A family affair: Twins open Yami’s Restaurant on Noble and soon will bring some jazz to Anniston

By Irin Carmon
Star Staff Writer
07-01-2005

Yami’s owners, above, twins Antonio, left, and Anthony Murphy, right, stand with father, Eddie, at their new restaurant on Noble Street. Photo: Trent Penny/The Anniston Star At Yami’s, it’s all about family. The new Noble Street restaurant and soon-to-be live-jazz venue fulfills a decade-long dream of twins Anthony and Antonio Murphy, 29. The restaurant is named after their baby niece, and the family matriarchs were called in to decorate. The fluted vases are from Anthony’s wedding. "We want to be a place where you come, not just to be thrown food at," said Eddie Murphy, the twins’ father. "When you come here, we’ve extended an invitation for you to be in our house, and now we’re family." At the entrance to the historic Caldwell Building hangs a trombone that belonged to Anthony’s wife in high school. When the two met in college in Montgomery, Anthony Murphy said, bonding over trombone playing led to their first date. The trombone also symbolizes what the Murphys hope Yami’s will become: a casual yet upscale spot that showcases local jazz talent. The plans are ambitious, befitting a longtime dream: regular live performances, a possible expansion next door to make room for a club space, a signature Yami’s martini. But for now, the brothers are starting small: lunch service until 3 p.m., featuring hamburgers, steak fries and other American lunch staples. Anthony, who like his twin began a food service career at Popeye’s as a teenager in Anniston, emphasizes Yami’s homegrown aspect. After working at and eventually managing Roadhouse and Logan’s restaurants in southern Alabama and northern Florida, he said, he was homesick for Anniston. "We wrote ‘Anniston’s own’ on the storefront outside, because we want the town to feel like it belongs here, like it owns the place too," he said.

Yami’s currently serves lunch until 3 p.m. Photo: Trent Penny/The Anniston Star Formerly home to Jess’ Barbecue, the building is owned by James Lloyd, president of Colyer-Lloyd General Contractors in Anniston. "I was definitely impressed," Lloyd said of the brothers’ plans, while lunching on a Yami’s hamburger. He added that he had been looking to lease the place to a restaurant that could cater the meetings and functions that already occur upstairs. The Murphy team credited the Spirit of Anniston, which seeks to revitalize downtown Anniston, with encouragement and practical support. Antonio, who took business courses in college, said that an entrepreneurship class he took through the Small Business Administration "helped bridge the gap between textbook and practice." Lloyd had floors refurbished and the spot repainted a warm ochre color, said Antonio Murphy. The landlord also pitched in with the tables — a big help, since Yami’s was financed, as Eddie Murphy said, "on a shoestring," with personal money invested. This week, the brothers plan to test out the live acts in the restaurant section. They are applying for a liquor license and debating whether to allow smoking in the club. The restaurant will almost certainly be smoke-free, the Murphy brothers said. Eddie Murphy has taken on public relations, spending his mornings distributing thousands of flyers at local businesses. "I’ve been working in this community for 30 years, so now’s the time to call in the favors," he said. As for Anniston, Murphy said, "There’s a good crowd for jazz here." The key, he said, is creating the right atmosphere: less crowded, more personal, family-friendly. In addition to mixed ages, the elder Murphy said he hopes Yami’s will attract a racially diverse crowd. "There is a stigma attached to African-American-owned businesses. But jazz is universal. Even the guys like Coltrane understood that jazz was for everyone," he said. Lunching together at Yami’s recently, Janice Howard of Jacksonville and Bonnie Brown of Oxford said they’d been drawn by the recommendation of Karen Fountain at Think Toys, who said Yami’s had the best hamburger in town. Howard praised the calming atmosphere and said she looks forward to the live jazz. "This place can do nothing but help the image of downtown Anniston," Brown said.

About Irin Carmon

Irin Carmon is a recent graduate of Harvard University.

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256-235-3549 icarmon@annistonstar.com