Thursday, December 12, 2024
Kareem and Sharema Beach may be miles away from their home turf of Brownsville, Brooklyn, but they’ve never forgotten it.
Their restaurant, Beach BBQ, opened at 2092 Grand Ave., in Baldwin, on Aug. 3 — and the eatery brings the Brooklyn atmosphere with it.
An oversize photo of a No. 3 subway train passing through a station greets you. While the subway car draws the eye, it’s the background that holds more meaning — the apartment complex where Kareem Beach grew up.
“Brownsville is a tough neighborhood to grow up in,” he said. “But there’s also beauty in there.”
Beach, whose parents and grandparents were also involved in the culinary arts, learned his barbecue recipes from them. He describes his style simply as “family cooking” — a relaxed approach centered around comfort foods like brisket, pulled pork and ribs as well as fried chicken, mac and cheese, and collard greens.
Mealtime in his home wasn’t just about the food; it was also about being with family, with board games and conversation often accompanying the dishes. And Kareem’s wife, Sharema, wanted to recreate that atmosphere.
It is new territory for the couple, who have been married since 2006 and now live in Hempstead. They launched their entrepreneurship in 2020 by holding pop-up events at fairs and offering catering. Offering their specialties at Crossroads Farm at Grossmann’s, in Malverne, was an especially eye-opening experience for them, starting with Sharema.
“They once had vendors come and sell your products, and it was products made by … individuals,” Sharema, who is also the founder of Beach Naturals, a skin care brand, recalled. “I was like, to (Kareem), ‘I’m making X amount of dollars in two hours.”
The couple began offering barbecue at the farm as well, which helped create a following for both of their brands.
That prompted them to open the restaurant — as well as a small beach naturals shop — on Grand Avenue, creating a legacy for their family, they hope, for generations to come.
“You want to leave something for your kids, their kids, and create something that we didn’t have,” Sharema said.
The location was once home to Benny B’s, a soul food restaurant that closed in February 2022. Inside, Sharema’s skin care products are also for sale.
The menu the Beaches’ offered at the market in Malverne featured the traditional meats, and they have brought these favorites to the restaurant, while also introducing new items such as fried whiting, catfish and wingettes.
They have come to appreciate how diverse and welcoming the Baldwin community is, and have also welcomed feedback about their food, including a suggestion to incorporate fried chicken.
“We were getting so many people asking for it, so we said, ‘All right, let’s start frying chicken,’ and that’s one of our best sellers,” Kareem said. “You cater to the neighborhood, but the foundation is smoked meat.
“Baldwin has been good to us,” he added. “The people have been very welcoming.”
The pair emphasized that it doesn’t matter where you start — anything is possible, and that photo of the No. 3 train serves as a reminder. “Just because you grew up there,” Kareem said of Brownsville, “doesn’t mean that you have to be a product of it.”
