Daughters carry on late mother’s legacy at Everett & Jones BBQ in Oakland
OAKLAND (KPIX) — This Mother’s Day was bittersweet for the women who run the famous restaurant Everett & Jones BBQ in Oakland. Their mother, Dorothy King died from breast cancer in March 2021.
“I woke up this morning and it was so hard not to go give her … flowers but to give it to her gravesite,” said daughter and co-owner Nina Moore.
On Sunday, diners celebrated Mother’s Day at Everett & Jones in Jack London Square.
For daughters Dorcia White and Dottie and Nina Moore, now co-owners, there is a void.
“This year, with all the texts and e-mails and — I’m just, like, ‘I don’t have my mom.’ It’s been pretty hard today,” said daughter and co-owner White.
if you look around the space, there are reminders of King’s passions and legacy. The restaurant on Broadway opened in 1999 but the brand was started by King’s mom in 1973.
“To my mom this meant everything. She loved the live music, she loved to have this space where people could gather and get together and do their political thing, she was a homeless advocate,” White said.
“She was our everything, very strong, a community leader. Just think of a word that can top everything and she probably was that to us,” said daughter and co-owner Dottie Moore.
King met with powerful leaders including President Barack Obama in Oakland and basketball stars Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant. The walls of the restaurant are decorated with photos showing King with celebrities, athletes and influential figures.
“She was caring to not just us but for the community. She loved to feed the homeless. We feed the homeless here every night,” Nina said. “We’ve been doing it, it was passed down from my grandmother and so we continue to do it. She’s our hero.”
King’s daughters helped each other navigate the challenges of the pandemic as well.
“The torch has been lit and now it’s just passed on to us and it’s just our goal to just keep it going and just do it in a way where we’re making her proud,” White said.
The sisters are now in the process of trying to purchase the building to fulfill one of their mother’s dreams.
Betty Yu