Tune in! Alcenia's BJ Chester-Tamayo to appear on 'Good Morning America'

Alcenia's owner BJ Chester-Tamayo is headed to New York. The Memphis soul food restaurant owner will be a guest on ABC's "Good Morning America" on Wednesday.

Known for her soul food and her outgoing personality, Chester-Tamayo has made several appearances on national TV over the years, but this will be her first time on "Good Morning America."

"A producer called me about a cookoff competition for Black History Month," Chester-Tamayo said. "And I told her, 'You don't need to call anyone else!'"

Chester-Tamayo will be cooking her meatloaf and macaroni-and-cheese on a segment with Michael Strahan.

Meatloaf is a signature item on Chester-Tamayo's menu. "It's my mother's recipe, but I added to it," she said. "I use all kinds of onions — white, purple and green, plus all kinds of peppers — yellow, green orange and red. It's all that's inside it that makes it so good."

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She will be competing against a chef from St. Louis, but she does not know who it is.

Chester-Tamayo is grateful for the national attention her small Downtown Memphis restaurant has received.

"I want to be known as a place that makes people feel special and loved — a lifeline to people all over the world," she said. "When I opened, I never dreamed of any of this. God takes us to places we could never imagine."

"Good Morning America" airs from 7-9 a.m. CST weekdays. Chester-Tamayo said she thinks her segment will air in the 8 a.m. hour.

Jennifer Chandler is the Food & Dining reporter at The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at jennifer.chandler@commercialappeal.com and you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @cookwjennifer. 

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: 'Good Morning America': Alcenia's BJ Chester-Tamayo to cook on show