BUFFALO, N.Y. — This is the time of year when families will gather together and eat.
Ike and BG's Restaurant has expanded from one to two restaurants in Buffalo.
The newest location is on Niagara Street in downtown Buffalo.
Owner, Steven Butler took over the Genesee Street restaurant from his godparents Ike and Betty Gray four years ago.
"We serve the best barbecue and soul food," he said with a smile.
"I've been cooking probably since I was about 13 or 14 years old," Butler said he would sit in the kitchen with his mother probably before he was a teenager. "I've got a real passion for this, that's why I'm able to get up and do it day to day," said Butler.
He was proud to show off some of the popular menu items, including ribs.
"That's what we've been known for, that's what people tear down the doors for," said Butler. The popular side dishes include cabbage and macaroni and cheese, which he said has different cheeses and "a lot of love."
Fried chicken wings and steak hoagies are also popular items.
"Being African-American, this is what we grew up on, this is our comfort food this is pretty much everybody's comfort food, you eat this type of food and it's going to make you feel good."
The Genesee Street restaurant remains open.
Butler is also planning to add a new building near the restaurant on Genesee Street with apartments and business space to help give back to the neighborhood that's supported them. That project is scheduled to break ground in April of 2022.
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