BBQ Research—Memphis Edition Day 1 A nice group of adventurers joined me for this trip. Thanks to Gary Guesnier, Jennifer Biggs, Ashley-Dior Thomas, Wayne Lohman, Chef Raymond Jackson, Angie King Keesee, Dave Mekeel and Joe York! I really appreciated y’all’s help in ordering a lot of food so that I could sample a lot of […]
BBQ Research–Historic Nicodemus, Kansas Edition
A few years ago, I learned of Ernestine Van Duvall, a barbecue and soul food artist who had strong ties to Nicodemus, Kansas–the oldest black settlement west of the Mississippi River. I thought it would be a great story for my forthcoming book on African American barbecue culture, so I reached out to Angela […]
Chicago BBQ Research Trip–Southside Edition
The research for Black Smoke, my forthcoming book on African American barbecue culture, is underway! I took my first trip to Chicago, and explored the city’s south side. That area has been predominantly African American for several decades. Saturday, July 21st Most barbecue joints on Chicago’s south side are takeout joints. So, I decided to […]
Celebrating a Century with Cake!
We had a very blessed time celebrating the 100th birthday of Lometa Gaskin, one of the church mothers at Campbell Chapel African Methodist Church in Denver, Colorado. In the weeks leading up to her birthday, we asked Sister Gaskin what her favorite food is. She always replied, “Cake.” When we pressed her to identify […]