and owned a restaurant near Sacramento City College from 2012 to 2018 .
As they talk up their brands from Cambridge to Nashville , the brothers are working to build generational wealth for their families — and to reclaim the value that might once have been associated with the Burgess name itself . Along the way , they ’ re passing on what they ’ ve learned about food-product innovation and development to fledgling entrepreneurs in the Capital Region .
An entrepreneurial gene
The wealth of Black families in America was often stolen before it could be passed down to the next generation , and the Burgesses have the receipts to show how much was taken from them . Their California roots go back to 1850 , when their then-enslaved great-great-grandfather , Rufus Burgess , was brought to Coloma from New Orleans to mine gold . He was freed soon after he arrived , found enough gold to purchase a parcel of farmland and sent for his wife and son , who had been sold to a slave owner in Kentucky .
The Burgess family eventually owned more than 88 acres in Coloma , including orchards , a blacksmith shop , a church and gold-bearing hills . That land would now be worth millions , but it was gradually split up , with some parcels seized by the state and some sold by the family , long before Jonathan and Matthew were born , according to deeds and other documents they compiled with the help of historians .
“ When you look at the wealth gap , it all ties back to the land ,” says Matthew . “ So for Jon and I , our mission has been , and will continue to be , to help bridge that generational wealth gap , because we understand the struggle . … I don ’ t think we ’ ll ever catch up , but we can start to build , and then continue to build , and then make sure that we leave things to our kids so that they can retain it . Because we weren ’ t allowed to do that .”
Some of the families that acquired the Burgess land in Coloma are now among the region ’ s most prominent , including
New Helvetia Brewing Company ’ s Rufus Burgess Golden Ale is named after Jonathan and Matthew Burgess ’ great-great-grandfather .
PHOTO COURTESY OF JONATHAN AND MATTHEW BURGESS
“ When you look at the wealth gap , it all ties back to the land . So for ( Jonathan Burgess ) and I , our mission has been , and will continue to be , to help bridge that generational wealth gap , because we understand the struggle .”
Matthew Burgess , cofounder , Burgess Brothers BBQ & Burgers
the politically active Gallagher family . ( One of their ancestors bought a parcel from the brothers ’ great-grandmother , Josephine Burgess .) Jonathan and Matthew grew up with relatively modest means in south Sacramento . The entrepreneurial gene manifested in them early : As boys , they searched for abandoned golf balls at Bing Maloney golf course , gave them a polish and resold them to players .
They got their start in the Sacramento food scene in 2010 , when they were invited to participate in a televised burger competition on “ Good Morning Sacramento .” The gimmick — brother versus brother , fireman versus cop — brought in plenty of viewers , as well as calls from people asking if they planned to open a restaurant . They ran a catering business for about a year to build a customer base before opening their brick-and-mortar , Burgess Brothers ’ Burgers ( the BBQ was added later ), which , in turn , helped to build brand awareness for their growing range of products .
In 2017 , the Burgesses announced they would shift their focus to the products and sell their restaurant for $ 1 to an aspiring business owner with a compelling story . The reality was less rosy than it sounds : The Burgesses and Roberto Villeda , the winner ( and sole applicant ), had a falling out that led to a lengthy court battle . Part of the settlement of the
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