Above, Head chef José 'JJ' Molina prepares a brisket for lunch Thursday at Southside Community Center Left, Molina poses with some of his barbecue awards.
Photos by Jessica L. James
Head chef José 'JJ' Molina serves brisket to Johnny Delgado and Paul at Southside Community Center.
Photo by Jessica L. James
COOKING UP KINDNESS
When José “JJ” Molina is not winning numerous state-wide barbecue competitions, he’s serving meals to those in need at Southside Community Center, warming the hearts and bellies of those in need.
“I cook with love,” said Molina, 37, of San Marcos. “Food is a universal language, and I mean, if you can put a smile on people's face, you're doing something right.”
Molinia has been serving smiles at Southside Community Center, 518 S. Guadalupe St., for four years, working as the resident head-cook but to the locals, he’s revered as a chef.
“The reason I fell in love with it [barbecue] is because it’s something that you can never perfect,” Molina said. “There's always going to be opinions...Barbecue is a topic that causes fights in the front yard, like Jerry Springer. It's just something like, hey, if it's good, you can never go wrong with it.”
Molina said his culinary background followed a non-traditional route. He started cooking with his grandmother in high school, but it wasn’t until recently that his barbecue started gaining recognition, allowing him to place in the Juneteenth Foundation Charity BBQ Cook-Off for the last several years.
“I say about two years ago, David Peterson of the Juneteenth Foundation, throws a local Juneteenth BBQ cook off,” Molina said. “I got into the competition scene when David told me, ‘Hey man, they love your BBQ. Why not? Try it.’ I was afraid but he pretty much persuaded me to do it. I ended up winning a few awards.”
Since then, Molina has been racking up awards all over the state. In October 2021, he took third place out of 200 contenders for his ribeye at the Hill Country State Championship BBQ Cook-Off in Lockhart.
“I was in a huge competition in Lockhart,” Molina said. “I'm getting like third place out of 200 teams, so that right there got my feet wet and I ran with it.” Molina’s efforts are also supported by local officials.
City Council Members Michael Mendoza, Jude Prather and Mayor Jane Hughson donated 70 pounds of meat to Southside, which will be used for the Back-to-School event on Aug. 5.
Molina said in the past, Mendoza has dropped off brisket, sausage and pork butt for Southside residents.
“These little donations of food, they're really a drop in the bucket to what this community needs,” Mendoza said. “What these organizations give back, not only Southside but our first responders, organizations like those, all these things that help our community. It's not just the responsibility of council members to give back, but it's the responsibility of all individuals who can afford to give back.”
Southside patron Johnny Delgado, 66, said Molina’s care for the homeless is evidenced through his cooking and charitable efforts throughout the city.
“I’ve known JJ [Molina] for three years, and all that time, he's always helped the community,” Delgado said. “He helped during the snowstorms in 2021. He’s the guy we need. There should be more people like him.”
For Molina, his cooking is an extension of who he is, and being able to give back to people through his work at Southside is his way of sharing a piece of himself.
“I mean, I enjoy feeding them regardless, but for them to actually taste a little piece of what I do, you can’t put it into words,” Molina said.
Molina’s long-term goals are to open a food truck or a restaurant within the next 10 years.
To donate to Molina’s food costs, visit the Southside Community Center website. https://www.loc8nearme.com/
