J Harvey’s BBQ is a family-owned barbecue business built on faith, hard work, and a deep love for the Portage and Kalamazoo communities. For over ten years we’ve served our neighbors with the same values we were raised on, and those are integrity, cleanliness, and doing things in decency and order. BBQ may be our craft, but building a legacy for our family and serving people with care is our purpose.
Our story starts long before our food truck. We’ve spent over a decade serving in our church, holding leadership roles that shaped how we approach our business. Jimmie is an ordained minister and licensed electrician with two decades of experience at Kendall Electric, and Erica is an evangelist who has dedicated years to public service with the State of Michigan. Those roles have taught us responsibility, service, and the importance of doing things the right way, which are lessons we carry into every single plate we make.
We put the same attention to detail into our business behind the scenes. We maintain our licenses through the Kalamazoo Health Department, keep active liability insurance, and work closely with the Kalamazoo Fire Department for annual inspections. Each night after cooking, our cleanup team handles every piece of trash and ash so no debris is ever left behind. When we’re on site, we bring our own trash bins, and when we leave, the property is cleaner than we found it.
Over the years, we’ve setup J Harvey’s BBQ to cook everywhere, from laundromat parking lots, convenience stores, and Harley Davidson, to eventually the Muffler Man parking lot. Throughout this, we’ve always shown up consistently for the people who kept showing up for us. As our business grew, so did our dreams, so that meant we upgraded to a newer and larger food truck that allowed us to expand our menu, service, and communities we can reach.
At J’ Harvey’s BBQ, not only is it Jimmie and Erica, but our daughter, JerQuila Collins coordinating, our son Jeromey preparing food and cleaning up, and all of us pouring into something we hope will last for generations. When you support us, you’re supporting a family with deep roots in this community, committed to great food, spotless service, and giving back every chance we get. We’re extremely grateful for every customer and opportunity to grow within the Portage and Kalamazoo communities.
