Usher is not only one of the best-selling music artists of all time, but he is also critically acclaimed with eight Grammy Awards and is celebrated for mentoring Justin Bieber. Recently headlining the Super Bowl halftime show, he proudly represented Atlanta, declaring, “I turned the world to The A.”
Behind his remarkable success, there has always been Jonnetta Patton in Atlanta. As the mother and former manager of Usher, she shaped his rise to a global superstar.
Over the last decade, Patton has ventured into the culinary world, pursuing her personal passion for food and her genuine love of serving others. She founded J’s Kitchen Culinary Incubator, a shared kitchen with a robust curriculum designed to help chefs succeed as business owners.
Most recently, after struggling to find good barbecue in Atlanta, Patton opened J’s Smokehouse, a mobile food truck serving mouthwatering beef brisket, pulled pork, and vegan selections.
Below, Patton shares her love for Atlanta and passion for food.
What makes Atlanta special?
Atlanta is where Usher was noticed and where his journey started professionally. We are originally from Chattanooga, Tennessee, but we moved to Atlanta. Atlanta was the hot place to be if you wanted to be an artist.
We actually didn't move here because of his profession as a singer. We moved here because we wanted to, but in the back of my head was LaFace Records, and believe it or not, that is where he got his deal.
So, Atlanta is everything to us.
What’s a restaurant you enjoy in Atlanta?
Superica. That is one of my favorites that I go to. Service is really great. The food is amazing. I even invite my friends that come to Atlanta to visit, and my son. We go there quite often.
The fajitas, they bring it out on a plate that's really hot. I normally get the steak or the chicken.
Where else do you bring the whole family?
We really love Cultivation Brewery because you can actually bring the family. You can bring your kids and have a nice drink, enjoy some football, entertainment, and great food. At the top of every month, they say, “which dates do you want [J’s Smokehouse] to come here?” We keep coming back because they love my barbecue so much. And I invite my friends to come out as well.
What attractions do you enjoy in Atlanta?
I've been here for 30 years now, so it's so many. The Georgia Aquarium is really nice.
What else is great about Atlanta?
I like the whole scene, the environment. The economics just make sense. You get a little bit of New York, a little bit of LA, but half the cost. The opportunities that are here have been really great. I started a culinary incubator, I'm in television and film, I have a management company, and now J’s Smokehouse. It all depends on what you are inspired to do. Opportunities are here.
What inspired you to start J’s Kitchen Culinary Incubator?
My own personal chefs were telling me the pitfalls of shared kitchens. Places would be overbooked, people were stealing, and there were privacy issues because most kitchens were just open.
I made my kitchen different. They're separated by walls. There's big signs: you get caught stealing, $2,000 fine. Tampering with other people's items, you're out of the kitchen.
How’s the experience been?
I absolutely love it. I spent 17 years building for my son. The things I’m doing now are all for myself. Because I gave so much to that career, now I'm enjoying the fruits of my labor. It makes it really easy for me to do whatever I want to do because he was so successful.
I've learned the business through other chefs. The mentality, what works, and what does not work. The most important chef that I've worked with is Daryl Schular, who was the director for Le Cordon Bleu. I still work with him to this day.
What inspired you to open J’s Smokehouse, your mobile food truck?
I love barbecue, and personally, there was no great barbecue in Atlanta. Great barbecue came from my kids’ grandfather that lived in Chattanooga. He used to always barbecue for me and for my events.
Usher came to your grand opening. What did he think?
He ordered everything, and he loved my food. He said, “you're doing great, mom, keep it up.” That was motivation. He's so supportive in anything that I do, just as supportive as I was with his career.
I was always a behind-the-scenes manager. You never saw me out front. You see me out front now because I'm promoting my own brand. I told [Usher] one day, “I don't like interviewing. I get so nervous.” Now, I'm much better.
What inspired you to offer vegan options?
I spoke to a lot of people. I really thought this through. Because there are so many barbecue places, you have to be a little different.
At one of the sports arenas, the vegan truck line was long. They had salads and wraps. People in sports don't want to eat heavy.
Vegan is healthier. You can lose weight because it's all plant based, even the bread and cheese. We have a vegan hot dog, vegan pulled pork, and vegan chili.
What are your personal favorites on the menu?
The pulled pork sandwich is really great. Pulled pork and brisket are our big sellers. We have barbecue that is deeply smoked, and we have grilled barbecue that's more commercial.
We have our Smac & Cheese, [collard] greens, cole slaw, peach cobbler, and loaded sausage dog. I also have a sandwich myself – the chicken sandwich.
Because it's cold outside, we’ve added turkey and ground beef chili. That's my personal recipe.
At home, what family recipes do you pass down?
The grandmother of my kids – her cooking was just great. If she were alive today, she would be preparing the food for this smokehouse. I use her banana pudding recipe, her squash casserole recipe.
Address Book
Cultivation Brewery
650 Langford Dr, Norcross, GA 30071
Georgia Aquarium
225 Baker St NW, Atlanta, GA 30313
J's Kitchen Culinary Incubator
3996 Pleasantdale Rd Ste 203, Atlanta, GA 30340
J's Smokehouse (mobile food truck)
3996 Pleasantdale Rd ste 104 b, Atlanta, GA 30340
Superica (Bib Gourmand)
99 Krog St NE, Atlanta, GA 30307
