The menu unfolds as a story that tells the history of two strong individuals who came together to form a family and open a restaurant that pays homage to their histories. It is a moving story, blessed with riches beyond the cash till.
For Simone, the early days of motherhood were tough. She depended upon family, most especially her grandmother, when she could not take care of her girls. “The Nana Burger is named for her,” says Simone. “I was finally able to take care of her the way she took care of us.” After years in the collections business, Simone suddenly found herself without a job or direction. “I panicked in the unemployment office when they suggested I go back to school,” recalls Simone. After some baby steps, Simone settled on Beulah Heights University. The school offered a small, personal setting and Simone decided to pursue religious studies, but still needed a job. She applied for a nanny position. “I was originally hired to help organize and clean up around the house,” says Simone. “My pay rose, the relationship grew and the little boy I care for now calls me “Grandma.”
The strong lady with the amazing story to be told has been blessed by an equally strong man in her husband, Chef Michael. Michael was raised in New Jersey by grandparents who knew cooking and taught him the art well. During the summers, Michael would visit with his other grandmother and great grandparents who instilled the ways of cooking for a southern table. “Michael learned how to prep for the holidays, kill a chicken, cook a BBQ turkey and so much more from his family,” says Simone. “It was their time of bonding.”
The pair met 18 years ago when Simone wandered into a Halal restaurant and ordered pancakes. When they were delivered to her table, she thought they had been burned brown. “I didn’t know what kind of restaurant I was in, but those pancakes looked wrong to me so I complained,” laughs Simone. “Michael came over and told me that he didn’t think I was a bad girl so he went across the street to cook me a pancake the way I was used to seeing them.” That meeting led to a marriage and the addition of healthier items on the menu at their own restaurant-a restaurant that almost wasn’t.
Chef Michael spent many years in corporate restaurants. “I got tired of bottom line stuff,” says Michael. “I wanted to be on my own.” The hard working entrepreneur started selling food from his car. He got a grill and that took him to an entirely different level of food. “I didn’t realize that people really love barbeque,” asys Michael. “A man from Snellville mentioned it was good to the bone and the name stuck.”
It was only natural for the pair to want a storefront as their own and Michael had been watching a particular spot in the Centerville/Snellville Kroger shopping center for many years. “God made it so we could get it,” says Michael. “The people Simone works for decided to invest and we now have the restaurant we dreamed about in our own community.”
Although the restaurant serves their delicious, signature BBQ, the menu offers a great deal more through daily specials and catering. “We have a variety to please everyone,” says Michael. “I am blessed to have a knack for cooking; over the years, I believe I got pretty good at it.” The community agrees that he is more than “pretty good at it” and have been very supportive of the grand opening of Good II the Bone. Take a look at their website at www.good2thebone.com to view the variety of choices on the menu that tells the story of Michael and Simone and the food that brings them a life of faith, family and flavor.
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