Kee's Loaded Kitchen Explained

Kee's Loaded Kitchen
Current-Owner:Kiauna "Kee" Nelson
Chef:Kiauna "Kee" Nelson
Food-Type:Soul food
City:Portland
State:Oregon
Zip:-->
Country:United States
Mapframe:yes
Mapframe-Zoom:13

Kee's Loaded Kitchen (stylized as Kee's #Loaded Kitchen) is a soul food restaurant in Portland, Oregon.[1] [2]

Description

Kee's is a Black-owned, soul food restaurant on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in northeast Portland's King neighborhood. The menu includes smoked brisket, fried catfish,[3] chicken wings, loaded baked potatoes, macaroni and cheese, spaghetti, and desserts.[4] [5]

History

Kiauna "Kee" Nelson is the restaurant's owner and chef.[4]

In 2020, Kee's and Nelson appeared in a music video by Aminé.[6] In June, during the George Floyd protests, donations from community members and Don't Shoot Portland allowed Kee's to provide free food to Black Portlanders.[5] For Thanksgiving, Kee's offered turkey, smoked brisket, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, cornbread stuffing, collard greens, and sweet potato casserole. Desserts included banana pudding, coconut layer cake, and sweet potato pie.[7]

The restaurant was featured on the Netflix series Street Food in 2022.[8] Kee's caters large events.[9]

Reception

In 2018, Kee's was named Cart of the Year by Willamette Week.[10] Kee's was included in multiple Eater Portland lists in 2021. Nick Woo and Nick Townsend included the restaurant in "14 Real-Deal Fried Chicken Spots in Portland", writing: "When Kiauna Nelson of the MLK food cart Kee's Loaded Kitchen starts frying chicken for her loaded plates, it's a run-don't-walk situation. Nelson's chicken gets a heavy, spice-laden rub before it hits the fryer, and then gets hit with the 'magic dust,' a sweet-spicy powder almost reminiscent of barbecue potato chips. There's nothing in town like it. Now, Kee's can get some serious lines, so the real move is to get to the cart before it opens for a takeout order."[11] Additionally, Woo and Brooke Jackson-Glidden also included Kee's in "15 Outstanding Portland Food Carts",[12] and Ron Scott included the food cart in "9 Spots for Serious Soul Food in Portland and Beyond".[13] The website's Ron Scott and Nathan Williams included the restaurant in a 2022 list of "13 Spots for Serious Soul Food in Portland and Beyond".[14]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Moore. Jenni. 2020-10-06. Kee's Loaded Kitchen Wants to Feed Everyone. live. 2021-10-17. Portland Monthly. en-US. 2021-05-21. https://web.archive.org/web/20210521200839/https://www.pdxmonthly.com/eat-and-drink/2020/10/kee-s-loaded-kitchen-wants-to-feed-everyone.
  2. Web site: Corbell. Beverly. 2019-10-01. Kee's #Loaded Kitchen Cooks up Soul. live. 2021-10-17. The Portland Observer. 2020-08-12. https://web.archive.org/web/20200812032757/http://portlandobserver.com/news/2019/oct/01/kees-loaded-kitchen-cooks-soul/.
  3. Web site: Scott. Ron. 2021-10-05. 9 Spots for Serious Soul Food in Portland and Beyond. live. 2021-10-17. Eater Portland. Vox Media. en. 2021-10-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20211011062203/https://pdx.eater.com/maps/soul-food-portland.
  4. Web site: Jackson-Glidden. Brooke. 2018-08-22. Where to Eat or Drink for Support Black-Owned Restaurant Week. 2021-10-17. Eater Portland. en. 2020-06-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20200602150842/https://pdx.eater.com/2018/8/22/17764514/support-black-owned-restaurant-week-portland-2018. live.
  5. Web site: Frane. Alex. 2020-06-02. Northeast Portland Food Cart Kee's Loaded Kitchen Is Feeding Black Portlanders for Free. 2021-10-17. Eater Portland. en. 2021-09-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20210926035526/https://pdx.eater.com/2020/6/2/21277366/kees-loaded-kitchen-donations-food-dinners-free. live.
  6. Web site: Jackson-Glidden. Brooke. 2020-02-27. An Essential Portland Food Cart Makes an Appearance in Aminé's New Video. 2021-10-17. Eater Portland. en. 2020-06-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20200603154657/https://pdx.eater.com/2020/2/27/21156134/amine-music-video-portland-shimmy-kees-loaded. live.
  7. Web site: Frane. Alex. 2016-11-15. Where to Order Thanksgiving Dinner in Portland. 2021-10-17. Eater Portland. en. 2021-09-29. https://web.archive.org/web/20210929002123/https://pdx.eater.com/maps/thanksgiving-takeout-portland-mapped. live.
  8. Web site: Which Portland Food Celebrities Made It to Netflix's 'Street Food USA'? . 2022-07-29 . Portland Monthly . en-US.
  9. Web site: Roland . Rebecca . 2015-06-03 . 13 Portland Food Trucks That Will Cater Your Wedding . 2024-07-24 . Eater Portland . en.
  10. Web site: Korfhage. Matthew. 2018-03-21. Kee's Loaded Kitchen Serves the Biggest, Baddest Down-Home Plates in Portland. live. 2021-10-17. Willamette Week. en. 2021-06-08. https://web.archive.org/web/20210608025536/https://www.wweek.com/restaurants/2018/03/21/kees-loaded-kitchen-serves-the-biggest-baddest-down-home-plates-in-portland/.
  11. Web site: Woo. Nick. 2015-05-28. 14 Real-Deal Fried Chicken Spots in Portland. 2021-10-17. Eater Portland. en. 2021-09-29. https://web.archive.org/web/20210929002130/https://pdx.eater.com/maps/best-fried-chicken-portland. live.
  12. Web site: Woo. Nick. 2015-06-10. 15 Outstanding Portland Food Carts. 2021-10-17. Eater Portland. en. 2021-09-18. https://web.archive.org/web/20210918081209/https://pdx.eater.com/maps/best-food-carts-portland. live.
  13. Web site: Scott. Ron. 2021-10-05. 9 Spots for Serious Soul Food in Portland and Beyond. 2021-10-17. Eater Portland. en. 2021-10-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20211011062203/https://pdx.eater.com/maps/soul-food-portland. live.
  14. Web site: Scott . Ron . 2021-10-05 . 13 Spots for Serious Soul Food in Portland and Beyond . 2022-07-06 . Eater Portland . en.

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