OMAHA GALA FEATURE

Big Mama, Bigger Heart Serving Up Soul Food and Second Chances

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ATRICIA GIVENS BARRON, THE woman behind Big Mama’s

Kitchen in North Omaha, is known for her soul food. And for giving folks who’ve run afoul of the law a second chance. Her desire to give individuals reentering society a break is not some vague, do-gooder’s impulse; rather, it’s a deeply felt advocacy and activist calling borne of personal experience and heartache. The North Omaha native grew up the daughter of popular band leader Basie Givens. After a four-year U.S. Navy hitch, then decades in the telecommunications industry, Barron, who did catering on the side, opened her restaurant in 2007. Her interest in giving a helping hand began long before—when two of her daughters went to prison.  > omaha magazine • september/october 2014 

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