SAN ANTONIO — The familiar notes of '70s soul music resurrects memories of Vicky Adams's father and stepmother, and the restaurant they operated together on San Antonio's east side.
That would be Mr. & Mrs. G's Home Cooking and Pastries, a soul food sanctuary owned by William and Addie Garner, and later filled with the melodies of blues of jazz.
"I think this was a really happy place for the two of them," Adams said. "It was just like a little hidden secret."
So hidden that the Garners didn't see any customers when they initially opened in 1991. But before long, people couldn't stop talking about Mr. & Mrs. G's; even Tim Duncan paid a visit.
Another celebrity who stopped by: KENS 5's Marvin Hurst, who visited for a Neighborhood Eats segment in 2015.
The couple's secret sauce? As Adams puts it: "A little of this, a little of that."
Things took a turn, however, after Addie passed away in 2016. Four years later the pandemic hit, forcing the eatery to shut down for several months.
"Opening back up, we just didn't get the business we had before," Adams said.
Then her father died in 2021. The restaurant closed its doors for good a year later.
The memories weigh heavy on Adams now. The restaurant's memorabilia, even heavier.
She started looking for a place to preserve dozens of keepsakes, including decades-old recipes and pictures. That's when the San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum stepped up; the downtown organization's mission is to preserve Black history that might otherwise be lost.
"It's essentially keeping a story alive," Adams said. "It felt good to turn everything over to them and know that they were gong to preserve our family history."
That story could potentially be on display for all to see, according to archivist Ken Stewart. He said the items could be viewed at the museum via a pop-up exhibit or online.
Adams did keep a part of her family's legacy for herself, having opened up a food truck called &Gravy which will be featured during Black Restaurant Week San Antonio later this month. She cooks up similar cuisine as her father did – with an ode to their popular gravy – while continuing to leave San Antonians wanting more and more of her parents' generational soul cooking.
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