This popular barbecue food truck in Columbus opens a brick-and-mortar restaurant
Prathan Powell began sharing his barbecue sauce with his community for free during neighborhood cookouts.
Friends and family enjoyed it so much that they encouraged him to sell it. So, he and his wife, Sandy, opened The Emeralds Touch BBQ food truck in January 2020, ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic.
While the pandemic made operating brick-and-mortar restaurants a struggle, food trucks got a boost because their business model helped ensure social distancing for customers.
The Emeralds Touch popularity grew over the next two years, benefiting from a grant program through the Columbus Consolidated Government with funds from the American Rescue Plan.
Continuing its success, the food truck was voted the best barbecue in Columbus in a 2022 Ledger-Enquirer poll.
Now, two years after winning the poll, The Emeralds Touch BBQ is preparing to celebrate its grand opening of its brick and mortar restaurant on June 1.
The food truck will still be out at events and for catering, Powell said, but the new location at 5156 River Road presented an opportunity for the pitmaster.
“We’ve pretty much outgrown the food truck based on the popularity,” Powell said. “Customers asked, ‘When are you going to get a brick-and-mortar, so we can come get barbecue whether it’s raining or not raining?’”
Good food, low prices
Powell and his employees have been putting in 14 hours a day, keeping up with a Tuesday through Saturday schedule. Customers should keep an eye out for their hours to change in the future, he said, as they analyze the restaurant’s peak hours.
Before the Emeralds Touch, Powell cooked recreationally for 15 years. But he became certified as a pitmaster around five years ago. Now, Powell is training his son, Maurice, to be pitmaster along with him at the Emeralds Touch.
Since the restaurant’s soft opening April 15, Powell and his staff start preparing food each work day at around 4 a.m.
The restaurant cooks their ribs about five hours, he said, and brisket takes around 22 hours. All of the food is made fresh using high quality ingredients, Powell said.
Along with the meat, Powell’s wife Sandy, makes the macaroni and cheese. And he’s created a recipe featuring jalapeno peppers for the restaurant’s Jamaican cabbage.
Powell keeps the prices low and competitive, he said. Although the price of the food might rise, The Emeralds Touch prioritizes maintaining the restaurant’s prices as much as they can.
“When you go to lunch, and you’ve got a family, you need something you can affordably purchase,” Powell said. “And on top of that, it’s good.”
‘From the pulpit to the pit’
Powell has been the senior pastor at World Changes Tabernacle for over 30 years and also works as a chaplain for a hospice. But Powell has always had a love for food and cooking.
“I call it (going) from the pulpit to the pit,” he said. “And from the pit back to the pulpit.”
It’s a challenge to juggle the three operations, Powell said, but it works because he’s passionate about the work he’s doing and has a clear vision of what he wants to accomplish.
One of the primary reasons Powell started the Emeralds Touch, along with fulfilling his own dream of owning a barbecue restaurant, was to create employment opportunities for young men and women in his family and community.
“My design is to always leave a legacy and make a difference in people’s lives,” Powell said.
The Emeralds Touch employs 10 people, he said, with about half of them being family members.
Despite the long work days, Powell prioritizes his faith and keeping up a good atmosphere for his employees and customers.
As the pitmaster, Powell likes to come out to greet customers occasionally. People who visit the restaurant might hear Powell leading his staff in uplifting cheers.
“E.T. Pitmasters. Today is Tuesday,” Powell calls out. “Time to be motivated. We’ve got customers coming to the window and coming to the door soon. 10:30 a.m. we open up. If you’re lookin’?”
“You ain’t cookin’,” his staff answers.
This story was originally published May 29, 2024 at 10:30 AM.
