Anointed BBQ & Soul Food Throws Block Party to Raise Funds for Opening

The signs for Anointed BBQ & Soul Food started going up earlier this year on the little shack at 2504 West Hampden Avenue that was once Country Time BBQ, but owner Marriese "Mo" Jones isn't quite ready to throw open the doors for business. Because he's trying to open debt-free and is doing much of the building renovations himself and with the help of friends, the work has been slow, but Jones says opening day is within sight. If you can't wait another day for Southern-style cooking, though, there's a solution that will put food in your belly and help get Anointed closer to opening.

Jones is doing crowdfunding the old-fashioned way — with a block party — tomorrow, July 8, from 5 to 10 p.m. outside Anointed. A donation of your choosing will get you food and the chance to win prizes. Businesses and nonprofits can RSVP to 720-737-2829 if they want to display their logo and offer promotional materials. The owner says this will be the first soul-food eatery in Sheridan, and he hopes it will become a community gathering spot where residents from the neighborhood can get to know each other. 

Jones hails from Florida and says his barbecue is "Florida style," using mostly charcoal as the heat source, with a small amount of wood chips added. Because of this, the meats — marinated for 24 hours — don't absorb the smokiness found in barbecue from other regions of the country.  But Jones adds that once you try Florida barbecue, you won't want the smoky stuff.

Jones's road to small-business ownership hasn't been an easy one. He spent time in prison before he turned 21 and was homeless before picking up the pieces, earning his GED, taking college classes and founding an outreach ministry to help other homeless men and women. 

He hopes to open Anointed before the end of July and says the only remaining work inside the restaurant is the installation of a fire-suppression system. Head over tomorrow to anoint yourself in barbecue sauce and help open Anointed.