Big Mama's Kitchen serves up oven-fried chicken and sweet potato pie ice cream

Patricia "Big Mama" Barron never wanted her restaurant to be known solely for its chicken.

But when the Food Network stopped by Big Mama's Kitchen and Catering, they honed in on the oven-fried chicken. Now, it's the number one item at the popular North Omaha restaurant.

Gladys Harrison, president of the restaurant and Barron's daughter, said there's so much more to try at the family-owned restaurant. There's fried fish, sweet potato pie ice cream, cornbread, collard greens, rotating specials and Harrison's favorite sides — sweet potato pudding and macaroni and cheese, which she likes to eat together.

Big Mama's is one of 70 stops on the Nebraska Passport tourism program, the annual tourism promotion effort that encourages Nebraskans and others to visit a variety of attractions, parks, coffee shops, restaurants, stores and more across the state. Each week, we’re highlighting one or more of the locations.

Passport participants collect physical or digital stamps at each stop, and qualify for prizes based on how many places they visit during the program, which runs from May 1 to Sept. 30.

Passport visitors who stop by Big Mama's can get a discount when they eat at the restaurant.

Big Mama's has been featured multiple times over the years on the Food Network and the Travel Channel. Customers have included famous politicians, actors and restaurateurs like Guy Fieri.

For years Big Mama's was housed in the cafeteria of the old Nebraska School for the Deaf. Pictures and knickknacks from Barron's house decorated the restaurant.

“The feeling that we wanted you to have at the old place was that you were sitting at my mom’s kitchen," Harrison said.

Three years ago, the restaurant moved to the Highlander Accelerator building near 30th Street and Patrick Avenue. The building is part of the 75 North development, which aims to revitalize the neighborhood.

"We still wanted to have the same good old soul food," Harrison said. "We still wanted you to feel like you were sitting in your grandma’s kitchen, but this is your grandma 2.0."

The new restaurant has sleek black couches, patio space and a bar. Big Mama's shares the space with another restaurant, Best Burger, and the bar Dena's Place, which is open on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

“The look of Big Mama’s has changed," Harrison said. "The feel of Big Mama’s has changed. But what has remained the same is the food. Those recipes that were handed down from my great-grandmother, we still use those recipes."

Harrison said her mother knew the restaurant's new space would be more modern and lose some of that homey feel. Barron, who died in 2018, helped plan the new space but didn't get to see the final product.

While eating at the new Big Mama's location, visitors looking out the windows will see new developments, businesses and apartment buildings on nearly every corner.

“We are really privileged to be here in this neighborhood that was built with some intention and built with a purpose of bringing all kinds of people together to restore economic and housing opportunities in this part of the city,” Harrison said.

Harrison said her mother was adamant about keeping the restaurant in North Omaha.

“She was born and raised here," Harrison said. "She grew up here. She learned life’s lessons here and she wanted to see North Omaha restored to the wonderful place to live and work and have a business that it was when she was a young girl.”

The street outside the restaurant was recently renamed Patricia "Big Mama" Barron Street, marked with a commemorative sign. Harrison said when people drive or walk by, she hopes they think about her mom but more importantly what her mom would have wanted them to do.

“Think about what you could do to make North Omaha a great place to live and work for everybody and then get out there and do that,” Harrison said.

And Harrison has some final advice for people making their first trip to Big Mama's:

“Come hungry."