Lewis Rudd came to Bellevue College on Feb. 19 to give a talk about his experience co-founding and growing Ezell’s Famous Chicken with Ezell Stevens.
Lewis Rudd and Ezell Stevens were both born and raised in Marshall, Texas, in the mid 1960’s, a time and place where Rudd stated, “Black people would have to use the back entrance at restaurants.” Around the age of 15, Stevens would get a job at a local fried chicken restaurant, Brown’s Fried Chicken, with Rudd following later, quoting “that’s where the dream began, a restaurant of our own.”
About two and a half years later, Stevens would join the Coast Guard, and Rudd would join the Army, a move that Rudd attributes as a primary reason they were able to leave their hometown. In 1975, Stevens was discharged and moved to Seattle, marrying Faye Rudd, Lewis’s sister. Rudd would also move to Seattle the following year and join Stevens in working towards their dream of a fried chicken restaurant.
Their first physical location would be bought in 1978, an old boarded-up building on 23rd, once known as The Old Bulldog. It would stay dormant for another five years, while Rudd and Stevens fought redlining and racial discrimination in their attempts to get loans and certifications. Rudd stated that “capital was the biggest starting challenge. It was difficult for us to even just get the money to begin.”
There was a consistent connection present throughout each story told, a combination of traits that Rudd refers to as the “Four D’s.” These include Dedication, Determination, Discipline and Desire. These values would become the foundation of the business, with Rudd stating that there was “no better example than the one that Ezell set.”
The team would spend two years researching and developing recipes, and would open officially for the first time on Feb. 3, 1984, five years after they bought the property. Rudd credits a local dance competition, Bubbling Brown Sugar, for Ezell’s first loyal customer base, joking that “hungry teenagers would line down the street and around the corner for our food.” Rudd also emphasized how important their relationship to the community was, highlighting that honesty, loyalty and relationship-building all became part of their core values in the actual practice of serving their food and community.
“If the mind can conceive and the heart can believe, all of you can succeed and achieve your dreams,” says Rudd.
Rudd also made a point to dedicate a part of his talk to Black History Month, and has further supported black business owners through programs like R.U.B.B. (Raising Up Black Businesses) Initiative, which offers 20 inaugural grants of $2,500 each to Black-owned businesses or organizations in Washington state. Feb. 7 was even proclaimed Ezell’s Famous Chicken Day in 2008 as part of recognizing how much they have given back to the community.
Oprah Winfrey famously once wrote, “Ezell’s, I don’t know what I like more, the chicken, or the sweet potato pie! Thank you. It was something special.” Other celebrities like Marshawn Lynch and Russell Wilson are also visible in pictures within the founding restaurant, all contributing towards their title of “Ezell’s Famous Chicken.”
They currently have 18 locations, with a restaurant in Oregon standing as the only non-Washington location. Make sure to visit their website or restaurant, and support a locally founded business!
Thank you to the Bellevue Leadership Community, the Bellevue Business Mentors and the BC Associated Student Government for coordinating this event and offering a fun opportunity to connect and network with fellow BC students and alumni!
