INDIANAPOLIS — Pa & Ma's Backyard BBQ in Indianapolis has been serving up soul food dishes for decades.
"One thing, they always stayed consistent, they say y'all got some of the best food I've ever tasted," said Brockelle Nelson, the owner's daughter.
The Nelsons have been bringing the community together since 1995.
On Friday, Oct. 4, the restaurant will be featured on Food Network's "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives."
"We've worked as a family so hard for this moment that I feel like we're prepared," Brockelle said.
It took two days of filming in February. Staff even got to meet American restaurateur Guy Fieri after decades of hard work and doing what they loved — cooking.
"This is our dream, but this was initially his dream," said owner Monica Nelson about her husband, George Nelson Sr.
It's a dream George won't be able to see. He was shot and killed on Aug. 21.
"I'm ready to hear his voice," Monica said.
Monica says they got the call of when the show would air 10 days before George was killed.
"This is going to be a happy moment for me, but as you know...." Monica said as tears began to fill her eyes. "(In 1995), he saw a commercial on the Food Network. The commercial said, 'What would you do if you could do it for free?' He said I would cook."
The Nelsons eventually opened up a restaurant, and for just $5, they fed the neighborhood.
"And then, it just grew and grew and grew," Monica said.
They would later begin serving hot meals for just $10.
"We're feeding families," Monica said.
The Nelsons recalled what it was like meeting Fieri.
"He was just awed. He said, 'You all are selling meals for $10? How do you do it?' This is what we do," Monica said.
They'll continue to do it for their community and in honor of their loved one.
"Everybody had a special relationship with my dad. My dad employed the unemployable," Brockelle said. "We have teenagers who work with us. We have elders who work with us. We have people who were prior felons who worked with us. And so my dad was kind of like their everything."
George is greatly missed by his employees and the community he served.
"Being that he passed, how he passed, and for me, I didn't live here, so I haven't seen my father since June, so to hear his voice and to kind of see him in all his glory, it will be a challenge, and it's going to be bittersweet because this is something that he's really wanted," Brockelle said.
The Nelsons say they will carry on his legacy.
"He's always said, 'Baby, I'm carrying the business on my back.' I said, 'Well, if anything falls off, I'm here to catch it. I'm here. I'm right here by your side,' so now, it's in our laps," Monica said.
The "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" episode featuring Pa & Ma's Backyard BBQ will air at 9 p.m. ET Friday, Oct. 4.
The restaurant is located at 2621 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. on the near northwest side of Indianapolis.