HOUSTON – A Houston barbecue legend just added another candle to the cake — and did it surrounded by brisket, Cougar pride and four generations of family.
J-Bar-M Barbecue founder John J. Toomey is officially 98 today, and the celebration started early Friday, when family, friends, staff and community leaders pulled off a surprise party at the MICHELIN-recommended EaDo restaurant he opened at age 93.
The birthday honors came big: a custom Cougar Red sport coat, a City of Houston proclamation, and a visit from University of Houston coaches, staff and student-athletes.
That proclamation — issued by Mayor John Whitmire — officially declares July 26, 2026, as “John J. Toomey Day” in Houston, recognizing Toomey as a beloved Houstonian whose decades-long career has blended leadership, philanthropy and entrepreneurship.
Toomey, a lifelong Houstonian raised in the Riverside neighborhood, has been building things — and building community — for most of a century. According to the proclamation, he graduated from the University of Houston in 1950, earned his law degree from the University of Houston Law Center in 1951, and spent more than seven decades in business and law, including pro bono work through Catholic Charities in the 1950s.
But on Friday, the focus was on barbecue — and the restaurant Toomey still treats like home.
“I love barbecue and I love this restaurant, so I’m really, really honored to be here for my birthday,” Toomey said.
Still showing up at 98
And while plenty of people retire and slow down, Toomey’s idea of “taking it easy” still includes showing up regularly to make sure everything is right.
“What I normally do [is] come in … usually by 10 o’clock and stay till about one o’clock,” he said. “That way I can contact and talk to the people who work here, see the customers, and check the quality of the food.”
His grandson, co-owner Charles Toomey, says that’s just who he is — an entrepreneur who never really turns the “on” switch off.
“The guy doesn’t stop,” Charles said. “He’s always here… making sure the quality’s there, greeting customers, and just providing a great hospitality experience.”
A family legacy
Charles said J-Bar-M stands out not only because of the food and the space, but because the family is truly in it together day after day.
“I think what kind of sets us apart is our family atmosphere,” he said.
The restaurant’s name is personal, too — a tribute to Toomey’s late wife and high school sweetheart, Michelene, whose initial is woven into “J-Bar-M.” Family members say the restaurant carries forward a dream they shared.
General manager Hoffie Ferreira said the celebration wasn’t just about a birthday — it was about a standard Toomey sets for everyone around him.
“Everybody that works for him, we all feel like family,” Ferreira said.
A simple recipe for a long life
Toomey’s longevity still inspires the people closest to him — and not just because he’s 98 and still clocking in.
If there’s one message he wants to pass on, he says it’s pretty simple.
“Do what you love,” Toomey said. “If you enjoy what you do, you love your family, then you’ve got it made.”
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