Christian Brantley pauses and recalls how he benefitted from mentorship as he was learning the restaurant business, and life.
Among his heroes as a young Black kid in the South was his father, Bardo.
“If it wasn’t for him, I don’t think I’d be here right now,” Christian Brantley said.
“Here right now” is owner of West Alley BBQ and Smokehouse, a block west of the downtown square in Chandler on Boston Street, popular among West Chandler diners and those throughout the area. He owns a similar restaurant in Jackson, Tenn., and, by the end of this year, he’ll have a third in Cooley Station in Gilbert.
His success as a businessman and entrepreneur is the perfect platform from which to mentor young people, just as his father once did for him.
“I feel like everything kind of comes full circle,” Brantley said.
Whether it’s his work with Chandler’s ICAN helping youngsters and being their role model, feeding area prep football teams or inviting high school bands into the restaurant for a chance to be seen and heard, Brantley does it. The importance of charity, outreach and religion are rooted in him from his grandmother, he says.
Brantley’s work with ICAN was among the reasons why, in January, he received the Chandler Martin Luther King Jr. Keeping the Dream Alive Award. The MLK award honors leaders in Chandler who inspire others with their vision, passion, dedication and leadership.
Now, during Black History Month, Brantley, 31, is the perfect embodiment of the celebration of achievement by Black Americans.
He’s honored, of course, but Brantley said he is more interested in giving back to the community than winning awards. That’s a continuum from his dad.
“He was my hero,” Brantley said. “The biggest thing he taught me was hard work at a very early age. I think I was 14 when I was pouring concrete. I always kept my schedule as busy as possible. I don’t know where I’d be if I hadn’t had that in my life at 14, 15, 16.”
Brantley had friends who did not have that back in Tennessee, and he sees young people today through his outreach who don’t have it, either. That’s where he attempts to step in.
“I come from a background where my family wasn’t very wealthy,” Brantley said. “Kids see me. They’re able to relate to me. You can feel that. Getting here was a lot of hard work and I try to get them to understand that everything is a step. They’re able to understand that it didn’t happen overnight.”
ICAN, a free afterschool program that serves East Valley vulnerable youth, has a goal of breaking the cycle of poverty and creating a pathway to success through programs that strengthen academic performance and teaching critical life skills. It encourages self-confidence, goal setting, positive decision-making and how to avoid risky behaviors prevalent in the community that ICAN serves. That’s all consistent with Brantley’s belief system, he says.
In early February, he spoke to about 300 kids at ICAN. Such afterschool programs often are difficult to access for children of color.
“I gave them samples of brisket. They call me ‘Chef,’” he said. “In April, I’m bringing in an ICAN team do a whole seminar down here at the restaurant about how I run the business, give them information about that, sales reports and then show fun stuff, too, which is the BBQ pit in the back.
“I want them also to understand that salary is not the most important thing, it’s the knowledge behind it. You’ve got to decide what kind of person you’re going to be. It’s about what you do. It’s what you can do to create something out of nothing. That’s what West Alley is. It’s definitely a spot where we created something that there wasn’t much there when we started. It was a humble beginning.”
Now, he’s not just a business owner, he is a successful business owner. West Alley has been featured on two Cooking Channel shows.
He attributes a large part of his success to a nurturing climate, first in Tennessee and then later in Chandler, which fosters success for Black business owners.
“To think there’s not tension and racial tendencies that go on in the South, you know it’s there,” he said. “You see it every day. But for me to say it was a constant struggle of racism, I can’t say that. It’s happened to me before, but I never let that deter what I am or what I can do to create and get the knowledge. Most of my mentors were White Americans, who were able teach me lot of good things.
“In this country right now, we’re going through trials and errors trying to get it right. I think we’re fighting every day for equality and making sure everybody’s on the same page. Since I came out here, Chandler has been amazing. They have been a huge advocate of multi-cultural programs, like minority festivals downtown. Chandler has supported me. The people that live in the city and surrounding areas have supported me. I wouldn’t be able to survive without the help of the city and the community.”
_______________
BLACK HISTORY MONTH FINAL WEEKEND
Black History Concert Tribute to Miles Davis
Friday, Feb. 25, 7 p.m.
Celebrate Black History Month with a tribute to Miles Davis featuring recording artists Jermaine Lockhart and Gabriel Bey with special guest vocalist, Charity Lockheart.
Chandler Center for the Arts, 250 N. Arizona Ave.
Information: chandlercenter.org, 480-782-2680.
The Greatest Love of All: A Tribute to Whitney Houston starring Belinda Davids
Saturday, Feb. 26, 7:30 p.m.
Relive the music of legendary Whitney Houston in this critically acclaimed tribute, featuring the talented Belinda Davids, accompanied by a live band and back up dancers.
Chandler Center for the Arts, 250 N. Arizona Ave.
Information: chandlercenter.org, 480-782-2680.
Stories at the Market: Celebrate Black Children’s Book Week
Saturday, March 5, 9:30 a.m.
Visit the Downtown Chandler Farmer’s Market for a story time presented by Chandler Public Library featuring stories, songs and more. On March 5, they will celebrate Black Children’s Book Week and will be joined by Lindsay Love from the Chandler Unified School District to read The Year We Learned to Fly by Jacqueline Woodson.
Dr. A.J. Chandler Park, Chandler Downtown Square.
Information: chandlerlibrary.org.
Chandler
