Meet The Man Who Opened A Restaurant After Learning To Cook From YouTube

It’s common for people to search videos when they need to learn new skills. One entrepreneur wanted to learn how to be more helpful around the kitchen. Instead, he took things a step further and opened a restaurant.

Octavius “Tay” Nelson grew up in South Carolina where he watched his dad cook regularly but it wasn’t until his wife was pregnant with their first child that he decided to start teaching himself how to cook through tutorials on YouTube.

“My wife had gone to Atlanta for a baby shower, so I had the whole day to myself and I decided I wanted to surprise her with a great meal when she returned,” Nelson says in an email interview with BLACK ENTERPRISE.

“I dove into YouTube and started watching all kinds of BBQ videos online when I came across one by Aaron Franklin that really resonated with me….I made my very first ribs after watching a video on YouTube and then just started watching every video I could find about BBQ on YouTube! My wife would wake up at 3 o’clock in the morning and roll over and see me on my phone and tell me I HAD to stop watching/learning and to get to bed!”

He opened Bobby’s BBQ as a tribute to his love of the food. In a time of uncertainty with the COVID-19 pandemic, his establishment has become a blessing for both him and his community.

“I grew up working in the restaurant with my dad and really wanted no part of one myself after watching him work so hard six days a week. I fought it for a long time, but eventually, I kept getting that nudge from God to go forward with it and start the restaurant,” he explained.

“We now are open on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, so we can live out this passion for BBQ, but also have a solid family life and work-life balance for us and our employees.The restaurant has been a blessing for my family, but it’s also had a positive impact for our entire community. Because of this passion that started on YouTube, we’ve been able to build a restaurant that has brought more than 60 jobs to our community and we’re really proud of that.”