Mama’s Boys: Advancing a Soul Food Legacy

Article and Photography by Joshua Fitzwater

In a converted house not far from the crossing of Little Creek Rd. and Shore Dr., a soul food legacy resides. Brothers Motier “Mo” Stevenson and Ashanti McKissic opened My Mama’s Kitchen’s doors in December of 2012, but the roots of this Hampton Roads culinary destination date back decades.

The love that Mo puts into his food was handed down to him from his mother Berrie McKissic, who learned how to cook from her mother Elaine Dunn. When the boys were young, the family’s food even served as a vehicle to make ends meet in rough times. “On 138th Street and Lenox Avenue Mama sold her chicken”, Mo’s brother Ashanti explained. “Mama had a network of folk in the area. When she was off during the summer from teaching at the preschool, she needed to make money to help give us a better life. So right down the street at the park, she used to sell her chicken to the neighborhood. And believe me, they ate it up. They devoured it. Really it was the memories of those days that led to this place.”

Ashanti Mckissic

From selling chicken on the street to working three jobs some years, Mama McKissic did manage to help provide a better life for her boys. Years after bringing her chicken to the neighborhood she would bring her food to her boys off at college-one at Wesleyan and one at Vassar.

A few years ago and on better financial footing, Mama McKissic noticed that the coffee shop up the street, which had been converted from a house, was up for sale. She called Ashanti, in Florida at the time, and told him they should try to buy it. Months later, the restaurant opened passionately run by her sons and indebted to her recipes.

Berrie “Mama” McKissic

It’s a fresh-in-fresh-out out philosophy for the brothers when creating their dishes. Along with working the front end of the house, Ashanti does all of the produce shopping. As he explained, “It’s not like we are doing magic tricks in here. I pick out all the meat and vegetables. I make sure everything is fresh. I touch the produce. I make sure that what goes in our dishes is quality.”

With nothing but fresh ingredients at his disposal, Mo’s strengths as a chef rest most soundly in southern comfort food dishes. The Yum Yum Special BBQ Samich is one of the more decadent offerings on the menu. The open-faced sandwich on Texas toast consists of pulled pork, Swiss cheese, beef brisket and thick cut bacon direct from the slab.The cheese and tomato sauce, used sparingly enough so as to not take away from the star smokey proteins, marry delectably with the bacon. The brisket pull test resulted in easy separation, which, along with the taste, con- firms the care given to its preparation. The only flaw in this dish is the vehicle in which it’s served. By the time I reached the toast under the meats, it was soggy. This was due to the juiciness of the meats but nonetheless was the one flaw in an otherwise delicious dish.

All of the sauces for the chicken wings are made in house. Here Ashanti’s careful selection of fresh produce really shines through. Mama’s garlic buffalo wings are a standout among a loaded menu of wing flavors. The buttery texture of the sauce has a velvet consistency. With each cleaned bone a balance of sweet and salty notes coat the mouth and throat for one addictive food experience.

Jamaican Jerk Wings

Great food in the South is often cultivated from struggle. Mo and Ashanti’s food is one of the better examples of that narrative in action in Hampton Roads. One will be hard pressed to find a better Southern comfort food restaurant locally.

My Mama’s Kitchen:

Location- 7943 Shore Drive Norfolk Virginia

Hours- Tuesday -Sunday 10am- 8pm

Price Range- $6 to $18 meals

Genre- Soulfood

www.facebook.com/MyMamasKitchen