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Minority & Small Business Week
September 28, 2016
Chef Grows Recipe into Best Eats
C ontinued froM p age 6
up north, to open Dub’s in the
St. Johns neighborhood.
The new location serves
everything from brisket, to
catfish, to cheesecake, while
also being able to accommo-
date vegetarian diets and veg-
an ones upon request.
“The menu is made of
things that I grew up eating
or would fix for myself at
home,” says Dub.
The venture has led to an
award-winning
establish-
ment, honored as one of Wil-
lamette Week’s best cheap
eats, and a growing source
for catering opportunities.
According to Dub, they cater
quite a few times a week, any-
where from 15 to 200 people
for private events, from big-
ger companies like Occiden-
tal Brewing to smaller group
events from the Mayor’s of-
fice.
Dub’s is located inside one
of the oldest longshore bars in
Portland, the Ranger Tavern.
Its close location to the ports
brings in many of the workers
whose livelihood depends on
the waterfront, not to men-
tion Dub’s support of the In-
ternational Longshore and
Warehouse Union. Since the
location is outside St. Johns’
downtown business district,
Dub feels his recipes have
surpassed distance, making
his restaurant a true destina-
tion point.
On top of being the pre-
dominate chef at Dub’s, the
father of three is also a mu-
sician (as one half of the duo
Mack & Dub) as well as a car-
ing philanthropist.
“I’m all about seeing the
next generation succeed. I
just want to be a role mod-
el for that, especially all the
violence that’s happening
within the community,” says
Dub. “I feel the kids don’t see
a future or a value in nature
or the world, so I try to reach
out to people on an individual
basis.”
Last year, Dub fundraised
for Sitton Elementary School
and was able to buy the 4th,
5th and 6th grade boys and
girls basketball team uni-
forms, as well as the junior
varsity and varsity cheerlead-
ing squad uniforms for Roos-
evelt High School.
Having attended Jefferson
High himself, Dub soon plans
on working with them, but his
main focus is spreading pos-
itivity and encouragement to
local youth.
“I want them to know that
I’m here to talk. I’m here to
inspire, to coach, to give them
a hug. Whatever they need,”
says Dub. “I’m here to show
them how to be an entrepre-
neur, how to make it through
the hard times and still be
giving and thankful for what
they have.”
If you’ve got craving for
some hearty chicken and
waffles or some catfish, visit
Dub’s at 9520 N. Lombard.
Dub is almost always in the
kitchen and almost always
down for a chat, so feel free
to say hello to him.
“It’s really important to me
to be a role model for both
men and women. All of this is
my neighborhood. Portland is
just my town.”
Entrepreneur Inspired
C ontinued froM p age 7
by one of black culture’s most
prized aesthetic apparel pos-
sessions, followed his impresa-
rio path from start to finish.
As a child, Williams’ love
for sneakers surpassed his fam-
ily’s financial means, but that
didn’t stop him from pulling
inspiration from his favorite
facet of attire. Sketches and il-
lustrations of his dream sneak-
er creations paid off in the long
run.
Using his warm and wel-
coming personality, Williams
networked his way from work-
ing as a janitor at the Nike air-
bag factory to designing shoes
for them. After three years of
conversing with Nike bigwigs
as he cleaned up around the
factory, Williams pitched one
of his designs to the company.
The “Wet Floor” sneaker,
inspired by the brightly hued
signs he posted around the fac-
tory after mopping, was the
yellow high top that started
it all. But Williams spent five
years making sneaker designs
before leaving in pursuit of a
more diverse, communal busi-
ness venture.
In his mind, coffee shops are
the ultimate hub of building
relationships and community.
Though breaking into Port-
land’s elite coffee world was
more difficult than presently
thought, Williams prevailed
and Deadstock Coffee opened
in Chinatown in February of
this year.
Deadstock is like the Cheers
bar of coffee, where anyone
from any background can come
and feel welcomed. Shows
like “A Different World” play
on the television displayed
above the coffee bar, nestled
in between walls adorned with
sneakers and funky art.
The shop carries coffee from
Dapper & Wise Roasters in
Hillsboro as well as chocolate
and syrup flavors from Portland
company Holy Kakow. On top
of getting a killer cup of coffee,
you can also get your sneakers
cleaned up and detailed. Talk
about premium service!
Deadstock Coffee is locat-
ed at 408 N.W. Couch St. For
hours or more information on
sneakers, visit deadstockcof-
fee.com or call 971-506-5903.