Big Mama, a.k.a. Brenda Franklin, is not big, but she is a mama to three children — Vamar, Eboni and Shahid — and 12 grandchildren. Her extended family, her customers, includes cops, taxi drivers, Steelers, district attorneys and firefighters. And her Butterfinger cheesecake, pulled pork, mac and cheese and sweet-potato pie protect her from arrest, prosecution or rib-crushing tackles.
Big Mama’s House of Soul, which is primarily take-out and delivery, is a smallish space steps away from the intersection of Penn Avenue and the 16th Street Bridge, in the Strip District. (In season, there are a couple picnic tables set up outside). A reverend as well as a gospel and jazz singer, Mama sang with Roger Humphries, Dwayne Dolphin and Pete Henderson in the 1980s. Now her group is George Diller, her assistant chef, and her children, who work with her in the kitchen.
In the few months since her restaurant opened, her ribs — cooked on an outdoor grill for an hour, wrapped in foil then baked in a convection oven for an hour before returning to the grill — have already captivated her customers, who’ve found her by word of mouth.
The morning I stopped by, a man in his 30s sheepishly walked in. The joint hadn’t officially opened yet, and though he knew he was early, he hoped she might have something in the oven. She did: a peach cobbler, molten and bubbly and browned. Her ribs weren’t ready yet, so she offered him a “Mama’s Soul Burger,” made with peppers, egg and seasonings. “It’ll be about 10 minutes, honey,” Mama told him. She passed him a cup of her cornbread seafood stuffing to hold him over.
Santonio Holmes, her “baby” and the Steelers’ wide receiver, also opens wide for Mama’s ribs, though she says he typically requests the mild version of her secret sauce. For this, he has felt Mama’s culinary disapproval, telling him that of her three sauces — mild, hot and “Are You Crazy Hot” — little old ladies half his size opt for the insanity.
Seventeen ingredients, meanwhile, comprise “Big Mama’s Soppin’ Sauce,” a secret so closely guarded that customers are shooed outside until the covert operation of preparing it is complete. She’d use the business end of her giant rolling pin if she had to.
Among her customers are Strip District stalwarts Bob Wholey, with whom she has danced in the packed waiting area, and “Mr. Sunseri — you know, who smokes those big cigars.
“Mr. Sunseri once told me that my cookin’ was the biggest temptation since the Garden of Eden,” Mama says, laughing.
“I’ve been cooking all my days,” she adds. “I’m blessed to hear that.”
Big Mama’s House of Soul. 1603 Penn Ave., Strip District, 412-471-2910
This article appears in Jul 26 – Aug 1, 2007.
I can’t agree enough with this article. This is by far the best food I have had in Pittsburgh. The staff is friendly, the portions are huge, and the food is excellent. Ribs with collard greens and sweet potato salad will fill you up and make you want to come back. My wife thinks the pan-fried tilapia and seafood stuffing are just as impressive.
I’m about as small-town and northern as you can get but this food is delicious no matter where you come from!
Big Mamas House of Soul is just that, good hearted, wholesome folks down to earth, food is unbelievable. The soul burgher is named after me actually for the amount of times I am enjoying one. I wrote about them recently and they are the best soul food place I’ve visited in my 26 years. look for them on the CBS Morning Show March.24th,2008 they deserve every bit of Success.
Deavon Hammonds….Jenesis Magazine
http://www.jenesismagazine.com
Yes! I agree Big MaMa`s has some of the best food in the “Burgh”. Im a big fan of Big MaMa`s. Any & everything you eat in Big MaMa`s is like a bite of haven. If your ever on “the strip” I begg you to give Big MaMa a chance to feed your soul.
Maybe i set my expectations too high.I thought the food was just alright.The ribs were burnt and chewy, the greens were crunchy, the macaroni was kindof curdled or something.We had planned on spending around $75 for our order but they didn’t have half the menu items we wanted.We’re always looking for some good “southern”style bbq and it’s hard to find.Maybe we’re just spoiled because of our Nanna and Muuh’s Alabama cooking.(RIP Nanna)The banana pudding was pretty good though,but it looked like it was left over from a week ago with brown bananas and the nilla wafers all mashed up.I think yall need to get a little more organized.
The side dishes were good. The Ribs were dry and tough. Worst ribs I ever ate. Recomment deserts and sides, but not the horse leather ribs.
I am not from the Burgh, & saw the heartfelt story of Big Mama’s Daily Grind on a local station back home. Upon moving here in the area, almost immediately I went on my search for Big Mama’s. Me & My partner each ordered something different, I knew that I had to have those ribs that I’d heard so much about on the newscast, & my partner ordered Tilapia, fresh from the fridge & cooked to order. It was some of the BEST Home Cooked Food I’d tasted. The Peach Cobbler was Delicious, and those ribs, finger licking good, so good that I saved the infamous bbq sauce. Big Mama’s definitely reached beyond my expectations with her culinary skills and her words. I was BLESSED to be able to meet her before leaving the restaurant and I am now a consistent patron of her establishment.
I WENT TO HER NEW PLACE TODAY ON LIBERTY AVE,AND TRIED THE PULLED PORK SANDWICH.I MIGHT HAVE WAITED ABOUT AN HOUR TO TRY THIS,BUT IT’S WELL WORTH IT.THIS SANDWICH WAS SO GOOD,AND VERY TASTY,AND I’LL RETURN TO THIS PLACE.