After Pandemic Pause, BBQ Soul Returns

Darryl Pervis is back home on Whalley Avenue — and, starting Thursday, once again filling customers’ cravings for juicy BBQ chicken wings, sweet and sticky yams, and Mac and cheese.

T.O.P That BBQ, formerly known as Dperv’s Top BBQ, is reopening at a new spot near the corner of Whalley and Hobart Street.

Co-owners Thomea Oliver Pervis and Darryl Pervis previously ran the restaurant on Dixwell Avenue, which first opened in 2018. Once the pandemic hit last year, the duo was forced to close the Hamden spot down due to money struggles.

Since closing, however, they have not stopped feeding the community their homecooked soul food and catering events beyond Connecticut. The Pervises founded a service organization called Faith Inspired Servants Helping Everyone Reach Services (FISHERS), which has distributed thousands of plates of food and PPE throughout the pandemic for essential workers and any one else in the community.

In February, the Pervises purchased the new restaurant space at 554 Whalley Ave. U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy paid them a visit at the new spot around that time to talk with them about their next steps for re-opening and potential financial assistance options. Before leaving Murphy promised to return for a plate of soul food once the restaurant officially reopened.

Three months later the Pervises saved up their money and worked on rebranding their business and are celebrating their grand re-opening today at 12 p.m. ​“We thought we lost but this is like another chance,” said Darryl.

The restaurant is open Thursdays to Sundays from 12 p.m until 8 p.m

Darryl grew up on Whalley Avenue. He worked at several barbershops and salons in the area and is excited to be back home, he said.

The restaurant’s has several new menu items including a seafood combo with crab, lobster, flounder, and shrimp, the T.O.P chicken sandwich, and chicken and waffles.

The Pervises employ a team of ​“visionaries” they said. They all are dedicated to the goal of franchising T.O.P That BBQ for the whole world to ​“taste the difference.”

“Rainbow Team” Family

Front-end manager Salvatore McClain (pictured above), 48, joined the team after volunteering with FISHERS in the past. McClain was raised in New Haven but now lives in Hamden. He was a frequent customer at the restaurant when it was on Dixwell Avenue. Darryl is McClain’s cousin.

McClain is a realtor. When the Pervises’ Dixwell restaurant closed down, he worked with them to search for a new location.

While growing up in New Haven, McClain moved around Westville and the Hill neighborhoods. ​“New Haven will always be my home, and I want to help it in any way possible,” he said. ​“We’re going to keep this taken care of.”

This past March and September, McClain lost his parents. Because of the pandemic, he had to go for months without seeing his mother, then was allowed only a socially distanced visit with her before her passing. ​“We couldn’t have a proper send off because of Covid,” he said.

While at the restaurant, McClain hopes to educate customers about Covid and encourage them to get vaccinated while serving them a hot plate.

“We’re unique here, and our food is going to bless this community,” he said. .

The team said they are looking forward to Whalley’s ​“soul food crowd” and foot traffic.

While the Whalley Avenue spot is smaller, Darryl said the restaurant’s rebranded taste and looks are the first steps to the team’s future expansion plan.

This past Sunday the team and FISHERS volunteers served neighbors taste-test plates of menu items to ​“know what to look out for” when the restaurant re-opens.

“We’re going to make the people’s taste buds go crazy,” Darryl promised.

The team gloated about the restaurant’s tender ribs, which fall off the bone, and ​“world famous” collard greens.

Thomea is looking forward to getting back to serving take-out again. ​“We’ve been catering for so long now, we have to get out of the routine,” she said. ​“We’re ready to open our doors to Whalley.”

Chef William Mathews, 35 (pictured above) was born and raised in New Haven. He grew up in a family of cooks and soul food experts. Many of his relatives have or continue to work as chefs at Yale University.

“Cooking felt like the only natural thing to do,” he said.

Growing up, Mathews lived on Brookside Avenue and would have Sunday dinners at his aunt’s house just across the way from the new restaurant on Whalley Avenue. ​“This area was my kingdom was I was a kid. I use to always eat at the Chinese spot right next to this,” he said.

Now Mathews is returning to his childhood ​“kingdom” to feed the community and give back, he said. For him, cooking is like a form of therapy.

Mathew’s first job was as a cook at Jimmies of Savin Rock in West Haven. ​“I love the look on peoples face when my food brings them joy,” he said.

Mathews is helping to teach his four kids how to cook and ​“know good food.” Darryl is Mathews’ uncle, on his mother’s side.

Chef Shauniqua Davis (pictured above), 29, is a New Haven native. After completing cosmetology and realtor school, she got a corporate job. She lost her job last year due to the pandemic.

“I wanted to do more,” she said. Davis then decided to pursue her long-time interest in cooking.

Davis was raised in the kitchen; she learned to make soul food while a young girl. Darryl is Davis’ cousin on her grandfather’s side.

Davis hopes to learn more about the business side of a restaurant as well as cooking. ​“There’s so much to learn and we have the freedom here to do more than cook,” she said.

T.O.P That BBQ and FISHERS will continue to collaborate to give back and feed the community in the future.

“New Haven deserves this. We’re here to give back to our people,” Darryl said.