Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
SOUTH JORDAN — A brief conversation at work changed the direction of Kenny Jackson's life.
After 25 years working in the financial sector, Jackson had built a stable and successful career. He excelled at work, earned a postgraduate degree in business, and was steadily climbing the corporate ladder.
On his 48th birthday, he stopped by the office of his boss, the bank's CEO, to get a signature. During their conversation, his boss asked how old he was. When Jackson said he had just turned 48, his boss replied that he was the same age when he started the bank.
The comment stuck with Kenny. That evening, he went home and talked it over with his wife, Mary. Together they decided the time was right to pursue a dream they had been thinking about for years: opening Kenny J's BBQ.
The hobby that turned into a business
Jackson's passion for barbecue began when he received a smoker as a Father's Day gift. He dove headfirst into the new hobby, experimenting in his backyard and learning everything he could about smoking meat. Jackson watched videos, read articles, and tried different techniques, gradually refining his craft. What started as trial and error eventually became a well-honed skill.
Before long, Kenny and Mary Jackson began hosting friends in their backyard so he could showcase his growing talent. Over time, the gatherings got bigger and bigger, and the idea of turning the hobby into something more began to take shape.
Banking had treated Jackson well, but the satisfaction he felt standing beside his smoker made him realize he wanted something different — something that could also bring his family closer together.
Becoming a legit Texas-style barbecue pitmaster
Jackson's interests eventually steered him toward wood-fired offset smokers, making Texas-style barbecue a natural fit for the restaurant.
Texas-style barbecue relies on large offset smokers, where heat from a firebox flows through the cooking chamber rather than cooking meat directly over flames or coals. The technique requires patience, attention, and a deep understanding of fire and smoke.
Before opening the restaurant, the couple traveled to Texas to learn more about the craft and to see how their cooking compared to well-known barbecue joints.
To stay true to the style, Kenny J's uses wood sourced directly from Texas and focuses on the fundamentals of great barbecue: smoke, time and technique. Smoking meat is a time-intensive process that means early mornings, long hours, and smokers running throughout the day.
A family project
While Kenny J's began as a courageous leap of faith to follow a passion, its meaning for Kenny and Mary Jackson goes even deeper.
As proud parents and grandparents, their children have become involved in the business, helping build something that can support the family for years to come.
The family enjoys working side by side, and the younger children are learning valuable skills and life lessons along the way. Mary Jackson recalls a moment when their son asked, "Dad, did you know how much the restaurant would bring us all together?" For her, working side by side as a family has been one of the most rewarding parts of the journey.
Designed for the community
Mary Jackson, a natural people person, played a major role in shaping the restaurant's atmosphere. The dining area was intentionally designed to bring people together. Instead of secluded booths, guests sit at long communal tables, often next to strangers who don't stay strangers for long.
She frequently walks through the dining room greeting guests and chatting with members of the community. Her gregarious personality is contagious, often sparking conversations and new friendships.
She's especially proud of one group of regulars who now dine together frequently who first met while sitting next to each other at Kenny J's.
For Mary Jackson, it's the people she meets, the familiar faces she sees each week, and the relationships built through the restaurant that make the business so rewarding.
Giving back
Kenny J's BBQ doesn't just connect with the community inside its restaurant. It also looks for opportunities to serve the broader community across the Wasatch Front. The restaurant regularly provides food for local events, including high school sports teams and youth groups.
These opportunities to serve families, meet neighbors, and bring people together are central to the mission of Kenny J's and are exactly what Kenny and Mary Jackson hoped to accomplish when they opened the restaurant.
'Follow your passion'
When asked what advice he would give aspiring entrepreneurs, Kenny Jackson keeps it simple:
"Follow your passion. If something interests you, go after it."
Less than a year after opening, Kenny J's has become a thriving business, a rising name in Utah barbecue, and a favorite dining spot in the valley. But for Kenny Jackson, the restaurant was never just about barbecue.
"In a world where there's so much unhappiness," he said, "this is my way to try to bring happiness to people."
A passion worth pursuing, indeed.
