BJ Chester-Tamayo believes in doing things right, even if they may take longer than you’d like. When she first leased space in 1997 to open a restaurant named for her mother Alcenia, she knew that if the landlord ever wanted to sell, she wanted to be the one to buy.
BJ Chester-Tamayo believes in doing things right, even if they may take longer than you’d like. When she first leased space in 1997 to open a restaurant named for her mother Alcenia, she knew that if the landlord ever wanted to sell, she wanted to be the one to buy. Fast forward to 2020—many meals and decades of hard work later—and her landlord’s heirs were finally ready. But they wanted to put the property on the open market. Thanks to BJ’s relationship with MMDC, she was able to reach out to the District and “get right to work on getting my building.” In December 2020, after nearly a year of pandemic pivoting, BJ closed on the property she’d leased for more than 20 years. She’ll continue serving her soul-warming food as the sole black female business owner in the Pinch District. A grant from MMDC, as well as support from the Downtown Memphis Commission and others, allowed her to purchase the space and to start much- anticipated renovations. Soon Alcenia’s will feature a patio for outdoor dining and even games, furthering BJ’s desire to have folks feel as though they are visiting her home. And now after more than 20 years in the neighborhood, BJ is home, too.
