Photo courtesy of Homewood Chamber of Commerce.
Homewood Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Meredith Drennen, Alabama Retail Association President Rick Brown, Saw’s Inc President and CEO Jennifer Wilson, and co-owners Tuc Wilson and Reese Wilson.
Saw’s BBQ has carved a permanent spot in Homewood’s culinary landscape since it was established in 2009. The barbecue and Southern comfort food restaurant was recently recognized by the Alabama Retail Association with a Bronze Retailer of the Year Award for 2023, not only for its menu but also for its impact on the Birmingham community.
Mike and Jennifer Wilson opened Saw’s original location over 14 years ago, after Mike’s passion for cooking barbecue moved beyond the backyard.
“Every single weekend, that was his passion,” Jennifer said of Mike. “He couldn’t wait to make barbecue all weekend. In 2009, he took some time off work and said, ‘I’m going to open up a barbecue restaurant.’ I said, ‘OK. Well you handle the food, and I’ll handle the business side.’”
Jennifer and Mike ended up separating during the years after opening, and she continued in her teaching career while Mike ran Saw’s. When Mike passed away unexpectedly in 2020, Jennifer stepped back in to manage the restaurant, since he had left the company’s interests to the couple’s children, Tuc and Reese, who were too young to manage the business at the time.
“I had already started my school year when he passed away in 2020, and that year was a complete blur to me. I’d get up early in the morning, do the restaurant stuff, immediately head to school to teach and then head back to the restaurant until late at night,” Jennifer said. “I was wearing so many hats, and it was just a very difficult year. I couldn’t do both. I knew what I had to do for the kids. A lot of people would have given up and said, ‘This is too hard,’ but I knew what I had to do for my kids.”
The Wilson children are older now and both are interested in the restaurant business.
“My daughter is all about her senior year in high school and my son is a sophomore in college, majoring in business,” Jennifer said. “So Saw’s is definitely going to be part of his future. Any time he’s home, he is immersing himself into the business,”
Saw’s now has six locations across Birmingham. Its Hoover, Leeds and Southside locations are managed by a franchise company. Jennifer solely owns the Homewood location, but when the business expanded initially, they gained partners to help manage the other locations, Saw’s Juke Joint in Crestline and Saw’s Soul Kitchen in Avondale.
The Bronze Retailer of the Year award is a testament to Saw’s place in the community, Jennifer said.
“I cried when accepting that award,” she said. “I wish he [Mike] was here to see how we are carrying on his legacy. He would be so proud.”
Saw’s is located at 1008 Oxmoor Road and is open Monday through Friday, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. For information on the restaurant, visit sawsbbq.com.
