FOOD | Julianne Glatz
Barack Obama isn’t the only one who’s been celebrating a half-century birthday recently. Clay’s Popeye Barbeque’s 50th anniversary is this year. That’s a long time for any business to be in business, and especially noteworthy for a restaurant. Most have a much shorter lifespan. But Popeye’s has stood the test of time.
Popeye’s Barbeque, which opened in 1961, was founded by Benson “Popeye” Jones. Born in Little Rock, Ark., Jones acquired his nickname as a young child. The other boys “popped” him so much that he continually had a black eye.
“He was a character, that’s for sure,” says Mary Clay. Clay began working for Jones in 1976. “Popeye, he loved to tell stories,” she says.
Many stories were about Jones’ childhood and how he’d been educated in the art of barbecue by his grandfather. At just 9 or 10 years old, he’d “learned to cook the barbecue, because his granddaddy’d whup him if it wasn’t right.”
There were other stories as well. Stories of his involvement in the burgeoning civil rights movement in Little Rock; stories of bravery in the face of oppression; fear hidden beneath courage. “He was a real trailblazer,” Clay says. “With barbecue, and in other ways, too – he was very consistent about his business.”
“He moved to Illinois because he wanted to make a better life for himself and his family,” says Clay. “Same as me. I came here from Memphis for the same reasons.”
Popeye’s advertises its sauce as “World Famous” with good reason. Customers have come from as far away as China, Europe and Africa. They’ve served an array of famous folks, including many Illinois politicians. Elizabeth Montgomery (star of TV’s “Bewitched”) ate at Popeye’s when she was here filming a ’70s TV mini-series, “The Awakening Land.” She loved the sauce so much that she had it mailed to her for years.
Popeye’s Barbeque has had several locations over the years. The longest was at 1100 S. 18th St. When Benson Jones died in 1992, his family continued running the restaurant until 1995, when Mary Clay and her husband, Jeff, took it over.
The timing was fortuitous for the Clays:
the coal mine where Jeff had worked closed. And it was fortuitous for Popeye’s many loyal customers. Mary had been learning Jones’ methods and recipes for almost 20 years. “Everything I learned, I learned from Popeye,” she says. “Popeye used to say that when he died, the [sauce] recipe was going to die with him, but he changed his mind – he wanted it to go on. That recipe is over 150 years old.”
These days, Clay’s Popeye’s Barbeque makes its home at 1121 South Grand Avenue East. There’s an old-time charm to the place: the tin ceilings, the round stools at the counter, the plants in the windows, the mural, painted by local artist Tommy Griffith, based on the Clays’ former backyard, and the many framed pictures of famous folks, friends and family.
Mary and Jeff (he’s in charge of cooking the ribs) have stayed true to Popeye Jones’ take on barbecue. The meat is smoked over hickory. And the distinctive sauce, which comes in mild, medium and hot (Dee Blazin’ Heifer Sauce) is the same I remember from 18th St.
They’ve added a few items, though, including fried catfish and walleye, and the fried green tomatoes that are always hugely popular at Springfield’s annual Blues and Barbecues Festival.
There are also desserts. “Popeye said people who ate barbecue don’t need dessert,” says Mary. “But I make ’em every day, and they sell out.” They’re classics such as layer cakes, peach cobbler, sweet potato pie and gooey butter cake.
For Popeye’s Barbeque’s 50th anniversary, Mary says they’re “taking a page out of Major’s book.” Major is the Clays’ grandson, currently attending Indiana State University. At Lanphier High School, he was the High Jump AA champion in both 2006 and 2007. Currently he’s ranked 10th in the U.S. and 17th worldwide, and is training for the Olympics.
“Major says he always raises the bar a little higher,” Mary says. “And that’s what we’re going to do here at Popeye’s. My message to folks who’ve never had our barbecue is that it’s about time to get over here and see us. This is some good stuff.”
Contact Julianne Glatz at [email protected].
Clay’s Popeye’s Barbeque is featuring a 50th Anniversary rib special: Buy one and get the second at 50 percent off.
