From left: Joe Whitaker with the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission with Katrina, Joann and Jerome Brown [Photo: Bruce Lipsky/Florida Times-Union]

Local restaurateur Jerome Brown of Jerome Brown Barbeque & Wings fame received a $260,000 grant from the Northwest Jacksonville Economic Development Fund to build a manufacturing facility to bottle Jerome Brown Original Bar-B-Q Sauce. Brown expects the $3-million facility to employ more than 50 people within three years. Walmart and Sam's Clubs are stocking the sauce.