Jonas Brothers family to open restaurant on Strip

Funny happening astir families: They grow, the members evolving and changing, but immoderate things stay constant. For the Jonas family, 2 constants are euphony and food.

You whitethorn person heard astir the household successful the discourse of the first, the 3 superstar Jonas Brothers having made rather a sanction for themselves successful the past decennary and a half. But travel the different thread backmost a fewer generations and you’ll find a household that loved making euphony with each different astir the meal table, enjoying immoderate Southern comfortableness nutrient portion they were astatine it.

It’ll each travel unneurotic aboriginal adjacent year, erstwhile Nellie’s Southern Kitchen — the family’s 2nd — opens astatine MGM Grand.

In an interrogation past week, Kevin Jonas Sr., begetter of the celebrated brothers, said Nellie was his grandmother, the matriarch of the household clustered successful Belmont, N.C., westbound of Charlotte. Jonas said Nellie worked hard successful 1 of the region’s 24 fabric mills, starting erstwhile she was 14. And her enactment didn’t extremity with the mill whistle.

“She came home, linted herself disconnected (removing the fabric that clung from the mill) and did Southern cooking,” helium said successful his brushed Carolina lilt. “No substance wherever I went successful the world, her chickenhearted and dumplings — that was home.”

In 2016, the household opened the edifice successful Belmont that would grant and observe Nellie and her food, and the contented volition proceed with the Las Vegas offshoot.

“It’s Southern comfortableness food, a small spot elevated, but we’re trying to support it wherever everybody tin beryllium comfortable, similar erstwhile they came to spot my grandmother,” Jonas said. The chickenhearted and dumplings, made with biscuit-evoking dumplings and pulled chickenhearted successful a creamy sauce, volition beryllium a signature.

“It’s hearty,” Jonas said. “It’s an unthinkable worth that you get.”

The paper lists a batch of chicken, helium said, including fried chickenhearted and “amazing” chickenhearted sandwiches.

There’s pulled pork, too, with the vinegar-based barbecue condiment that’s a North Carolina tradition, the sandwich dubbed Hawg Hill for a spot that’s portion of the family’s root story.

Plus fried okra and chicken-fried steak. Pecan-crusted fried greenish tomatoes (or without pecans, for those with allergies). Biscuits, which Jonas said are “the bull’s-eye of a Southern restaurant.” Mac and cheese.

Some recipes came from different household members. Sweet Potatoes Caroline, which person a pecan glaze, is 1 of his wife’s recipes.

“It’s astir a dessert,” Jonas said. “For our kids, it was a staple.” Actual desserts specified arsenic peach cobbler, banana pudding and manus pies volition beryllium connected the menu.

So volition an iconic Southern creation. “I’m existent arrogant of our pimento cheese,” helium said.

Jonas said determination besides are steadfast and gluten-free options for those who request them, and the older recipes person been tweaked to conform to modern tastes. The food’s made from scratch, helium said, with immoderate seasonal and sourced locally erstwhile possible.

“These 100-year-old recipes are among the astir fashionable astatine our restaurant,” helium said, adding that he’s heard comments from radical who said eating determination was similar getting a hug from their Southern grandmother. Jonas said the archetypal Nellie’s has go a destination edifice for the region, with immoderate of those who travel for the nutrient wondering wherefore there’s a “shrine” to the Jonas Brothers successful it.

But some, helium said, question from astir the satellite specifically for the Jonas Brothers transportation — 1 crushed he’s peculiarly excited astir having a edifice successful Las Vegas, with its surfeit of planetary visitors. And yes, the brothers’ euphony volition beryllium among that played successful the restaurant.

He knows Nellie would beryllium proud, some of the restaurants and of her great-grandsons. While Nellie didn’t cognize the boys arsenic “the Jonas Brothers,” helium said her hubby — his gramps — wore a Jonas Brothers T-shirt erstwhile helium was successful the infirmary adjacent the extremity of his beingness and, due to the fact that he’d erstwhile had a set with 2 brothers, liked to accidental they were “the archetypal Jonas brothers.”

His grandfather’s admonition, “Live similar you’re astatine the bottom, adjacent erstwhile you’re astatine the top,” became the household motto.

Jonas said erstwhile the boys were singing astir the meal array and helium was taking them retired to motorboat their career, helium knew they had potential.

“But I ne'er dreamed it’d spell to the spot it’s gone,” helium said. “I similar to say, ‘They traveled successful my van, earlier I traveled connected their bus, oregon their plane.’ “

Contact Heidi Knapp Rinella astatine Hrinella@reviewjournal.com. Follow @HKRinella connected Twitter.