorial & Pressure Washing Service in Dallas.
John Battle, president of Dallas-based JBa Land Management.
Royalyn Reid, chief executive of Consumer & Market Insights in Dallas.
Donald Vestal, chief executive of Vestal Builders Inc. in Arlington.
Donna Joyner, president of Joy Promotions Inc. in Dallas.
Huelon Harrison, principal of Legacy Resource Group in Dallas.
THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS
to read original article click here