Got snoots? Good Heavens BBQ & Bakery is back in business in East St. Louis
The owners of Good Heavens BBQ & Bakery in East St. Louis took a break from business while rehabbing a new location, forcing customers to do without their pork steaks, ribs, snoots and other barbecue for nearly two months.
But now all is well. The restaurant reopened Feb. 20 in a State Street building that’s half a mile west of Bluff Road.
“The food is great, the prices are reasonable and the portions are excellent,” said customer Melvin Jones, 64, of Belleville, a retired postal worker who stopped in last week. “You can tell they cook a lot of soul into their food.”
Melvin ordered snoots that day, but he mixes it up depending on his mood.
Good Heavens is owned by Kattie Goodwin and her husband, Randy, of Belleville, who started the business in 2016 with a catering service and food truck on 59th Street in East St. Louis.
“We would sell out within two hours,” said Kattie, 53, who also works as a senior veterans claims examiner for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in St. Louis. “People would be looking for us, and we were at home because we had sold everything.”
First location too small
The Goodwins opened an East St. Louis barbecue stand in 2018 and operated about a year and a half before running out of space again. They’re now at 8015 State St. They gutted the brown brick-and-metal building with bars on the windows that had been used for storage, installing a new kitchen, drywall, plumbing, electric, heating and air conditioning.
Good Heavens is open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays only. Most customers order take-out at the window, but there are tables and a counter if they decide to eat in and they’re not looking for fine dining.
“We needed more space to do more things,” Kattie said. “This place is way bigger.”
A trailer with two large smokers is parked out front. Last week, Kattie’s brother, Charles Williams, was cooking wings and “monkeys on a stick,” which are like chicken kabobs without the veggies.
Randy, 54, a retired postal worker, makes the marinade using a recipe he discovered in the Philippines when he was in the Navy.
“I can’t tell you my secret,” he said, grinning.
Business is family affair
Other employees and volunteers include Kattie’s sister, Aretha Thomas, sister-in-law Lorene Crockett and nieces Letyran “Nicole” Burns and Sharlonda Williams. Daughters Dazialee and Randi Goodwin and goddaughter MaKayla Jones help out when they’re not away at college.
Good Heavens serves pork steaks, ribs, rib tips, snoots, chicken wings, beef links, Polish sausage, pulled pork and monkeys on a stick. Tripe and fish will be available on Fridays. Most sandwiches cost $5 to $10. Plates run $8 to $13 with two sides such as baked beans, greens, mostaccioli and green beans.
There also are housemade desserts, such as peach cobbler, 7-Up pound cake and caramel cake ($3).
“It tastes like your grandmama cooked it,” Kattie said.
Stanley Williams, 42, of Belleville, was happy to see the restaurant’s new location open. He’s remodeling a building next door and converting it into a tavern called Night Owls.
“The food is good, and it’s convenient,” Stanley said.
Hours at Good Heavens are 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays. For more information, call 618-489-1300 or visit the Facebook page.
This story was originally published March 4, 2020 at 5:05 AM.
