ST. LOUIS – One teenager recently started a barbecue business on the streets of north St. Louis with big dreams.
High school freshman Jemari Craigs has his mom and grandmother helping him in the venture.
Now 14 years old, he’s wanted to grill since he was much younger. Jemari says he wants to raise money to open his own food truck, and, later on, a restaurant of his own.
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“Just watching my papa grill, we used to sell plates out here a lot,” said Jemari. “I had a family member that sold from food trucks. They barbecued. It’s something that I wanted to do.“
Jemari says it can be a positive venture for other in the St. Louis community as well.
“Because people see me out here. They see I’m only 14. That could inspire someone else that’s probably 14 to get out and do something like this and maybe they could do good like me,“ said Jemari.
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His mother, Jaquis Craigs, is overjoyed.
”Just ecstatic because this is something he has done since he was five,” said Jaquis. “Anything you can think of, he’s always wanted to barbecue. My dad passed away in 2022. He raised money that went to the Junior Olympics [in his] last year. He raised all the money for that and everything he did was with barbecuing.”
Even some of the customers waiting in the long line said this was exceptional.
One man said, ” This is amazing, coming from a 14-year-old kid. We hear a lot of negativity about the things our young men are doing. This warms my heart today.”
The barbecue stand is located across from O’Fallon Park on West Florissant Avenue and Athlone Avenue. The hours are from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and 1-5 p.m. on Sundays.
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