He combined soul food flavor with traditional barbecue. Clovis restaurant owner dies

The man who combined soul food flavors with traditional barbecue and still regularly attracted customers in the Clovis area has died.

Phillip Young, owner of Phill’s Corner Grill, passed away Tuesday at the age of 56.

Family members said Young underwent knee replacement surgery last week and was recovering in a rehabilitation center when he died suddenly. A cause of death wasn’t immediately known, according to Young’s family.

Young operated his barbecue restaurant for 13 years, all spent in Clovis, including the past six years out of the Peacock Market at the corner of Sunnyside Avenue and Third Street.

“He took pride in his food and loved to barbecue,” son Jarron Young said. “That was his dream: to open his own restaurant. He was a good talker and a people person. And I think that’s also what helped his business all these years.

“Because you know, many businesses don’t last, especially a barbecue business owned by a Black man in Clovis. But he was widely accepted and a lot of people in Clovis loved his barbecue.”

Phill’s Corner Grill actually closed permanently at the end of January as Young prepared to miss time because of the knee surgery. He also was looking to transition his business into a catering and food truck service.

Young’s menu included barbecue ribs and chicken and a Central Valley favorite tri-tip sandwiches — all seasoned nicely to offer flavors often not found at other Clovis eateries.

Young’s side dishes in particular provided savoring soul food flavors that made even simple selections such as green beans, and mac and cheese stand out.

During the Black History Month BBQ Cook Off held at Full Circle Brewing Co. each of the past years, Young came away as the winner of the ribs competition.

“If I’m being completely honest, I can’t say I’ve been to one place that compares to my dad’s barbecue,” Jarron said. “He knew what he was doing. Barbecuing is a tedious process.

“One thing he always said was that it all starts with your coals. You got to make sure your coals are right. If the coals aren’t right, the meat won’t be right.”

Young worked in the restaurant industry for 40 years, at various restaurants around the central San Joaquin Valley and in various roles.

His son said some of the places Young worked at included The Old Spaghetti Factory, Outback Steakhouse, Elephant Bar and Logan’s.

Young decided to start his own food establishment and initially opened up a barbecue place located inside a gas station at the same intersection as Peacock Market, but at an adjacent corner.

Seven years later, Young met Ronald Meyers, who had taken over as owner of Peacock Market at the time, and was talked into relocating Phill’s Corner Grill inside the market.

“He was a very nice guy, great food, good energy,” Meyers said. “When I first bought this store six years ago, I had lunch across the street and thought his food was good.

“But I wanted to see if it was consistent. So I show up again on a different day, ate more of his food, and thought ‘This stuff is really good. I want to get him in my store.’”

Young grew up in the west side of Fresno before his family moved farther north in the city, and he graduated from Bullard High in 1985. He was inspired to cook by his mom.

His passions over the years were football, food and family.

Young is survived by his seven children: Phillip, Jazmynn, Jarron, Brittney, Shalaya, Malichi and Joshua. He also had four stepchildren, as well as 10 grandchildren.

“It’s a big loss for us as a family, and I think this is a big loss for Clovis, Fresno,” Jarron said. “When he first started, there weren’t many barbecue places. But there are a lot more these days. Some of them out of gas stations — just like how he started.

“And he helped a lot of people who were looking to get into the barbecue business. My dad, he was just a good man.”

This story was originally published February 16, 2023 at 7:56 AM.