Oven-Fried Chicken Comes Out Of A Former Housing Authority Kitchen At This Nebraska Soul Food Spot

The famous fried chicken here never touches a deep fryer. It bakes in an oven, seasoned with family recipes that go back more than 100 years.

That alone would grab my attention. Then I learned the restaurant once cooked out of a former housing authority kitchen.

Today it serves from a modern community building raised on the site of an old public housing project.

I like how one plate of chicken can carry that much Nebraska history. The founder even helped design the kitchen and dining room before her passing.

Her family still runs the place and keeps her recipes going.

The menu reads like a Sunday dinner. Think cornbread, fried okra, collard greens and sweet potato cheesecake.

So how did a grandmother’s cooking travel from a housing authority kitchen to national television and back to North Omaha?

Second-Floor Soul Food Inside A North Omaha Community Hub

Big Mama’s Kitchen and Catering sits upstairs inside the Highlander Accelerator in North Omaha. It’s a soul food restaurant with a Southern feel and a big family story behind every plate.

The building houses more than one business, so don’t expect a classic standalone diner. You’ll find the restaurant on the second floor, with a walk-up window where you order and pick up your food.

Finding it can take a minute. The outside signage is small, and GPS tends to drop you in the parking lot.

Head inside, go up a floor, and follow the smell of seasoned chicken.

Once there, the setup feels open and roomy. There’s indoor seating, a bar area for perching, and outdoor seating when Nebraska weather cooperates.

The kitchen leans hard into classics. Oven-fried chicken, fried catfish, red beans and rice, collard greens, mac and cheese and cornbread all live on the menu.

Desserts like sweet potato pie and sweet potato cheesecake round things out.

It’s a family-run, women-owned, Black-owned business with deep North Omaha roots. That matters here, because the address itself tells a story about this neighborhood.

From A Housing Authority Kitchen To A Rebuilt Neighborhood

Few restaurants can say their story began in a former housing authority kitchen. Big Mama’s Kitchen and Catering can, and that origin explains a lot about its mission.

Founder Patricia “Big Mama” Barron built the business around home cooking and second chances. She believed everyone deserved one, and that idea shaped how the restaurant hired and served.

The current home carries its own layered history. The Highlander Accelerator stands where the Pleasant View public housing project once stood.

The Omaha Housing Authority demolished Pleasant View around 2008 or 2009.

For a while, that land sat waiting. Then came a purpose-built neighborhood with new homes and a 65,000-square-foot community building at its center.

Big Mama’s moved into that new space and became part of the comeback. So the restaurant went from one housing authority site to another, now completely reimagined.

Plenty of Nebraskans remember North Omaha before these changes. Seeing a beloved soul food kitchen anchor the rebuilt site feels like a fitting next chapter.

Old roots, new walls, same recipes.

Chicken That Skips The Fryer And Still Steals The Show

Oven-fried chicken is the signature here, and the name is a little playful. It bakes instead of bubbling in oil, yet it keeps that golden, seasoned look people crave.

The recipe comes from family cooking passed down for more than a century. That kind of staying power earns respect before you even pick up a fork.

The seasoning gets plenty of credit. It’s so tied to the brand that Big Mama’s turned its blend into a product sold nationally, starting during the pandemic.

You can order chicken by the piece or pair it with fish. A one-and-one plate with a piece of chicken and a catfish fillet is a smart way to try both.

Wings show up too, in original and spicy seasonings. Chicken sandwiches come classic or spicy, served on po’ boy style bread.

Hungry folks should know the plates come in set piece counts. If two pieces of chicken sound modest for your appetite, plan on ordering a little extra.

Leftover oven-fried chicken is never a tragedy.

Catfish, Okra And A Hot Sauce Worth Talking About

Fried catfish might be the quiet rival to that famous chicken. The fish is fried to order, giving it a crisp outside and a tender fillet inside.

You can get it as a plate or tucked into a catfish sandwich. Extra mustard and tartar are fair game if you like your sandwich loaded.

Then there’s the fried okra. Those crunchy little bites work fine solo, but they really shine dipped in the house-made hot sauce.

That hot sauce has built a following of its own. The kitchen has talked about selling it, which tells you it’s more than an afterthought.

