When you walk into Alcenia’s, don’t be surprised if you get a big hug or even a kiss on the forehead.

Owner BJ Chester-Tamayo runs her 27-year-old soul food restaurant in Downtown’s Pinch District with lots of love, and it shows in both her hospitality and her food. 

She’ll be the first to tell you, “You may walk in a stranger, but you leave as family.”

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Chester-Tamayo has gained attention across the globe for her Southern fare and her vibrant personality.

Guy Fieri has featured Alcenia’s on the Food Network not once – but twice. “Today” show host Harry Smith said his interview with her in the spring of 2018 was one of his favorites of that year.

British TikTok stars Josh Carrott and Ollie Kendall of YouTube channel Jolly featured Alcenia’s just two weeks ago, after trying her double-decker catfish and fried green tomato sandwich, pork chops, bread pudding and pecan pie. They described the bread pudding in terms dear to Chester-Tamayo’s heart: “It’s really like a hug.”

Chester-Tamayo said she has already seen a number of international customers stop by after seeing the video, which has almost a million views.

And the soon-to-be 70-year-old (more on that in a minute) shows no signs of slowing down.

Guy Fieri has featured Alcenia’s on the Food Network twice. (Brad Vest/Special to The Daily Memphian)

“I never plan on retiring,” she said. “I just can’t sit down and do nothing.”

“I get my pleasure from making other people happy. That’s where my happiness comes from.” 

Chester-Tamayo was born in Meridian, Mississippi — the “Sip,” as she calls her home state — and she came to Memphis with her ex-husband. 

She opened her now-famous soul food restaurant in 1997, a little more than a year after her only child, Will Adler (GoGo) Tamayo III, was killed in a motorcycle accident. 

“The only way I was going to survive was to change my life completely,” she said. 

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Chester-Tamayo makes everything at the restaurant from scratch, so come knowing that you may have to sit a spell depending on your order and how busy the place is. But, the wait is worth it. She serves some of the best fried chicken, fried catfish and meatloaf in town. And don’t even get me started about her side dishes — they are the real deal.

To celebrate her upcoming 70th birthday this month, Chester-Tamayo has planned a groovy celebration she’s calling The 70s Bash.

In addition to fare from featured guest chefs and social media stars Chef Okr and Coconutcup NYC, expect disco balls and ’70s tunes.

The party will be held on Saturday, Sept. 7, at the Fourth Bluff Park. Tickets for the event are available on Eventbrite.com.

Alcenia’s owner BJ Chester-Tamayo will celebrate her 70th birthday at Fourth Bluff Park on Sept. 7. (Brad Vest/Special to The Daily Memphian)

The week on Memphis’ restaurant scene

Michael Patrick, who is known for his former Downtown restaurant Rizzo’s, announced that he is opening a new restaurant later this month. Magnolia Bend Grille will be located at Bonne Terre, the 28-acre wedding and event venue, in Nesbit, Mississippi. 

Most Memphians have eaten a Pronto Pup at a festival, fair or football game. But most Memphians don’t know is that Pronto Pups have been served in Memphis since 1947. I sat down with the third generation of this family-owned business to talk about its history.

And speaking of fair food, Jody Callahan stopped by the Delta Fair & Music Festival last weekend, and shared some of fairgoers’ favorite eats.

Cookies from Sweet LaLa’s Bakery are being featured in almost 650 Love’s Travel Stops across the country. Sweet LaLa’s owner Lauren Young joined me on my weekly podcast “Sound Bites” to talk about how her bakery became part of this nationwide fundraiser for the Children’s Miracle Network.

From wine dinners to festivals featuring pizza and Greek fare, check out my list of 16 food and drink events happening in Memphis this September.

Jennifer Chandler: Sound Bites: Sweet LaLa’s cookies to be sold in almost 650 Love’s stops

Michael Waddell reported that a new Cajun restaurant called Ragin Cajun Seafood & Po Boys is coming to Bartlett later this year.

In this week’s Food Files, Sophia Surrett reported that Chef Jimmi Sinh, known as Sushi Jimmi, has opened a brick-and-mortar location for his Poke Paradise food truck on Summer Avenue. A second Memphis-area location of Kyuramen x TBaar also opened in Germantown. Surrett also reported that Lebanese-Armenian restaurant La Roche will open at 916 Cooper St. on Saturday, Sept. 14, at the Cooper-Young Festival. 

Does Midtown need a Whataburger? Stevie Paige reported on this issue, and the concerns Midtowners have about the proposed new fast food restaurant on Union Avenue.

The Jungle of Greens salad has been one of my favorite dishes on the lunch menu at McEwen’s for more than 15 years. It’s my recommended dish in this past week’s “What to Order.”

Joshua Carlucci’s “$10 Deal” this past week was the lamb shank at StickEm. The lamb at StickEm is braised in a sweet, spicy and sticky sauce much like awaze, a staple Ethiopian sauce, and is served over yellow rice with two sides of your choice.

Jennifer Chandler: 16 September food events that need to be on your calendar

And Muddy’s Bake Shop owner Kat Gordon loves to use seasonal fruits in her desserts, especially when making shortcakes. Click here for the recipe for her Honey-Thyme Peach Shortcakes.

Thanks for joining me for this week’s Table Talk. Be sure to look for this column weekly for all the latest food news in Memphis.

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