Kee's Loaded Kitchen

Kee's Loaded Kitchen
Kee's Loaded Kitchen
Restaurant information
Owner(s)	Kiauna "Kee" Nelson
Chef	Kiauna "Kee" Nelson
Food type	Soul food
City	Portland
State	Oregon
Country	United States
Coordinates	45°33′34″N 122°39′41″W / 45.5595°N 122.6613°W
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Kee's Loaded Kitchen (stylized as Kee's #Loaded Kitchen) is a soul food restaurant in Portland, Oregon.^[1]^[2]

Description

Kee's is a Black-owned, soul food restaurant on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in northeast Portland's King neighborhood. The menu includes smoked brisket, fried catfish,^[3] chicken wings, loaded baked potatoes, macaroni and cheese, spaghetti, and desserts.^[4]^[5]

History

Kiauna "Kee" Nelson is the restaurant's owner and chef.^[4]

In 2020, Kee's and Nelson appeared in a music video by Aminé.^[6] In June, during the George Floyd protests, donations from community members and Don't Shoot Portland allowed Kee's to provide free food to Black Portlanders.^[5] For Thanksgiving, Kee's offered turkey, smoked brisket, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, cornbread stuffing, collard greens, and sweet potato casserole. Desserts included banana pudding, coconut layer cake, and sweet potato pie.^[7]

The restaurant was featured on the Netflix series Street Food in 2022.^[8] Kee's caters large events.^[9]

Reception

In 2018, Kee's was named Cart of the Year by Willamette Week.^[10] Kee's was included in multiple Eater Portland lists in 2021. Nick Woo and Nick Townsend included the restaurant in "14 Real-Deal Fried Chicken Spots in Portland", writing: "When Kiauna Nelson of the MLK food cart Kee's Loaded Kitchen starts frying chicken for her loaded plates, it's a run-don't-walk situation. Nelson's chicken gets a heavy, spice-laden rub before it hits the fryer, and then gets hit with the 'magic dust,' a sweet-spicy powder almost reminiscent of barbecue potato chips. There's nothing in town like it. Now, Kee's can get some serious lines, so the real move is to get to the cart before it opens for a takeout order."^[11] Additionally, Woo and Brooke Jackson-Glidden also included Kee's in "15 Outstanding Portland Food Carts",^[12] and Ron Scott included the food cart in "9 Spots for Serious Soul Food in Portland and Beyond".^[13] The website's Ron Scott and Nathan Williams included the restaurant in a 2022 list of "13 Spots for Serious Soul Food in Portland and Beyond".^[14] Kee's was included in Eater Portland's 2025 overview of the city's best food carts.^[15]

References

^ Moore, Jenni (October 6, 2020). "Kee's Loaded Kitchen Wants to Feed Everyone". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on May 21, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
^ Corbell, Beverly (October 1, 2019). "Kee's #Loaded Kitchen Cooks up Soul". The Portland Observer. Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
^ Scott, Ron (October 5, 2021). "9 Spots for Serious Soul Food in Portland and Beyond". Eater Portland. Vox Media. Archived from the original on October 11, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
^ ^a ^b Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (August 22, 2018). "Where to Eat or Drink for Support Black-Owned Restaurant Week". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on June 2, 2020. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
^ ^a ^b Frane, Alex (June 2, 2020). "Northeast Portland Food Cart Kee's Loaded Kitchen Is Feeding Black Portlanders for Free". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on September 26, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
^ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (February 27, 2020). "An Essential Portland Food Cart Makes an Appearance in Aminé's New Video". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
^ Frane, Alex (November 15, 2016). "Where to Order Thanksgiving Dinner in Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on September 29, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
^ "Which Portland Food Celebrities Made It to Netflix's 'Street Food USA'?". Portland Monthly. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
^ Roland, Rebecca (June 3, 2015). "13 Portland Food Trucks That Will Cater Your Wedding". Eater Portland. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
^ Korfhage, Matthew (March 21, 2018). "Kee's Loaded Kitchen Serves the Biggest, Baddest Down-Home Plates in Portland". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on June 8, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
^ Woo, Nick (May 28, 2015). "14 Real-Deal Fried Chicken Spots in Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on September 29, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
^ Woo, Nick (June 10, 2015). "15 Outstanding Portland Food Carts". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on September 18, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
^ Scott, Ron (October 5, 2021). "9 Spots for Serious Soul Food in Portland and Beyond". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on October 11, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
^ Scott, Ron (October 5, 2021). "13 Spots for Serious Soul Food in Portland and Beyond". Eater Portland. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
^ Coleman, Ben (June 10, 2015). "The Best Food Carts in Portland". Eater Portland. Retrieved May 28, 2025.

[1] Moore, Jenni (October 6, 2020). "Kee's Loaded Kitchen Wants to Feed Everyone". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on May 21, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.

[2] Corbell, Beverly (October 1, 2019). "Kee's #Loaded Kitchen Cooks up Soul". The Portland Observer. Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved October 17, 2021.

[Soul-3] Scott, Ron (October 5, 2021). "9 Spots for Serious Soul Food in Portland and Beyond". Eater Portland. Vox Media. Archived from the original on October 11, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.

[Black-4] Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (August 22, 2018). "Where to Eat or Drink for Support Black-Owned Restaurant Week". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on June 2, 2020. Retrieved October 17, 2021.

[Free-5] Frane, Alex (June 2, 2020). "Northeast Portland Food Cart Kee's Loaded Kitchen Is Feeding Black Portlanders for Free". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on September 26, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.

[6] Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (February 27, 2020). "An Essential Portland Food Cart Makes an Appearance in Aminé's New Video". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved October 17, 2021.

[7] Frane, Alex (November 15, 2016). "Where to Order Thanksgiving Dinner in Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on September 29, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.

[8] "Which Portland Food Celebrities Made It to Netflix's 'Street Food USA'?". Portland Monthly. Retrieved July 29, 2022.

[9] Roland, Rebecca (June 3, 2015). "13 Portland Food Trucks That Will Cater Your Wedding". Eater Portland. Retrieved July 24, 2024.

[10] Korfhage, Matthew (March 21, 2018). "Kee's Loaded Kitchen Serves the Biggest, Baddest Down-Home Plates in Portland". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on June 8, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.

[11] Woo, Nick (May 28, 2015). "14 Real-Deal Fried Chicken Spots in Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on September 29, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.

[12] Woo, Nick (June 10, 2015). "15 Outstanding Portland Food Carts". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on September 18, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.

[13] Scott, Ron (October 5, 2021). "9 Spots for Serious Soul Food in Portland and Beyond". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on October 11, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.

[14] Scott, Ron (October 5, 2021). "13 Spots for Serious Soul Food in Portland and Beyond". Eater Portland. Retrieved July 6, 2022.

[15] Coleman, Ben (June 10, 2015). "The Best Food Carts in Portland". Eater Portland. Retrieved May 28, 2025.

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