For Jacqueline Larey, owner of downtown Texarkana’s newest restaurant Jackie OH’S at 212 E. Broad St., cooking is her passion.
The Texarkana, Ark., native said it’s just taken awhile to get to it. “I started in the computer business. After graduating college, the Northeast market was more advanced, faster growing, so I moved to Boston,” Larey said. “But I started helping my mom make gravy since I was 4.”

Staff photo by Tanner Spendley Jacqueline Larey is the owner and chef 
of Jackie OH’S at 212 E. Broad St. After scouting many locations, 
Larey said she kept coming back to the downtown location, 
excited at the prospect of being a part of the revitalization process

While in Boston, opportunities presented themselves for her to explore her passion.
“In 2000, I started catering on the side. Then I found a family and became a private chef for them,” Larey said.
Larey came back home in July, and another opportunity appeared.

“My parents, June and Jackie Larey, brought me back. I felt I needed to come back home to watch over them, and besides, it was time to come home,” Larey said. “The family I was working for in Boston, their kids were grown and I wanted to raise my 17-year-old daughter, Rachel Rice, here in Texarkana.”

Larey said her son, Brandon, 19, stayed in Boston. Back in Texarkana, her catering business got a big boost from her parents.
“They suggested I start a catering business here. I woke up one morning, and there was a catering truck in the driveway,” said Larey. “And I’ve been running ever since. I’m actually looking to add another truck.” With the catering truck’s success—making nine breakfast and five lunch stops—another opportunity presented itself. “They always asked me about my restaurant. It’s always been a dream of mine to open my own place, but when you have one, you’re married to it, it takes a lot,” Larey said. “I thought maybe opening one up in a year or two.”

Enter George Bohmfalk into Larey’s restaurant situation. Bohmfalk owned the building on Broad Street, which has housed his restaurant, George’s on Broad Street, as well as the former Via Roma’s Authentic Italian Restaurant. Bohmfalk moved to North Carolina and put the building up for sale.

“After I closed my restaurant a few years ago, we discovered we had nothing really to keep us in Texarkana. We have two sons—one in Charlotte and one in western Colorado,” Bohmfalk said. “If we wanted to get to know our grandkids, we’d better move closer to them. There was no reason to hold onto the restaurant property. We had placed For Sale signs in the window and Jackie called me. At first she wanted to lease it but over time decided she’d go ahead and buy the property.”

The property wasn’t her first choice; she needed a bigger kitchen for her catering business. The more she looked elsewhere, the more she came back to downtown. “The feel of the building kept me coming back. What we knew we could make it, and being a part of the downtown revitalization process is exciting,” said Larey. Larey said the name was born in a local bar between friends.

“We were in Fat Jack’s—this was years ago—and thought about what I’d call my restaurant if I ever opened one,” Larey said. “We thought it would be cool to own something like Fat Jack’s, serving anything from steaks and burgers to oysters. We thought ‘Jackie’s Oysters, Hamburgers, Steaks and More’ and that’s what we called this. Jackie OH’S—Oysters, Hamburgers, Steaks and More.”
Larey’s daughter, Rachel, wasn’t quite sure what to make of her mom’s dream come true. At least not at first. “When she told me she wanted to open it up, I told her I wished her all the best,” she said, adding, “But I’m glad we took the leap. Really glad.”
Several people have partnered with Larey in bringing life to Jackie OH’S. Along with Larey and Karen Nelson, business partners include Cathy Smith, Danette Staggs, Jason Brown and Jean Miller. “They volunteer their time to help get it off the ground,” Larey said. “I couldn’t have done it without their dedication.”

Jackie OH’S menu options range from breakfast dishes, to hamburgers and chicken, to steaks for lunch and dinner. Everything in both the restaurant and catering truck is homemade. Nothing goes to waste. In Her Wasteland Chips, for example, she uses the potato peelings, fries and seasons them like chips. If she has half a prime rib left over one night, she’ll chop it up and make prime rib burritos to sell on the catering truck. “Any food we have left over we donate to the area shelters,” said Nelson. One menu item not to be donated to shelters—the Junk Yard Dog Challenge.

According to the menu description, it’s a smoked sausage split down the middle, topped with brisket, pulled pork, a jalapeño pepper, Larey’s pineapple wrapped in bacon appetizer and Wasteland Chips, red onions, cheese and homemade barbecue sauce. Larey said anyone who eats the dog in two minutes receives a $10 gift certificate to Jackie OH’S. With several dining options downtown, Nelson hopes the friendly competition brings people to the area.

“I think the more restaurants we get downtown the better it will be in drawing people to the downtown area altogether,” said Nelson. “We offer a unique menu—it may be the same ingredients just cooked or served differently, but there’s a lot of different choices here for folks.” Larey said the building next door, formerly the Local Motion Art Gallery, will house a full bar once they get their alcoholic beverage license. Jackie OH’S hours are 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch, 5-9 p.m. for dinner Monday through Friday. They’re open 5-10 p.m. dinner only on Saturdays and closed on Sundays. Delivery is available for downtown businesses.