Steven Goodwin was known for his skill at cooking barbecue, but those who knew him said he loved people even more.
Mr. Goodwin died early Wednesday morning of what is believed to be a heart attack. He was 69.
For 24 years, Mr. Goodwin, along with his wife, Debbie, served up barbecue delights at Steven’s Barbecue, located at 208 Fulton St.
Mr. Goodwin closed the restaurant in 2021, but it was one of the most important things in his life aside from his family, said Regina Champion, who worked at the restaurant.
“The restaurant was a big part of his life,” she said. “He loved that restaurant.”
Champion, now 41, said she met Mr. Goodwin when she was 14 and later started working at Steven’s Barbecue.
Kara Powell, 37, was 15 when she was introduced to Mr. Goodwin through Champion.
“I started working for Steven and Debbie when I was 15 at the restaurant and snow cone stand,” she said. “Worked for them through high school and part of college. They became second parents to me. Steven was like a bonus dad.”
Champion also said Mr. Goodwin became like family. “He’s like a father figure to me. I looked at him just like he was my dad.”
Mr. Goodwin started out with his snow cone stand in the parking lot of the former Fred’s Pharmacy on West Park Avenue. Barbecue was always something he wanted to try.
“That’s what I always wanted to do, just sell a little barbecue,” Mr. Goodwin said in 2021. “I knew nothing about cooking barbecue. My mom and dad had a barbecue restaurant in Tupelo, and I just figured I would have an inside track for them.”
Mr. Goodwin purchased a barbecue pit and sold food right next to his snow cone stand. That lasted until 1997, when he took the leap to open his store on Fulton Street.
Two of the favorites from the restaurant were the smoked brisket and the chocolate cake.
Powell said Mr. Goodwin was dedicated to his restaurant and customers and looked out for his employees.
“We were his girls,” she said. “He took care of us through our teenage years and made sure we were making good choices and decisions.”
Mr. Goodwin was also known as a jokester and a prankster.
“Never a dull moment,” said Champion. “Anybody that knows Steven Goodwin knows there was always some mess.”
Mr. Goodwin and his wife, Debbie, were married for nearly 50 years. They had one daughter, Heather, and two grandchildren.
Since retiring, Champion and Powell said Mr. Goodwin spent time with his grandchildren in Nashville and at property he owned on the countryside outside Greenwood.
Champion said she will remember Mr. Goodwin being “caring.”
“He loved us dearly,” said Powell. “He loved to cook and to bring people the joy of food.”
Contact Kevin Edwards at 662-581-7233 or kedwards@gwcommonwealth.com.
