Joe & Prinisa Benavides | Southern Foodways Alliance arrow left envelope headphones search facebook instagram twitter flickr menu rss play circle itunes calendar

Oral Histories

The SFA oral history program documents life stories from the American South. Collecting these stories, we honor the people whose labor defines the region. If you would like to contribute to SFA’s oral history collections, please send your ideas for oral history along with your CV or Resume and a portfolio of prior oral history work to info@southernfoodways.org.

< Back to Oral History project: Comida y Familia: Mexican-American Family Barbecue & Foodways

ORAL HISTORY

Joe and Prinisa Benavides


Joe's Backyard BBQ

Joe Benavides is the owner of Joe’s Backyard BBQ food truck in the Dallas area where his toprated menu is often booked each month. Through making and serving a variety of BBQ options and sides, Joe’s goal is to make people happy with their products and to make a name for themselves in the barbecue industry. Joe and Prinisa have three children, Nathan, Alex and Aviana. In addition to running his own business, he enjoys hanging out with friends, watching sports, and being anywhere where there’s a pool table.

Prinisa Benavides was born in Durban, South Africa and moved to America with her family in the late 1980’s. Her parents Jayce and Pam Govender were married for thirty-two years. Her father passed away in 2009 of cancer. Prinisa and Joe Benavides met when they were fifteen years old and have been married for twenty-four years. In addition to helping with the family business, Joe’s Backyard BBQ, Prinisa works as a nurse in the medical field—the same healthcare system for twenty-one years. For fun, she loves spending time with family, traveling, trying out new restaurants, going dancing, and attending concerts and sporting events.

Date of interview:
2022-05-26

Interviewer:
Cynthia Torres

Photographer:
Cooper Neill

Download Transcript

WORKING TOGETHER

WE CAN CULTIVATE PROGRESS.

The Southern Foodways Alliance drives a more progressive future by leading conversations that challenge existing constructs, shape perspectives, and foster meaningful discussions. We reconsider the past with research, scrutiny, and documentation.

BECOME A MEMBER TODAY

Alex Raij Txikito

Let’s Stay in Touch


Sign up for the SFA newsletter to have the latest content
delivered directly to your inbox.