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Le J’s Bar-B-Que is moving to Chisholm Trail Center-Outlet & Retail Shops on Interstate 135 and exit 28. Le J’s, locally owned and operated by Jeffery Love, was located on West First Street. Love was trained by Antoine Toubia, the late founder of Latour Management. Love has more than 30 years experience cooking and managing a kitchen. Growing up with chefs as parents has created a love and passion for food and cooking He has been a certified chef since he was 19. Love created his name, Le J’s Bar-B-Que, by using Love’s first initial and the first couple letters of his daughter’s name. Le’Toyia is 6 years old with special needs. “My priorities are God, Le’Toyia and my business, in that order,” he said, “and my life reflects that.” What makes Le J’s unique and has contributed to his following of repeat customers is that all of the food is made from scratch and his secret recipes for his marinade, according to a press release. The meat is marinated overnight and then he is back to the store no later than 4 a.m. to begin cooking it. “Barbecue is meant to be cooked and ate in the same day. It has to be fresh,” Love said. There are several reasons Love chose the new Chisholm Trail location. The first is it allowed him to expand his business from 20 seats to 35. The second is the growth at Chisholm Trail Center. Love noticed the center is near full and the traffic will be increasing just before the holidays with the new addition of Bakers furniture and carpet and the Kansas Sports Museum. “I scheduled my opening date to be ready for business close to the same time because they will attract many new customers for me,” Love said in the release. Le J’s has a dedicated clientele that visits the restaurant on a regular basis. Many are excited about the new location. However, there are a few older clients that do not drive but currently walk to the current location. That gave Love the idea of offering delivery, which he hopes to develop soon. “Older customers that have difficulty chewing their food love my barbecue because it is so soft and tender it is easy to chew and almost melts in your mouth,” Love said. Le J’s also plans to offer catering that will include a menu of many items other than barbecue. The catering menu will fit almost any venue and will be available to parties at the Trail Room community room at Chisholm Trail Center. Appetizers made from scratch, soups and salads, entrees, fresh baked deserts and breads will be available. Ice sculptures also can be created to dress up a formal occasion like a wedding. Le J’s move leaves two spaces at Chisholm Trail Center. “We are very proud to have built the center up from 11 businesses to 25 in three short years,” said Debra Mitchell, director of marketing for the Chisholm Trail Center. “ However I am a perfectionist, and I am focused on filling the last two spaces that are available.” Chisholm Trail is seeking a bookstore and a cosmetic or accessory store to fill the final two spaces. “We have had a lot of interest in the last two spaces, and we are being very picky about who we lease those final spaces to. We need to maintain a good mix of stores. I think people realize this may be their last chance to be a part of what we are creating.”
Le J’s Bar-B-Que is moving to Chisholm Trail Center-Outlet & Retail Shops on Interstate 135 and exit 28. Le J’s, locally owned and operated by Jeffery Love, was located on West First Street. Love was trained by Antoine Toubia, the late founder of Latour Management. Love has more than 30 years experience cooking and managing a kitchen. Growing up with chefs as parents has created a love and passion for food and cooking He has been a certified chef since he was 19. Love created his name, Le J’s Bar-B-Que, by using Love’s first initial and the first couple letters of his daughter’s name. Le’Toyia is 6 years old with special needs. “My priorities are God, Le’Toyia and my business, in that order,” he said, “and my life reflects that.” What makes Le J’s unique and has contributed to his following of repeat customers is that all of the food is made from scratch and his secret recipes for his marinade, according to a press release. The meat is marinated overnight and then he is back to the store no later than 4 a.m. to begin cooking it. “Barbecue is meant to be cooked and ate in the same day. It has to be fresh,” Love said. There are several reasons Love chose the new Chisholm Trail location. The first is it allowed him to expand his business from 20 seats to 35. The second is the growth at Chisholm Trail Center. Love noticed the center is near full and the traffic will be increasing just before the holidays with the new addition of Bakers furniture and carpet and the Kansas Sports Museum. “I scheduled my opening date to be ready for business close to the same time because they will attract many new customers for me,” Love said in the release. Le J’s has a dedicated clientele that visits the restaurant on a regular basis. Many are excited about the new location. However, there are a few older clients that do not drive but currently walk to the current location. That gave Love the idea of offering delivery, which he hopes to develop soon. “Older customers that have difficulty chewing their food love my barbecue because it is so soft and tender it is easy to chew and almost melts in your mouth,” Love said. Le J’s also plans to offer catering that will include a menu of many items other than barbecue. The catering menu will fit almost any venue and will be available to parties at the Trail Room community room at Chisholm Trail Center. Appetizers made from scratch, soups and salads, entrees, fresh baked deserts and breads will be available. Ice sculptures also can be created to dress up a formal occasion like a wedding. Le J’s move leaves two spaces at Chisholm Trail Center. “We are very proud to have built the center up from 11 businesses to 25 in three short years,” said Debra Mitchell, director of marketing for the Chisholm Trail Center. “ However I am a perfectionist, and I am focused on filling the last two spaces that are available.” Chisholm Trail is seeking a bookstore and a cosmetic or accessory store to fill the final two spaces. “We have had a lot of interest in the last two spaces, and we are being very picky about who we lease those final spaces to. We need to maintain a good mix of stores. I think people realize this may be their last chance to be a part of what we are creating.”