Appetizers keep things interesting beyond the classics. Look for Sweet Corn Fritter Bites and Southwest Chicken Egg Rolls, a fun twist on comfort food.

There’s even an Afro Burger on the lineup for anyone wanting something different. And thoughtful service stands out here.

The kitchen has pan-fried catfish separately for a diner with a peanut allergy. If you have dietary concerns, speak up when you order.

Small gestures like that make a busy counter feel personal.

Sides And Sweets That Deserve Their Own Spotlight

Cornbread gets more chatter than almost anything else on the menu. Order it with honey butter, and you’ll understand why it keeps coming up.

The mac and cheese lands creamy and cheesy, with a slight tang. Collard greens, red beans and rice, mashed potatoes with gravy, potato salad and home fries also fill out the lineup.

Sweet potato is the real dessert star. Sweet potato pie draws the most buzz, and the sweet potato cheesecake isn’t far behind.

There’s also sweet potato pudding for spoon-and-bowl types. Sweet potato pie ice cream has appeared too, which feels like dessert doubling down on itself.

Drinks deserve a quick look. Homemade sweet tea, watermelon lemonade and cranberry tea give you options beyond plain soda.

Building a plate here is half the fun. Pick a main, add two sides, and save a corner for something sweet.

Honestly, skipping dessert at a place this devoted to sweet potatoes feels like leaving a Nebraska football game at halftime. Technically allowed.

Deeply questionable.

A Modern Room Carrying A Grandmother’s Warmth

Polished concrete floors and metal surfaces aren’t what most folks picture for soul food. Yet that’s the look inside this sleek, open dining space.

Patricia Barron helped design the kitchen and dining room before she passed in March 2018. Her vision was a community gathering spot, and the layout reflects that goal.

The room feels lively, with music playing and plenty of space to spread out. Hard surfaces can make it echo, so it’s better for chatty lunches than whispered secrets.

Seating includes tables, a bar for quick meals and outdoor spots. Families, coworkers and solo diners all fit without much fuss.

The staff often greets people by name. That neighborly touch makes the modern room feel more like a relative’s kitchen.

Fans of food TV may recognize the name. Big Mama’s has appeared on the Food Network and Travel Channel, including a Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives feature.

So the space blends old and new in a way that fits Omaha today. Fresh architecture, family recipes, and a founder’s design still guiding the room.

Plan Around Saturday Breakfast And Weekday Lunches

Timing matters, because this kitchen keeps a specific weekly rhythm. It’s open Tuesday through Friday for lunch and early dinner, and Saturday for a morning-to-early-afternoon window.

Sundays and Mondays are closed. Show up hungry on either day and you’ll be stuck staring at the parking lot.

Saturday is the early bird’s chance, since doors open in the morning. Weekday evenings wrap up fairly early, so don’t plan a late supper.

Head to 2112 North 30th Street, Suite 201, inside the Highlander Accelerator in Omaha, Nebraska. Park in the lot, go inside, and climb to the second floor.

Prices sit a bit above fast food, closer to a sit-down comfort meal. Food is made to order, so the wait can stretch when the kitchen is busy.

Can’t make the trip? Big Mama’s also handles catering and sells its seasonings online.

That means you can bring a little of that flavor home to your own oven, wherever you live in the state.

Why This Family Kitchen Still Belongs On Your Omaha List

Gladys Harrison, Patricia Barron’s daughter, now runs Big Mama’s Kitchen and Catering with other family members. They keep their mother’s work ethic and recipes front and center.

That continuity is a big part of the appeal. You’re eating food rooted in a family tradition that stretches back more than 100 years.

The setting adds another layer. A restaurant born in a housing authority kitchen now helps anchor a rebuilt North Omaha neighborhood.

Not every bite will match everyone’s memory of grandma’s cooking. Soul food is personal, and opinions run strong.

Still, the oven-fried chicken, catfish and sweet potato desserts make a solid case.

It works well for a weekday lunch, a Saturday morning outing or a curious drive in from elsewhere in Nebraska. Pair it with a stroll through the Highlander campus for a fuller picture.

I believe places like this are worth supporting because they carry stories forward. Come for the chicken, stay for the cheesecake, and leave knowing a little more about North Omaha.

That’s a pretty good return on one plate.