Joseph Powdrell

Entrepreneur Joseph Powdrell was born on July 7, 1947 in Crosbyton, Texas to Pete Powdrell and Catherine Powdrell. Powdrell attended Frederick Douglass Elementary School before he moved with his family to Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1958, where he attended Albuquerque High School. In 1969, Powdrell received his B.S. degree in education from the University of New Mexico. He went on to receive his M.A. degree in education from California State University in 1972.

In 1962, Powdrell’s parents opened up their first barbeque restaurant, Mr. Powdrell’s Barbeque House. The restaurant’s Texas-style barbecue recipes were inspired by those of Powdrell’s great grandfather, Isaac Britt. In 1974, after serving a tour in Vietnam and teaching high school in Clovis, California, Powdrell returned to Albuquerque and continued working at his family’s restaurant, which had added another location in 1969. Powdrell and his brother opened their own restaurant, Drell’s Downtown, as well as another location of Mr. Powdrell’s Barbeque House, with the help of Powdrell’s wife, Rita Powdrell. He later became chief executive officer of Mr. Powdrell’s Barbeque House. In 1986, Powdrell founded the African American Business Council; and, in 2003, he founded the African American Alliance of Albuquerque. Powdrell was elected president of the Albuquerque branch of the NAACP in 2005. The next year, he worked with legislators to establish Juneteenth as a state holiday in New Mexico.

Powdrell has received multiple awards and honors. In 2011, he was honored by New Mexico Business Weekly as one of ten longstanding families that have impacted the state’s business community. In 2012, Powdrell was honored by the University of New Mexico’s Alumni Association’s Black Chapter as a “Living Legend.” Mr. Powdrell’s Barbeque House has been featured in Sunset magazine and has received praise from culinary experts. In 2010, its East Side location was selected by Albuquerque voters as the inaugural winner of the city’s “Rock This Restaurant” challenge.

Powdrell and his wife and business partner, Rita Powdrell, have four children: Carmen Powdrell, Nataura Moore, Jovona Webb, and Richard Powdrell.

Joseph Powdrell was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on July 25, 2019.