{"id":960659,"date":"2026-07-26T15:59:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-26T15:59:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/960659\/"},"modified":"2026-07-26T15:59:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-26T15:59:16","slug":"houston-declares-john-t-toomey-day-as-barbecue-founder-celebrates-98th-birthday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/960659\/","title":{"rendered":"Houston declares &#8216;John T. Toomey Day&#8217; as barbecue founder celebrates 98th birthday"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Text-nO2aZ44r__TextBase-sc-s2hv5x-0 jJNfBD fSvavs article-text\"><strong>HOUSTON<\/strong> \u2013 A Houston barbecue legend just added another candle to the cake \u2014 and did it surrounded by brisket, Cougar pride and four generations of family.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Text-nO2aZ44r__TextBase-sc-s2hv5x-0 jJNfBD fSvavs article-text\">J-Bar-M Barbecue founder <a href=\"https:\/\/uastories.uh.edu\/john-toomey-from-lawyer-to-barbecue-restaurateur\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/uastories.uh.edu\/john-toomey-from-lawyer-to-barbecue-restaurateur\/index.html\">John J. Toomey<\/a> is officially 98 today, and the celebration started early Friday, when family, friends, staff and community leaders pulled off a surprise party at the MICHELIN-recommended EaDo restaurant he opened at age 93.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Text-nO2aZ44r__TextBase-sc-s2hv5x-0 jJNfBD fSvavs article-text\">The birthday honors came big: a custom Cougar Red sport coat, a City of Houston proclamation, and a visit from University of Houston coaches, staff and student-athletes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Text-nO2aZ44r__TextBase-sc-s2hv5x-0 jJNfBD fSvavs article-text\">That proclamation \u2014 issued by Mayor John Whitmire \u2014 officially declares July 26, 2026, as \u201cJohn J. Toomey Day\u201d in Houston, recognizing Toomey as a beloved Houstonian whose decades-long career has blended leadership, philanthropy and entrepreneurship.<\/p>\n<p>John Toomey receives a City of Houston proclamation declaring July 26, 2026 as &#8220;John T. Toomey Day&#8221; (Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston &#8211; All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n<p class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Text-nO2aZ44r__TextBase-sc-s2hv5x-0 jJNfBD fSvavs article-text\">Toomey, a lifelong Houstonian raised in the Riverside neighborhood, has been building things \u2014 and building community \u2014 for most of a century. According to the proclamation, he graduated from the University of Houston in 1950, earned his law degree from the University of Houston Law Center in 1951, and spent more than seven decades in business and law, including pro bono work through Catholic Charities in the 1950s.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Text-nO2aZ44r__TextBase-sc-s2hv5x-0 jJNfBD fSvavs article-text\">But on Friday, the focus was on barbecue \u2014 and the restaurant Toomey still treats like home.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Text-nO2aZ44r__TextBase-sc-s2hv5x-0 jJNfBD fSvavs article-text\">\u201cI love barbecue and I love this restaurant, so I\u2019m really, really honored to be here for my birthday,\u201d Toomey said.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 etvbxt font_openSans articleList\">\n<li class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Stack-vJ7SwH7U__StackBase-sc-1m5bkhd-0 evEXvX dsnUCb\"\/><\/ul>\n<p>Still showing up at 98<\/p>\n<p class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Text-nO2aZ44r__TextBase-sc-s2hv5x-0 jJNfBD fSvavs article-text\">And while plenty of people retire and slow down, Toomey\u2019s idea of \u201ctaking it easy\u201d still includes showing up regularly to make sure everything is right.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Text-nO2aZ44r__TextBase-sc-s2hv5x-0 jJNfBD fSvavs article-text\">\u201cWhat I normally do [is] come in \u2026 usually by 10 o\u2019clock and stay till about one o\u2019clock,\u201d he said. \u201cThat way I can contact and talk to the people who work here, see the customers, and check the quality of the food.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Text-nO2aZ44r__TextBase-sc-s2hv5x-0 jJNfBD fSvavs article-text\">His grandson, co-owner Charles Toomey, says that\u2019s just who he is \u2014 an entrepreneur who never really turns the \u201con\u201d switch off.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Text-nO2aZ44r__TextBase-sc-s2hv5x-0 jJNfBD fSvavs article-text\">\u201cThe guy doesn\u2019t stop,\u201d Charles said. \u201cHe\u2019s always here\u2026 making sure the quality\u2019s there, greeting customers, and just providing a great hospitality experience.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>John Toomey receives a smoker-shaped birthday cake for his 98th birthday (Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston &#8211; All rights reserved.)A family legacy<\/p>\n<p class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Text-nO2aZ44r__TextBase-sc-s2hv5x-0 jJNfBD fSvavs article-text\">Charles said J-Bar-M stands out not only because of the food and the space, but because the family is truly in it together day after day.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Text-nO2aZ44r__TextBase-sc-s2hv5x-0 jJNfBD fSvavs article-text\">\u201cI think what kind of sets us apart is our family atmosphere,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Text-nO2aZ44r__TextBase-sc-s2hv5x-0 jJNfBD fSvavs article-text\">The restaurant\u2019s name is personal, too \u2014 a tribute to Toomey\u2019s late wife and high school sweetheart, Michelene, whose initial is woven into \u201cJ-Bar-M.\u201d Family members say the restaurant carries forward a dream they shared.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Text-nO2aZ44r__TextBase-sc-s2hv5x-0 jJNfBD fSvavs article-text\">General manager Hoffie Ferreira said the celebration wasn\u2019t just about a birthday \u2014 it was about a standard Toomey sets for everyone around him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Text-nO2aZ44r__TextBase-sc-s2hv5x-0 jJNfBD fSvavs article-text\">\u201cEverybody that works for him, we all feel like family,\u201d Ferreira said.<\/p>\n<p>A simple recipe for a long life<\/p>\n<p class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Text-nO2aZ44r__TextBase-sc-s2hv5x-0 jJNfBD fSvavs article-text\">Toomey\u2019s longevity still inspires the people closest to him \u2014 and not just because he\u2019s 98 and still clocking in.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Text-nO2aZ44r__TextBase-sc-s2hv5x-0 jJNfBD fSvavs article-text\">If there\u2019s one message he wants to pass on, he says it\u2019s pretty simple.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Text-nO2aZ44r__TextBase-sc-s2hv5x-0 jJNfBD fSvavs article-text\">\u201cDo what you love,\u201d Toomey said. \u201cIf you enjoy what you do, you love your family, then you\u2019ve got it made.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Start Here, Houston<\/p>\n<p class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Text-nO2aZ44r__TextBase-sc-s2hv5x-0 bTVksG\">More Stories Like This In Our Email Newsletter<\/p>\n<p>Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston &#8211; All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"HOUSTON \u2013 A Houston barbecue legend just added another candle to the cake \u2014 and did it surrounded&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":960660,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5130],"tags":[26874,343952,990,4345,386264,386265,386263,988,358,3187],"class_list":["post-960659","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-houston","tag-barbecue","tag-birthdays","tag-food","tag-houston","tag-j-bar-m-barbecue","tag-john-t-toomey-day","tag-john-toomey","tag-restaurants","tag-texas","tag-tx"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116987111791022390","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/960659","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=960659"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/960659\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/960660"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=960659"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=960659"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=960659"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}