Joe Kenney - The man from the City of Brotherly Love.

"Entrepreneur, artist, chef, welder, father, friend, community leader" 

Joe and Noraliza Kenney

There are few people like Joe Kenney on this planet and there are none like him in Brownsville, TX.  Joe is truly a renaissance man. He is a talented and creative business owner, chef, welder, artist, joke teller, mentor, father, supporter of live music and friend.  These are just a few of the words that describe Joe but he is so much more than that. His passions, tenacity, consistency and generosity are equally as important as his interest and activities. In a recent "Brownsville Herald" Article, Joe said about this father, "He was a great man. He taught us reciprocal behavior. You get back in life what you give." I have no doubt he lives by this code. 

I feel honored to be one of the many people that calls him a friend. I was lucky enough to meet him in 2010 shortly after I started Brownsville Living. Once he heard about the network and it's purpose he reached out to me and offered his assistance. From that day forward Joe Kenney and his beloved establishment Cobbleheads have been an integral part of Brownsville Living.

Joe is originally from Philadelphia. He ended up here like many of us guys from other places... he met a woman (Noraliza) that was from here and followed her back. His wife loves to tell the story of how they ended up here. Joe was welder by trade and at that time in Philly there was plenty of work for a guy like him. He was even positioned to be a leader in the local union which is kind of a big deal to be in that position in your early 20s. But fate (Noraliza) had different plans. When he married a Latina from the Valley, he underestimated a few things about her. She told him it's too cold here and my family is too far away. I am going back to Brownsville... you can come if you want. Well, as you can see Joe followed.

Joe and NoraLiza

When Joe arrived in Brownsville from Philly at fist his skills brought him work at the Port of Brownsville and the expansion of Brownsville Medical Center. But as we all know that work can be very unstable and Joe had a growing family to support so he began considering other options. He had a knack for cooking and decided to go for it and open a restaurant. At that time he opened Checkers Cafe in downtown Brownsville with the help of his father-in-law. According to legend, this was the founding location of Sombrero Festival and Joe was one of the founding members.

Due to the peso devaluation, Checkers Cafe closed and the building he had been permitted to use was sold. During the following years Joe worked at several local establishments and honed his skills of operating a restaurant bar. Just over 20 years ago he opened Cobbleheads that we all know and love. Over the years he has greatly improved and expanded the location. But perhaps one of Joe's biggest contributions is his undying support of live music. There is simply no other person or establishment in this town that has supported live music as long and consistently as Joe. Many musicians owe Joe a great deal. And many well known artists have played there from Tito Puente and Los Lonely Boys to local favorites Del Castillo and The Brew.

Joe is also a huge supporter of our community. He travels annually to Brownsville Day at the capitol and puts out an incredible spread for the politicians in Austin. Brownsville is his home, he is proud of it and he wants others to know what a jewel we have here. He also supports most local events. Frequently he is the guy who swoops in when another caterer has dropped the ball. He will get a last minute call desperately pleading to come save the day... and he does. He as an amazing ability to supervise and operate multiple events and happenings at once with incredible skill.

Joe & Family with Governor Perry at Cobbleheads

There is so much more that I can say about Mr. Kenney but I think you get the idea. I am honored to know Joe and his amazing family and staff at Cobbleheads. Put quite simply Joe and people like him are exactly the reason Brownsville Living exists. Yes, there is a place for chain businesses. But they don't put money back in our community they take it out. They don't care about their staff the way Joe does. There it's about performance, with Joe it's about family and community. He has had people working for him for almost 20 years. What chain can say that? So when you go out and spend your money... remember for every local business there is a person and a family like Joe behind the scenes. They may not be as visible or as involved as Joe but they are all hard workers who are doing their best to provide something different and special for you so the least we could do is is be part of it. 

Writer Craig Grove & Sons

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